Alan Cohn reports

New Haven (WTNH) _ The former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney, received an honorary degree from Yale University as part of the commencement ceremonies.

Serenaded by his hit, “Hey Jude” McCartney donned a sash as the crowd cheered him on. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree.

Yale has had plenty of visitors from across the pond this weekend. Yesterday, former British prime minister Tony Blair spoke during Yale Class Day. He kept with Yale tradition where graduation speakers don’t appear at commencement and instead made a speech the day before.

Blair called for partnerships between the U.S. and Europe to avoid conflicts between growing countries like India and China. He has also been a strong supporter of U.S. policy in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Thousands of miles from here, this struggle is being played out in the suburbs of Baghdad and Beirut, but the impact of its outcome on our security here and our way of life will register in the core of our being,” Blair said.

Blair’s son just completed his master’s degree in International Relations at Yale. Blair plans to teach at Yale next year.