Honorary Degree Policy

1.1. To recognize individuals who have distinguished themselves through their professional careers or who have made an outstanding contribution to the College, the community or society more broadly.

1.2. To outline the parameters and procedures for awarding honorary degrees at Humber, including the eligibility requirements and process for nomination, selection, approval, and revocation of honorary degrees.

2. Authority

2.1. The College’s Board of Governors (the “Board”) shall approve the awarding of Humber honorary degrees.

2.2. The Board delegates authority and oversight of this policy to Humber’s President and CEO including the determination of potential honorary degree nominees to be presented to the Board for review and approval, and as required, the assignment of key management functions of the policy to appropriate College bodies and/or representative(s) such as:

2.2.1. The College’s Honorary Degree Selection Committee for the recommendation of honorary degree nominees; and

2.2.2. The office of Advancement and Alumni for supporting the administration of this policy.

3. Degree

3.1. The credential awarded will be an Honorary Bachelor of Applied Studies (the “Honorary Degree”).

4. Criteria & Eligibility

4.1. Nominees should be of exceptional merit who meet one or more of the criteria listed below:

4.1.1. Made a significant contribution to society;

4.1.2. Achieved notable accomplishments in a particular field of study or applied education;

4.1.3. Enhanced or promoted the College’s image or reputation in Ontario or elsewhere.

4.2. Nominees recognized may include visionary leaders and exemplary public figures; leading academics in all disciplines; community builders, change makers, humanitarians, philanthropists, and those who demonstrate distinguished achievement in all fields of endeavour.

4.3. Nominees’ achievements should reflect the College’s mission, vision and values and serve as a role model to students, graduates, and the community.

4.4. Nominees should reflect the diversity of society, including women, Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, persons with diverse gender identifications and sexual orientations, and others reflecting diversity.

4.5. Nominees may be members of the public, which may include alumni, former employees, former members of the Board, former volunteers, former public officials, or others. They may not be active Humber employees, current members of the Board, current Program Advisory Committee members, students, and active politicians. Such members are not to be considered for nomination until a minimum of one year has passed since their active service has concluded or departure from their roles.

4.6. The following restrictions and exclusions may also apply to the granting of honorary degrees:

4.6.1. Posthumous honorary degrees shall not normally be considered unless a candidate passes away after accepting an invitation, but prior to the conferring of the Honorary Degree. In this instance, the honorary credential will be awarded to an individual designated by the recipient's family or other legal representative.

4.6.2. The College will not normally award honorary degrees to anyone who is not in a position to accept the degree in person; however, an honorary degree may be conferred in absentia for cause. As an example, exceptions may be made when a recipient has accepted, and arrangements have been made for the awarding, but extenuating and unforeseen circumstances (such as sudden ill health or inability to travel) prevent the individual’s attendance.

4.6.3. In exceptional circumstances, the College may choose to waive these requirements in order to allow the College to honour highly meritorious individuals.

4.7. Individuals who have already received honorary degrees from other institutions will still be considered for an honorary degree from the College.

4.8. Individuals may only receive an honorary degree from Humber once in their lifetime.

4.9. No fees will be charged to the recipient of the honorary degree.

4.10. All nominees, nominators, selectors and others involved in the nomination and selection process will take reasonable steps to ensure that they do not have a conflict of interest, real or perceived, with respect to any nomination. Any instance of potential conflict of interest should be reported to the Selection Committee Chair(s) for consideration.

5. Nominations of Honorary Degrees

5.1. A call for nominations shall be made usually in the fall each year.

5.2. Nominations may be submitted in writing by any member of the College Community using the Honorary Degree Nomination Form (Appendix A) during the time of the call. Submission instructions are indicated on the form and only complete nominations will be considered and the deadline for receipt of nominations shall be announced with the call for nominations.

5.3. Receipt of the nomination shall be sent to the nominator upon receipt of the nomination.

5.4. Confidentiality is to be maintained throughout the nomination and selection process. Nominators must keep the nomination confidential, including with the potential nominee. This protects the privacy of the individual and the College should the nomination not be accepted.

5.5. An individual may be re-nominated or resubmitted for approval.

6. Selection of Honorary Degrees

6.1. Nominations are reviewed for eligibility and reputability by the Honorary Degree Selection Committee (the “Selection Committee”). The Selection Committee comprises of College stakeholders from across the institution (Appendix B).

