December 6, 2007
Nominees for honorary degrees sought
The University is seeking to recognize a number of distinguished outstanding individuals at next June’s commencement, and wants the campus community to help in identifying them.
Every year at commencement ceremonies around the country, colleges and universities award honorary degrees to individuals who have made noteworthy contributions to their respective fields. Doing so enables universities to highlight accomplishments that reaffirm values that are important to them and to their communities in a very public way. It also helps demonstrate the role individual schools and colleges play in society and in the life of the University.
Until a few years ago, the University of Washington did not award such degrees. In 2001, the Faculty Senate approved a process for doing so. Since then, honorary degrees have been awarded to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, playwright August Wilson and the first head of the Environmental Protection Agency William D. Ruckelshaus. Three of these honorees also were commencement speakers.
Working with the Faculty Council on University Relations, a process has been developed for soliciting nominations for honorary degree recipients. These nominations are reviewed by the faculty council, which then forwards its recommendations to President Mark Emmert. Emmert then takes candidates’ names to the Board of Regents, which has the authority to confer honorary degrees.
Procedures and guidelines for nominating candidates for honorary degrees are posted at http://depts.washington.edu/honord. Nominations must be submitted through the office of a dean or chancellor. Consultation with respective college councils or departmental faculties is recommended. Nominations for 2008 honorary degrees should be submitted to the Faculty Council on University Relations, c/o the Faculty Senate Office, Box 351271 by Dec. 31.
Questions about the process or the criteria should be directed to Mary Ann Odegaard, chair of the Faculty Council on University Relations, at 206-856-3835, or modegaar@u.washington.edu.
