HONORARY DEGREES: POLICY AND PROCEDURES

The conferring of an honorary degree is legally and properly a function of the Board of Visitors.  The Board may, and certainly should, seek suggestions from the broader medical community; but nothing in this policy places or implies restraints upon the Board's right to determine awards.

The Office of the President of the Medical School is the appropriate channel through which honorary degree information is to be given to the Board.

The faculty and the senior students of EVMS should be recognized as having a special interest in the granting of honorary degrees.  To assist in expressing that interest, without compromising the Board's freedom to make the final decision on awards, the President will appoint an Honorary Degrees Committee each year.

TIME AND TYPE OF AWARDS

Conferral of honorary degrees in the form of Doctor of Humane Letters will normally be made only during the Commencement ceremony.

NUMBER OF AWARDS

At a particular Commencement ceremony, a single award may be made, or there may be several honorary degrees conferred, up to a maximum of three.

ELIGIBILITY FOR CONSIDERATION

Consideration will be given to qualified candidates without regard to race, color, sex, creed, or national origins.

The most important single guideline determining eligibility for consideration is implied in the fact that the recipient of the degree is forever associated with EVMS, and must, therefore, be of sufficient stature and character so as to honor EVMS by receiving an honorary degree from it.  The recipient must be chosen with special concern for the person's eminent scientific stature and/or for broadness of contributions to society.

Candidates should have qualities and records of achievement that make it particularly appropriate for recognition by an educational institution.  Moreover, there generally should be something that makes it especially appropriate for recognition to come from EVMS.

There are a number of people who will not normally be considered for honorary degrees.  First among these are members of the Board of Visitors and present employees of the Medical School.  In addition, retired or former employees, including but not limited to former faculty members, and former members of the Board of Visitors should only be considered for Honorary Degrees on an exceptional basis.  In such event, recipients have usually continued to maintain an active association with the School after departing from the School.  Finally, actual benefactors of EVMS and especially prospective benefactors should be excluded, unless they clearly meet the other criteria for being included for degree consideration.  There should be no suggestion that an individual is being awarded an honorary degree because of his or her past or possible future financial contributions to EVMS.

HONORARY DEGREES COMMITTEE

This committee will be constituted annually by the President and will consist of the following:

Two faculty chosen by the EVMS Faculty Senate

One faculty chosen by the Dean's Council of Chairmen

One rising senior medical student chosen by the rising senior class

One member of the Board of Trustees of the Alumni Association chosen by the Association

One academic member of the EVMS administration, chosen by the Dean of Eastern Virginia Medical School

Four members of the Board of Visitors, selected by the Chairman of the Board, one of whom shall be the Chairman of the Academic Affairs Committee, who will serve as Chairman of the Honorary degrees Committee

The committee will solicit the broad EVMS community for nominations and recommendations.  All committee deliberations will be conducted in the strictest confidence.

SELECTION PROCESS

The committee's recommendation of no more than three candidates for honorary degrees will be provided to the President by the Chairman of the Honorary Degrees Committee; the President will present the recommendations to the Board, for their review and action.  Approval of the candidate(s) will require no less than a seventy-five percent positive vote by Visitors present when the voting takes place.

The President will be responsible for extending the invitation(s) to the approved candidate(s).

SECURITY OF INFORMATION

Everyone involved in the process of recommending candidates for honorary degrees must accept that discussions and decisions are confidential.  In no way should anyone other than the appropriate committee, the President, and the Board be informed that an individual is under consideration.

No supporting letters, phone calls, or personal contacts should be undertaken on behalf of any candidate; biographical information on candidates must be available in as great detail as possible, consistent with security against premature disclosure.

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

Public announcement of awards is to be handled exclusively through the Office of the President.