Ceremonies and Ritual in Fiction by Egantx7

This 2001 film twice (once early in the film, and once near the end) shows a pen ceremony where colleagues of a professor each hand him a pen to signify a significant career accomplishment. The main character witnesses this as a student, and then later is a recipient of the pens. In fact, this ceremony was made up for the film, and did not exist prior. Identify this film that follows the life of a real Princeton professor.