Honorary degrees are awarded annually to individuals who have achieved distinction in scholarship, creative activities, professional pursuits, business, governmental, civic affairs, or particularly in service to Ohio University. While candidates from any field will be considered, persons who have attained broad recognition in education rank high among potential nominees. Outstanding benefactors of the University or distinguished alumni are also among those to be given special attention.

The following may be useful in interpreting the basic policy:

1. an effort will be made whenever possible to honor people who show considerable promise in a particular field or individuals who have not been awarded an honorary degree elsewhere, regardless of age;
2. those who are dealing with society's most pressing problems will receive careful consideration;
3. a commencement speaker should be a nominee primarily on the basis of his or her personal merit rather than the fact he or she is delivering an address;
4. regents, trustees, officers of the University, faculty and staff are not eligible for an honorary degree until they have retired or have left the University;
5. honorary degrees should be awarded sparingly to holders of or candidates for state and national public office;
6. except under unusual circumstances, no honorary degrees are to be awarded in absentia;
7. in any given year, the total number of recommended recipients should be three to five, with the understanding that there is neither an obligation to recommend anyone for an honorary degree nor a necessity to hold the maximum recommendations to five.

The Committee solicits nominations and biographical information from the university community. After screening nominees, the Committee recommends candidates to the President who, in turn, forwards a final list to the Board of Trustees for ratification.

Nominations may be submitted at any time, but the Committee normally completes its deliberations in May for the next academic year. Therefore, information about a nominee should be in the Committee's hands no later than April 30th, if an award should be considered for sometime during the ensuing twelve months from July through June. If a candidate is not included in the final list approved by the Trustees, nominations may be resubmitted to the Committee.

COMPOSITION

Faculty: 4 at large

Students: 1 undergraduate and 1 graduate

Administrators: 2 at large

Total: 8 voting

COMMITTEE ROSTER

All University committees follow the academic-year calendar. All students serve one-year terms. Undergraduate students are indicated by US and graduate students by GS. Faculty and administrators generally serve three-year terms; the year a committee member's term expires is shown to the right of the person's name. Individuals who are not students and who have no year to the right of their names have ex officio appointments.

Faculty
Bob Lazuka '09 (Chair)  lazuka@ohio.edu
Vibert Cambridge '08
Joseph Shields '08
James Petrik '10

Students
Sarah Kostiha, US
Jennifer Dunn, GS

Administrators
Carolyn Bailey Lewis '09
Connie Romine '10