Welcome

The University of Iowa, with the approval of the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, confers Honorary Degrees to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary achievements in such areas as research, scholarship, education, artistic creation, social activism, human rights, humanitarian outreach, or as recognized by the faculty as being consistent with the values of higher education. Honorary Degree Policy

Honorary degrees may be conferred at commencement ceremonies in the appropriate college or at University convocations. Honorary degrees normally will be conferred only when the honoree is present. On rare and unusual occasions an honorary degree may be conferred in absentia.

The Honorary Degree Selection Committee is comprised of Professors Nicholas Colangelo (Education), Chair, Vicki Grassian (Chemistry), Susan Johnson (Office of the Provost), Sheldon Kurtz (Law), Jarjisu Sa-Aadu (Finance), John Beldon Scott (Art and Art History), Richard Smith (Otolaryngology). and Christopher Squier (Dentistry).

Nominations may come from colleges or from individual faculty members. If a nomination comes from an individual, the Honorary Degree Selection Committee will consult with the appropriate faculty before recommending any nominee for an honorary degree.  Committee recommendations must be approved by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa. 

Nominations should be made in a statement not exceeding two pages that outlines the nominee’s achievements.  They can be made either by letter or statement forwarded to:

Evalyn Van Allen-Shalash,
Office of the Provost,
111 Jessup Hall,
Iowa City, IA 52242
van-allen-shalash@uiowa.edu

Nominations may also be submitted online. Online nomiation form

In your two-page statement, please specifically address these areas:

• Area of nominee’s achievement
• Nature of nominee’s achievement
• Describe precisely how the nominee’s achievements are “extraordinary” and “sustained” over an entire career
• Any additional information about the nominee that might be important in the nomination process

The deadline for nominations for the 2008-09 Honorary Degrees will be announced shortly.