Honorary Degrees

Part 1. Purpose
To establish the rationale for honorary degrees, authorizes colleges and universities to grant honorary degrees, and provides standards and guidelines under which honorary degrees will be conferred.

Part 2. Definition

Honorary degree
A degree awarded as an honor for an outstanding contribution in some field, rather than as the result of matriculating and earning a degree based on studies at the college or university.

Part 3. Rationale
The rationale for honorary degrees is to:

1. recognize and honor persons who have made exceptional contributions to a specific field or to society in general;
2. establish a public association between Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and such exceptional persons, thereby providing testimony to the values and quality of the state colleges and universities; and
3. assist the state colleges and universities with the goals and objectives of their educational programming, their service and outreach missions, and their institutional advancement.

Part 4. Internal Process

The College shall follow Minnesota State Board Policy 3.18 and System Procedure 3.18.1 in awarding honorary degrees based upon the intended recipient’s field(s) of contributions, achievement, service, and distinction.

Part 5. Limits to Eligible Recipients
Honorary degrees may not be conferred on currently serving faculty or staff members within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, current members of the Board of Trustees, or current holders of elected political office.

Part 6. Report to Board
The College shall report to the system office on the honorary degrees awarded each year. The report shall include information about the number of degrees awarded, names of recipients, and degree designations.

​Reference: Minnesota State 3.18

Part 1. Purpose
To identify the awards that may be conferred, provide guidelines for selection of honorary degree recipients, provide limits to the number of honorary degrees, and specify how awards are presented.

Part 2. Guidelines for Selection

Subpart A. Intention
Honorary degrees should recognize and honor persons who have made exceptional contributions to a specific field or to society in general.

Subpart B. Procedures

Guidelines for Selection:

A.    Primary consideration shall be given to substantial evidence that outstanding achievement and contribution have been accomplished by the nominee. Substantial evidence includes a significant degree of creativity, resourcefulness, humanitarian concern, personal dedication, intellect, and other qualities consistent with the intent of the honorary doctorate degree. Therefore, careful distinction shall be made between the extraordinary effort of talented, selfless, and energetic individuals who have performed beyond the call of duty in service to Saint Paul College and humankind and those normal expectations in fulfilling service, employment, and professional requirements.

B.     Only secondary consideration will be given to biographical information which details accomplishments not associated with the primary reason for nomination.

Guidelines for Presentation:

A.    Following approval of the President of Saint Paul College, honorary doctorate degrees will only be conferred during the College’s commencement exercise. Names of potential recipients will not be published until President has given approval to award the honorary degree.

B.     Degrees to be awarded may be selected from the following categories and will be based upon their appropriateness to the intended recipient’s field(s) of contributions, achievements, service, and distinctions:

2. Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts (Hon. D.F.A.)
3. Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (Hon. LH.D.)
4. Honorary Doctor of Laws (Hon. LL.D.)
5. Honorary Doctor of Literature (Hon. Litt.D.)
6. Honorary Doctor of Education (Hon. D.Ed.)
7. Honorary Doctor of Science (Hon. Sc.D.)
8. Honorary Doctor of Engineering and Technology (Hon. D. Eng. & Tech.)
9. Honorary Doctor of Business (Hon. D.B.)
10. The honorary degree should not be awarded in absentia (unless significant extenuating circumstances justify awarding the degree without the recipient being present at commencement), and an invitation to a candidate should be conditional until the candidate’s acceptance of the invitation by a commitment to attend commencement exercises.

Nomination Process:

A.    The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall solicit nominations for honorary degrees from members of the Saint Paul College community by October 1 each year.

B.     Nominations may be made by an individual or group. Nominations shall be written and include:

a.       A biographical statement containing name, address, professional title, place of birth, educational background, and other honorary degrees, if any.

b.      Appropriate written documentation for the nomination, including a concise enumeration of primary contributions that qualify the individual for the honorary degree.

c.       A minimum of three written references from knowledgeable people in academic, public, or private sectors who are familiar with the nominee’s contributions.

Selection Process:

A.    The procedure for selecting recipients for the honorary degree is as follows:

a.       Nominations must be sent by November 1 to the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs (VPASA).

b.      The VPASA shall, by November 15, assign each of the nominations to the appropriate academic unit for faculty review.

c.       The academic unit leader is responsible for soliciting and documenting a faculty response to the nomination letter and returning this recommendation to the VPASA by December 15.

d.      During the month of January, the VPASA shall submit all nominations and faculty recommendations to the Faculty Shared Governance Council (FSGC) for consideration.

e.       In its February meeting, FSGC shall deliver to the President its recommendation on each candidate being considered for the honorary degree.

f.        The President shall review and approve/disapprove the recommendations of the Council by March 1.

g.      If a nominee is selected by the President as the recipient of the honorary degree, public announcement of the award will be made and the degree will be conferred at the spring commencement ceremony.

Part 3. Limits to the Number of Honorary Degrees

Subpart A. Only one honorary degree will be awarded per commencement ceremony.

Subpart B. A second honorary degree may be granted in a different category to a person when there are compelling circumstances.

Part 4. Report to System Office
The VPASA or designee shall submit an annual report in September of each year to the senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs. The report must include information about the type of degrees awarded, the names of the recipients, and the rationale for the award.