The Honorary Degrees Committee is now accepting nominations for 2020 Honorary Degree recipients.
UWM’s honorary degree recognizes a career of extraordinary accomplishment. While there is often a supreme achievement for which a candidate is best known, an honorary degree is not given in recognition of a single deed. Special attention is paid to evidence regarding the sum and distinction of the individual’s professional achievements, his/her personal integrity, as well as the range, substance and value of the nominee’s outreach activities.
The committee looks for sustained and characteristic activity exhibiting uncommon merit of a moral, intellectual, aesthetic or statesmanlike sort. In no case is a financial gift to the university to be a consideration for granting an honorary degree. The committee strongly recommends that special attention be given to nominating women and minority candidates. Faculty legislation also requires that at least one-half of the candidates selected have some connection with the university system, the city or the state.
The pertinent legislation, the nomination requirements and a list of people awarded honorary degrees in the past are available online.
Individuals or departments can recommend candidates. Recommendations must be endorsed by a formal academic department or a non-departmentalized school or college and signed by the appropriate dean. A department making more than one recommendation must rank its nominees.
Please be sure to include a suggested honorary doctorate title in the nomination letter.
Completed nominations should be electronically submitted to the Honorary Degrees Committee as one PDF, sent to the Secretary of the University at secofunv@uwm.edu by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, 2019.
Due to the sensitivity of the selection process, nominations must be kept strictly confidential. Candidates should not be told of their nomination. Individuals asked to write letters of support should be urged to maintain absolute confidentiality. Nominations are approved by the Honorary Degrees Committee, the chancellor, the UWM Faculty Senate and the Board of Regents. The chancellor contacts candidates only after approval is complete.
Please direct questions to secofunv@uwm.edu.
