UMES POLICY ON AWARDING OF HONORARY DEGREES

GUIDELINES

(DRAFT)

DRAFT HONORARY DEGREE POLICY

Fall 2001

Introduction

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is committed to excellence in teaching, research, and service. This document provides guidelines for persons submitting nominations for honorary degree to be sent to the UMES President.

Eligibility

Anyone who is not currently a UMS administrator, faculty, staff, member of the Board of Regents, or holding political office in Maryland are eligible. Exceptions for compelling reasons can only be made by two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Regents.

Nominees shall be individuals who have made exceptional contributions in intellectual, scholarly or creative areas; or individuals who have risen to a position of excellence in their chosen field or who have acquired a national or international reputation in a selected field or endeavor; or individuals who have compiled a record of distinguished public service.

Nominations

Any member of the UMES community (administrator, faculty member and staff), department or school is eligible to nominate someone.

Nominations must be accompanied by at least a cover letter that briefly outlines the exceptional national or international contribution. In addition, the following items must be presented:

a) Name of the person nominated

b) Type of honorary degree to be considered (Doctor of Humane Letters, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Public Service, Doctor of Sciences; etc.); and

c) Brief biographical sketch and CV

Ad hoc committee

Each year the President will set up an ad hoc committee whose responsibility will be to review the records of the individuals to be considered for honorary degrees. The committee shall consist of two administrators, two staffs and two faculty members. The committee will review nominations and related information submitted. If necessary, the committee could request more detailed information and other supporting materials from the person submitting the nomination and forward its recommendation to the President. In the instance of any positive outcomes, the President shall submit a recommendation to the Chancellor. The recommendation shall include the following information:

a. type of honorary degree to be awarded ( e.g., Doctor of Humane Letters,

Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Public Service, Doctor of Sciences; etc.);

b. biographical sketch of the proposed recipients;

c. justification for awarding the degree; and

d. probable date of award.

Deadlines

The deadline for submitting nominations for honorary degrees will be specified in the solicitation given by the president at the beginning of each academic year. All nominations must be submitted to the President, who will then forward them to the Committee. The committee shall receive the nominations no later than October 15^th and shall forward its decision to the president by November 30^th. The President will communicate his or her decision to the nominating unit or person by December 15.

Award Ceremony

The award shall be given during the graduation ceremony and must be done within five years of receiving a favorable response from the president and the Board of Regents. The other related arrangement shall be handled by the president.