Honorary Degrees

Ottawa University awards honorary doctoral degrees in recognition of substantial achievement and distinction in a field or activity that is in accordance with the mission of the University. In choosing a recipient for an honorary degree, the University makes a public declaration of its own values. The recipient’s contributions therefore should align with our commitment to liberal arts education, our intentionality as a Christian institution, and/or our stated aim to prepare students to lead lives of significance. 

Criteria:  

A person given an honorary degree from Ottawa University should meet at least one of the following criteria: 

1. The honoree has made a profound and enduring contribution in a particular field or activity or has performed achievements of national or international significance.
2. The honoree has met high standards of excellence for performance, scholarship, or research in a particular field.
3. The honoree has performed distinguished service for Ottawa University or for a region of the country where Ottawa University has a presence.

General Considerations:

• In the spirit of the Ottawa University diversity statement, nominations shall be considered with appreciation for diversity including age, ability or disability, ethnicity, national origin, race, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, and family or marital status.
• Persons should be considered from the full spectrum of human endeavor, be it high stature or low.
• Honorary degrees may not be conferred in absentia, unless in extraordinary circumstances.
• Honorary degrees are not normally awarded to candidates for political office or elected officials currently in office or to faculty, staff, or administrators currently in service.
• While alumni of Ottawa University should not be excluded from consideration, the University will continue to recognize distinguished alumni contributions by other awards.

Procedures: 

Nominations are to be made to the Committee on Honorary Degrees using the Nomination form available online or upon request. The Committee is made up of three full-time members of the Faculty (chosen by the Faculty President), two members of the Board of Trustees (chosen by the Chair of the Board), one representative of Alumni (chosen by the Alumni Board), the Director of Advancement or designee, and Chancellor (as Chair of the Committee). 
The Committee reviews all nominations and considers them in relation to fulfillment of one or more of the above criteria. The Committee further selects the degree and narrows the candidates down to no more than three by simple majority for the Faculty consideration. The Faculty are presented with the nominees’ supporting information and vote at a subsequent meeting, through their regular procedures, again by a simple majority vote. Following the Faculty vote, the nomination material is presented to the Board of Trustees for their affirmation or denial of the conferral of the honorary degree. 

Confidentiality is crucial to the integrity of the nominating process and to protect the nominee from embarrassment or disappointment. The nominee should not be notified of a nomination, nor should the nominator seek other endorsements or letters of support for the nominee. 

Timeline:

Honorary degrees, called honoris causa, Latin for “for the sake of the honor,” are not earned degrees, and as such, come with limitations. Generally, recipients are discouraged from referring to themselves as “doctor,” and Ottawa University recognizes this distinction. Generally, honorary graduates may use the approved post-nominal letters in recognition of the honor.

Honorary Degrees Available to be Conferred:                               

Reconsideration and Revocation:

Ottawa University may consider revoking an honorary degree or other award held by a living recipient if the University later discovers important information that contradicts or undermines the grounds for granting the honor, including but not limited to the honored individual's personal and professional conduct. Honorary degrees and other awards are granted in good faith based not only on an individual's accomplishments (whether specific or lifelong), but also on the evidence of an honorable public and private life.

Because the granting of such a degree or award symbolically links the honored person to the institution, evidence of a significant departure from the mission and values of the University as articulated in the Ottawa University Mission Statement is grounds for revocation.

Procedures for Requests for Revoking an Honorary Degree:

The groups responsible for the revocation of an honorary degree or other University award shall be the same groups responsible for considering the conferral of such a degree or award: The Board of Trustees, the Committee on Honorary Degrees, and the faculty. The Board of Trustees, in accordance with its role in granting honorary degrees and other awards, will have the final authority in the revocation.

Any of the people eligible to nominate candidates for an honorary degree (see the above section under Procedures) can submit a written request to the Chancellor to revoke an honorary degree or award. The Chancellor will share all such requests with the Committee on Honorary Degrees; that committee will collect appropriate information about any person whose honorary degree or award is under consideration for revocation. If the committee decides by a two-thirds majority of its membership to proceed toward a revocation of the honorary degree, it will send all necessary materials to be put before the faculty through the appropriate process.

Unless there are special circumstances or a need for extreme urgency, the committee will provide adequate time for the consideration by the faculty of any proposal for an honorary degree or award’s revocation. If there are special circumstances, the Chancellor may take action to revoke an honorary degree by presenting a request to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, who will vote on the request. The faculty will be notified of any action taken as early as possible.

If a two-thirds majority of the faculty recommends revocation, the Chancellor will convey that recommendation, along with all supporting materials, to the Board of Trustees. A two-thirds majority of that Board is required for the revocation of the degree or award.

Discussions of the revocation of an honorary degree or award, like those focused on the awarding of such a degree or honor, should be held in confidence at every point in the process described above. In the event of a positive vote for revocation, the Chancellor will communicate the decision to the individual previously honored and to the University community, as appropriate.