Honorary Degree Nomination Procedure
| Revision #: | Rev1.0 | Document ID: | 65 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Published: | 2024-01-03 | Status: | Published |
Responsible Groups
Responsible Individuals
Description / Scope
The practice of awarding honorary degrees on worthy candidates can be a means of appropriate recognition for outstanding service if done wisely and selectively. Both the recipient and the University should be honored in the granting of a degree honoris causa.
The number of honorary degrees conferred in any given year should be limited, usually to one in each of the Seminary and Undergraduate Studies. In some years no honorary degrees will be conferred.
Types of Honorary Doctorates
Bill Pr21 2003 and Bill 213 2020 grant Tyndale University the right to confer two categories of honorary degrees - Doctor of Divinity and Doctor of Letters. The degree nomenclature used will be such as is normally understood as an honorary nature. For example:
- The Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) or D.D. may be conferred for outstanding lengthy service in some avenue of Christian ministry.
- The Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) or D.Litt. may be conferred for distinguished service in the arts/scholarship.
Purpose
- To honour a person whom the Board of Governors and Senate believe has provided outstanding service to Canada and/or the world.
- To recognize people who have made an exceptional contribution to society, the Church and/or to Tyndale, as persons of Christian faith.
- To present to the graduating student body and community at large a person that models Tyndale’s mission, aspirations and values as an institution of Christian higher education.
Eligibility
Candidates for honorary degrees will be limited to those whose life and service record have been demonstrated to be of outstanding merit and exemplifying the University’s mission and goals over a lengthy period of time, usually over several decades.
Honorary degrees will not be conferred on any active governor, administrator, faculty or staff member.
Honorary degrees will not be conferred upon former governors, administrators, faculty or staff members until at least one year has elapsed after their association with the institution.
When to Perform
Step 1: All nominations should include relevant information about the nominee, including how their accomplishments align with the purpose and eligibility criteria for an honorary degree, their commitment to the Christian faith and relationship to Tyndale University, and the degree for which the individual is being nominated. Where possible, a full curriculum vitae/biographical sketch and two (minimum) or three (maximum) letters of recommendation should be included. Nominations are to be submitted in confidence, without any prior discussion/approach being made to nominees.
Step 2: Only nominations containing complete information will be considered.
Step 3: The President will forward complete nominations to the Chair of Senate, to be placed on the Agenda of an upcoming meeting of the Senate. Senate will review the nominations and vote on its recommendation to the Board of Governors for their approval. This vote of Senate should be made no later than October 31 for conferral of the degree at the following spring convocation exercises.
Step 4: If not yet obtained, the Provost or designate will obtain a full curriculum vitae/ biographical sketch and two (minimum) or three (maximum) letters of recommendation for each recipient recommended by Senate. If concerns are identified, the Provost will advise the President and Senate.
Step 5: The President will share the Senate’s recommendation and supporting materials with the Board External Relations Committee as per Board of Governors policy. If concerns arise they will be discussed.
Step 6: Recommendations will normally be presented to the Board of Governors in their Winter meeting.
Step 7: Successful nominations require at least 75% of the votes cast by Senate and at least 75% of votes cast by the Board of Governors.
Step 8: Once the Senate and the Board of Governors have approved the conferral of an honorary degree, the President will contact the candidate to determine the candidate’s willingness to accept the honour. Normally, honorary degrees are conferred in the Spring Convocation and the recipient is invited to deliver the Convocation address.
Step 9: Confidentiality will be maintained throughout the process outlined above, including by those who write letters of recommendation. All meetings will be held in camera until the nominee has formally agreed to accept the honorary degree and to attend an Honorary Degree Ceremony, usually held during spring convocation. The President’s Office will then issue an announcement.
Step 10: If a candidate declines the offer, this will be reported to the Senate and the Board of Governors, and all information relating to the process, invitation and decision of the candidate will remain strictly confidential.
Step 11: If the University becomes aware of persuasive evidence which indicates that the persistent, personal behaviour of an honoree is in contravention of the mission, ethos and values of the University, the award may be rescinded at the Board’s discretion with input from Senate, the President, and Cabinet.
Primary Author / Owner
president@tyndale.ca