Senate Panel to Review honorary Degree Process

The Senate Executive Committee asked the Ninth Senate Review Commission to look at how the University gives out honorary degrees on Monday.This follows the University Senate rejecting a plan to create a temporary Ad Hoc Committee on the Honorary Degree Awards Process at its last meeting.

The SEC wants the commission to “fully review the current rules and steps for awarding honorary degrees and suggest ways to improve them” by January 23,2026,according to a draft of the assignment discussed at the meeting.

SR9 – which stands for the commission – is a group of students and faculty who review how the Senate is organized, its committees, and how it effectively works. Senators approved creating this group in September.

These changes were discussed at the SEC’s most recent meeting, where members also talked about labor contracts and changes to online language requirements.

SEC Chair and ACES professor Angela Lyons started the discussion on honorary degrees, saying…