Members:
| Name | Rank | Department | Div | E/A | Term Ends | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennan Ferguson | FAC | Political Science | SS | E | 2027 | kennan@uwm.edu |
| Cesar Ferreira | FAC | Spanish & Portuguese | AH | E | 2027 | cferr@uwm.edu |
| Jun Kim | FAC | Music | AH | A | 2027 | kimjy@uwm.edu |
| Michele Polfuss, Chair | FAC | Nursing | PR | E | 2027 | mpolfuss@uwm.edu |
| Ionel Popa | FAC | Physics | NS | E | 2027 | popa@uwm.edu |
| Susana Antunes | FAC | Spanish & Portuguese | AH | A | 2026 | antunes@uwm.edu |
| Sunny Brysch | AS | Teaching and Learning | – | A | 2026 | brysch@uwm.edu |
| Michael Farrell | FAC | Finance | SS | E | 2026 | farrell1@uwm.edu |
| Melinda Kavanaugh | FAC | Social Work | PR | E | 2026 | kavanaug@uwm.edu |
| Maria Gillespie | FAC | Dance | AH | E | 2026 | gillespi@uwm.edu |
| Derek Webb² | AS | UWM Libraries | – | A | 2025 | webbds@uwm.edu |
| Gerlinde Höbel | FAC | Biological Sciences | NS | A | 2025 | hoebel@uwm.edu |
| < >3 | FAC | GS | A | 2025 | ||
| Mark Schwartz | FAC | Geography | NS | E | 2025 | mds@uwm.edu |
| < > 1 | FAC | GS | E | 2025 | ||
| Joan Nesbitt | VC | University Advancement (Chancellor Rep) | x-o | o | 2025 | nesbitjm@uwm.edu |
| Johannes Britz | Vice President | UW System rep | x-o | o | 2024 | jbritz@uwsa.edu |
| < > | Student | Undergrad | – | A | 2025 | |
| < > | Student | Grad | – | A | 2025 |
x-o Ex-officio
o Serves by virtue of office
Students (2)-1G, 1UG
1 Repl. C. Evans (2025-E)
2 Repl. J. Ebert (2025-A)
3 Repl. G. Jamison (2025-E)
Charter:
A3.1 Honorary Degrees Committee
- Membership. Nineteen members as follows: Ten elected Faculty members; three appointed Faculty members; two Academic Staff from the Division of Academic Affairs appointed by the Academic Staff Committee; one graduate student and one undergraduate student; two ex-officio members. Each of the five Faculty Divisions is represented by at least two elected members. Appointed Faculty members are selected by the University Committee. Ex-officio members are the President of the University System, and the Chancellor or designee. The Chair of the committee is designated by the Chancellor.
- Functions
- Considers and recommends candidates for honorary degrees in accordance with the following procedure. During the spring semester, the Chair of the Honorary Degrees Committee shall transmit to the Deans, Directors and the Chairs of the Divisions, centers, colleges and departments, invitations for submission to the committee of names of persons to be considered for honorary degrees. A list of previous recipients is to be attached to the call for nominations. At least one-half of those presented as candidates for honorary degrees should have some connection with the University system, the City or the State. The Committee shall present its report and recommendation at a meeting of the University Faculty or Faculty Senate in accordance with the provisions of 1.04(8). A two-thirds affirmative vote of those present and voting at the Faculty meeting or Faculty Senate meeting shall be required to nominate a candidate for an Honorary Degree.
- Considers and recommends candidates to be honored on the Ernest Spaights Plaza marker. During the fall semester, the Chair of the Honorary Degrees Committee shall issue to the UWM community a call for submission to the Committee the names of persons to be considered for nominations. The Committee shall meet in the spring semester to select candidates for recommendation to the Chancellor.
- Considers and recommends, in consultation with the University Committee, candidates for a citation for distinguished service or significant contributions to UWM. The award is given by the Chancellor.
Meetings:
The UWM Honorary Degrees Committee had a productive AY 2024-25. The committee met twice (October 2024 and April 2025). The following are highlights of the committee’s accomplishments.
In October 2024, nominations for the 2025 UWM Honorary Degrees were discussed. Four nominations were received. All submissions met the criteria based on the SAAP 1-12 Honorary Degrees and Criteria and were reviewed by the committee. Post discussion, four nominees were recommended and shared with the Chancellor.
The Spaights Plaza Award Criteria and Call for Nominations were reviewed, and revisions were made and approved.
In April 2025, the Honorary Degrees Committee reviewed the materials of two nominees for the 2025 Ernest Spaights Plaza Award. Both candidates were recommended for the Award. The Honorary Degrees Charter revision was reviewed, and suggested revisions were made. Subsequently, the Codification Committee approved the revision with editorial wording changes.