OSU Honorary Doctoral Degrees

NOMINATION CRITERIA

The University may bestow an honorary doctorate on an individual who meets the following criteria:

• Distinguished scholarship, such as major breakthroughs in knowledge and/or its applications in any discipline; and/or
• Distinction in creative arts, such as the development of new frontiers in literature, visual art, performing arts, design, engineering, or other fields; and/or
• Distinction in public service, such as outstanding contributions in statesmanship, administration, legislative activity, the judiciary, non-governmental civic activity; and/or
• Extraordinary achievements in business, industry, and/or labor that have positively impacted society, addressed pressing societal challenges, and/or promoted equitable outcomes for communities that OSU serves.

In addition, candidates must exemplify OSU’s core values.

INELIGIBILITY: Current OSU employees and recently retired OSU employees (in the past 3 years), currently elected or appointed state officials, current members of the OSU Board of Trustees, and current members of the OSU Foundation Board of Trustees are not eligible.

WHO CAN NOMINATE? Any University employee or OSU Foundation & Alumni Association employee may submit a nomination.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Maintaining strict confidentiality in the consideration of honorary doctorate nominations is of utmost importance. The nominee should not be informed they have been nominated or of the outcome of the consideration process.

Every nominee is distinguished, although not necessarily at a level that merits an honorary doctorate. Assessing the level of merit in a record that is sufficient to meet the award criteria is the intent of the evaluation process documented here. All nominees are also existing or future friends of OSU in various ways. If a nominee learns they have been considered but declined for an honorary doctorate by OSU, their current or prospective relationship with the university may be needlessly damaged. In addition, no party in the nomination consideration process should be pressured to support a nomination to avoid adversely affecting a valued relationship. Both sound relationship management and the integrity of the evaluation process depend on strict confidentiality. Therefore:

• Nominators should not inform candidates they are being nominated. Ideally, any necessary materials to support the nomination should not be provided by the nominee directly.
• Nominators should inform any individuals who are asked to provide information or references necessary to prepare the nomination that strict confidentiality is essential.

CONSULTATION

Because of the importance of confidentiality, nominators are encouraged to discuss possible nominations with the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs as early in the process as possible —and preferably before any materials are assembled — to discuss the proposed nomination, the likelihood the given nominee will meet the criteria, and any possible issues in assembling materials.

ANNUAL TIMELINE + NOMINATION PROCESS

By August 1: Call for nominations are posted

• The Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs posts a call for nominations and a submission form on the Academic Affairs website.
• The Provost distributes a call for nominations to the university’s senior leadership, the President of the OSU Foundation, and the President of the OSU Alumni Association.
• The call for nominations specifies that nominators submit:
  1. A letter of support from the nominator that directly addresses the nomination criteria including how the nominee’s contributions exemplify OSU’s core values. 
  2. Two additional letters written by individuals who can speak to the contributions, application, and/or impacts of the nominee’s work. Letters should be no more than 2 pages long and written to a general audience. Again, these individuals should be informed of the importance of strict confidentiality.
  3. Nominee’s CV or resume.

On October 15: Nominations are due

• Division of Academic Affairs staff will download nomination materials and send the nominations to the Honorary Degree Committee (HDC) within 5 days of the deadline.
• Members of the HDC will keep all nominations confidential.
• The HDC is chaired by the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and includes the Faculty Senate President (or their designated member of the Executive Committee), and the Chair and academic faculty members of the Faculty Senate Faculty Recognition and Awards Committee (FS FRAC).
• The HDC will review and evaluate nominations. When needed, the HDC may consult with content experts or other appropriate authorities at the University to help contextualize and evaluate the impacts of the nominee’s work. The HDC Chair will consider how to do this while protecting confidentiality.
• The HDC Chair will prepare a written summary of the committee’s recommendation(s), notes on any non-unanimous votes, and the committee’s assessment of the recommended nominee(s) in relation to the criteria.

By November 30: Recommendation(s) are due to Provost

• The HDC Chair will submit written recommendation(s) to the Provost.

By December 15: Provost submits recommendation(s) to the President for approval

• The Provost will forward the HDC Committee summary and in turn make recommendation(s) to the President, for the President’s decision.
• The Provost will contact finalists to inform them of their candidacy and the need to conduct a background check.

By January 15: Communication to recipients and nominators     

• The Provost’s Office will report the decision(s) to the HDC Committee for their awareness.
• The Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs will communicate with nominators whose nominees were not selected.
• The Provost will communicate with recipients(s), discuss plans for relevant communications, and schedule a time to receive the honorary degree (typically during the University’s main commencement ceremony).

By February 15: Recipients’ name(s) will be provided to the Registrar by the Provost’s Office.