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Honorary Degree Procedure

This is not a current document. It has been repealed and is no longer in force.

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) To detail the steps required to nominate and confer an Honorary Degree in accordance with the Honorary Degree Policy.

Scope

(2) The University Council has resolved that it may admit any person approved by the Council, Honoris Causa, to the following: 

  1. Doctor of Business (Hon.DBus);
  2. Doctor of Science (Hon.DSc);
  3. Doctor of Letters (Hon.DLitt);
  4. Doctor of Laws (Hon.LLD); and
  5. Doctor of the University (Hon.DUniv).

(3) This Procedure does not apply to the nomination, approval and conferral of the titles and awards:

  1. Honorary Fellowship – refer to Honorary Academic Titles Policy;
  2. Distinguished Professor – refer to Award of Distinguished Professor Policy;
  3. Emeritus Professor – refer to Professor Emerita Emeritus Policy; and
  4. Higher Doctoral Degrees – refer to the Higher Doctoral Degree Rules.
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Section 2 - Policy

(4) Refer to the Honorary Degree Policy.

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Section 3 - Procedures

Responsibilities and Required Actions

(5) This Procedure requires actions by the following:

  1. Council Secretary;
  2. Executive Group and individual members;
  3. Honorary Awards Committee;
  4. Manager, Graduation and Student Engagement;
  5. Staff member;
  6. University Council; and
  7. Vice-Chancellor and Office of the Vice-Chancellor.

Staff Member

Nominate

(6) Discuss a proposed nomination for an Honorary Degree with their relevant Executive Group member prior to submitting a formal nomination.

(7) Submit a formal nomination to the Executive Group member for discussion at an Executive Group meeting that includes:

  1. the nominee’s title, full name, post-nominals (if any), address and contact details;
  2. the name of the award for which the person is being nominated; and
  3. a Citation template detailing the nominee’s achievements and contributions in relation to a particular field or discipline, and / or to the University and society. If the nomination is approved and subsequently accepted, this citation will be read at the conferral ceremony.

(8) The submission to the Executive Group member must be in the format attached to this Procedure.

Executive Group Member

(9) Review a nomination for an Honorary Degree and determine whether to submit the nomination to the Executive Group, as appropriate.

Executive Group

(10) Review a nomination for an Honorary Degree and determine whether to submit the nomination to the Honorary Awards Committee.

(11) Inform the Council Secretary of approved nominations.

Council Secretary

(12) Review each nomination to ensure that all required documentation has been submitted and that the nomination is in the correct format.

(13) Include the recommended nomination in the agenda and papers of the next meeting of the Honorary Awards Committee.

Honorary Awards Committee

Determine

(14) Review a nomination in accordance with the provisions of the Honorary Degree Policy and the Terms of Reference – Honorary Awards Committee.

(15) In making assessments of nominations for honorary awards, the Committee follows the University’s policy that Honorary Degrees are awarded:

  1. in recognition of exceptional achievement or contribution in relation to a particular field or discipline; and / or
  2. in recognition of exceptional achievement or contribution in relation to the University and society.

(16) For each nomination make one of the following determinations:

  1. decline the nomination;
  2. refer the nomination back to the Vice-Chancellor;
  3. recommend the nomination to the University Council for approval with no amendments; or
  4. recommend the nomination to the University Council for approval, subject to any required amendments.

Council Secretary

(17) Include the nominations recommended by the Honorary Awards Committee in the agenda and papers of the next meeting of the University Council.

University Council

(18) Review nominations and the recommendations of the Honorary Awards Committee in accordance with the provisions of the Honorary Degree Policy.

(19) For each nomination make one of the following determinations:

  1. decline the nomination;
  2. refer the nomination back to the Honorary Awards Committee or the Vice-Chancellor; or
  3. approve the nomination and authorise the Vice-Chancellor to provide a written offer of an Honorary Degree to the award nominee.

Council Secretary

(20) Advise the Vice-Chancellor of the approved nominee and provide full nomination paperwork.

Vice-Chancellor

(21) Upon receipt of the nominee’s details, send a letter of offer to the nominee. Copy this correspondence to Council Secretary and Manager, Graduation and Student Engagement.

Accepted Awards

(22) Upon receipt, forward notice of acceptance to the recipients listed above.

Declined Awards or Non-Response

(23) Where a nominee declines the award, or if the nominee fails to respond to the offer within three months, advise Council Secretary.

Manager, Graduation and Student Engagement

(24) Upon receipt from the Vice-Chancellor of the nominee’s acceptance of the award, confer with key stakeholders (i.e. Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor) and contact the recipient to:

  1. propose the date, time, and location of the conferral ceremony;
  2. invite the recipient to give the Occasional Address;
  3. request the recipient to confirm their acceptance of the proposed arrangements;
  4. advise Council Secretary, Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Office of Advancement and nominator of the time and date of the conferral ceremony; and
  5. arrange for nominator and other key parties to attend the conferral ceremony.

(25) Load the Honorary Degree into the Academic Management Information System (AMIS) and confer with the Communications Manager to prepare the Citation.

(26) Update the Register of Honorary Degrees.

Council Secretary

(27) Enter the changed status of the declined award or where no response has been received into the minutes of the next Honorary Awards Committee for notice by that committee and the University Council.

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Section 4 - Guidelines

(28) Nil.

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Section 5 - Definitions

(29) Definitions specific to this Procedure are contained in the Honorary Degree Policy.