Oscar winning actress Cate Blanchett has received an honorary doctorate degree at the Macquarie University in Sydney for her extraordinary contribution in the field of arts, philanthropy and community. The 45-year-old actress said: “The arts are what we stay alive for, what we work for all week, what we dream about, what connects us and indeed, what some will say makes us human.” Earlier, she had been awarded honorary degrees from Sydney University and the University of New South Wales.