6.2. The Selection Committee shall ensure that equity deserving groups who reflect the diversity of Canadian society and are representative of the wider community, in which Humber plays an integral role, are considered in the recommendations.

6.3. The Honorary Degree Selection Committee may identify additional names to be considered for an honorary degree or gather additional information for the nominations received.

6.4. The deliberations of the Selection Committee shall be confidential, and all recommendations are held in strict confidence to protect the privacy of nominees.

6.5. The Selection Committee will undertake due diligence by thoroughly screening nominations. The College’s representatives in the areas of Legal, Risk and Privacy and Marketing & Communications will be consulted as required.

6.6. The Selection Committee shall recommend nominees for honorary degrees to the President and CEO for review and approval, including the suggested forum and timeframes for presentation.

6.7. The President and CEO shall present in confidence recommended recipients for honorary degrees to the Board for approval.

6.8. The Board may approve honorary degree recipients, whose names shall be added to a pool from which nominees will be selected as recipients of honorary degrees in current or future years.

6.9. Once nominees have been approved by the Board, the President and CEO shall be able to select from the pool of nominees to confer honorary degrees as appropriate for Convocation or other events.

6.10. Once nominees have been approved by the Board and the invitation to accept the nomination from the nominee has been accepted, the College shall determine the appropriate timeframe and opportunity for conferring the honorary degree. Nominations may be held for up to five years before being formally conferred.

6.11. Not all nominations are successful in any given year.

6.12. The office of Advancement and Alumni will support the Selection Committee and maintain appropriate records including the approved pool of nominees for honorary degrees.

7. Notification of Honorary Degrees

7.1. The President and CEO's Office (or designate) will communicate with the successful nominees to invite them to receive an honorary degree at an upcoming Convocation or other event.

7.2. When the recipient has accepted the honour, the office of Advancement and Alumni will conduct the following:

7.2.1. Contact the recipient to confirm details and scheduling of the honorary degree.

7.2.2. Notify the nominator of the person who will be granted the honorary degree.

7.2.3. Notify the Academic Unit of the person who will be granted an honorary degree at each of their respective Convocation ceremonies as appropriate.

7.2.4. Manage the experience of the recipient that may also include the covering of reasonable expenses related to the recipients’ participation such as accommodation, and transportation.

7.2.5. Determine the appropriate timing and formats to announce the recipients of honorary degrees to the Humber community and broader public.

7.3. Owing to the strict confidentiality of nominations and the deliberation process, nominators of unsuccessful candidates will not be notified.

8. Presentation and Awards

8.1. Honorary degrees may be presented at each session of Convocation or at other notable College events.

8.2. The decision of the number of honorary degrees to be awarded at any given session of Convocation or other events shall rest with the President and CEO and as recommended by the Selection Committee.

8.3. Recipients of honorary degrees must agree to be present to receive the honour.

8.4. Arrangements for the participation of the honorees in the ceremony at Convocation or another event will be made by the office of Advancement and Alumni.

8.5. Advancement and Alumni shall host and/or assign hosts to recipients who are to receive honorary degrees at Convocation or at other events.

8.6. Recipients will receive a framed honorary degree.

9. Rescinding an Honorary Degree

9.1. Should it be determined that the ongoing association with the honorary degree recipient will negatively reflect on the institution, the College reserves the right to rescind the honorary degree.

9.2. Rescinding an honorary degree shall be on the recommendation of the President and CEO, made to the Board. The recommendation shall be based on evidence and guided by the principle of fairness and shall only be made after the President and CEO has ascertained the relevant facts related to the case under consideration.

9.3. The Board shall consider rescinding an honorary degree conferred or approved to be conferred, should it become known that the recipient has been:

9.3.1. Convicted of a criminal offence;

9.3.2. Engaged in conduct that constitutes a significant departure from generally- recognized standards of public behavior which is seen to undermine the credibility, values, integrity, or relevance of the college; or

9.3.3. Subject to official sanction, such as a fine or a reprimand, by an adjudicating body, professional association, or other organizations.

9.4. The process to rescind an honorary degree will be managed by the office of Advancement and Alumni who will engage the Selection Committee in providing the necessary information to brief the President and CEO and inform recommendations.

10. Exceptions

10.1. Exceptions to the policy will only be considered on a case-by-case basis.

10.2. The President and CEO will bring forward any exceptions to the policy to the Board for approval.

10.3. Any exceptions to the policy granted will be applicable to a specific nominee/recipient and will not transfer to any future individuals.