16
October
2019
|
15:35 PM
America/Los_Angeles

Call for Nominations for Honorary Degree Recipients

MEMORANDUM

DATE: Oct. 15, 2019

TO: Faculty & Staff

FROM: Honorary Degree Committee

Cathy Baur (chair), Sharon Hamill, Kamel Haddad and Patricia Prado-Olmos

SUBJECT: Call for nominations for honorary degree recipients

After receiving a formal call from the Chancellor’s Office, President Neufeldt has asked the Honorary Degree Committee to begin the nomination process on our campus. The president has asked the committee to solicit nominations from the campus community of individuals who might be considered for this honor. She may forward up to two nominees annually for the honorary degree.

Criteria required to be submitted for consideration:

  • For your submission to be considered, send your nominations to Vice President Cathy Baur by noon on Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, including the following information:
    • Cover letter, including:
      • The name of the person you are nominating.
      • The person’s contact information, including a phone number and an email address.
      • A brief narrative (not to exceed one page) describing the achievements for which he or she should be honored, as well as how they are connected to the campus.
      • The degree for which the individual is nominated.
    • Resume (CV) of the person you are nominating.
  • If you nominated someone in the past, you may resubmit their name for consideration again this year.

Below are the purpose and criteria for honorary degrees, copied from the campus policy. The full policy is located at:

https://www2.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/alumni/Honorary-Degrees/Pages/default.aspx

Purpose for which honorary degrees may be conferred:

  • To recognize inspirational character, excellence and extraordinary achievement in significant areas of human endeavor that reflect the objectives and ideals of the California State University.
  • To honor meritorious and outstanding service to the California State University, collectively, or to its campuses, individually; to the State of California; to the United States; or to humanity at large.
  • To recognize individuals whose lives, conduct and significant achievements serve as examples of the California State University’s aspirations for its diverse student body.

Criteria for the awarding of honorary degrees:

  • Honorary degrees may be awarded to recognize achievements in all parts of the world. Honorary degrees awarded should represent an appropriate balance between local and non-local, and academic and non-academic recipients, and should represent a wide diversity of fields of endeavor.
  • Service or benefactions to the university do not in themselves justify the awarding of honorary degrees. However, nothing in these criteria shall preclude nominees who are benefactors of the California State University.
  • Nominees for honorary degrees must demonstrate high moral character, be distinguished in their respective fields and the eminence of persons nominated must be widely recognized. Nominees must have demonstrated intellectual and humane values that are consistent with the ideals of the California State University, the aims of higher education and with the highest ideals of the person’s chosen fields.

Limitations on eligibility:

Honorary degrees shall not be awarded to:

  • Incumbent members of the Board of Trustees of the California State University.
  • The incumbent chancellor of the California State University.
  • Incumbent campus presidents of the California State University.
  • A person who already has been awarded an honorary degree by the California State University.
  • All incumbent elected officials.
  • Honorary degrees shall not be awarded solely on the basis of past or present employment by the California State University.