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Terms of Reference | Procedures and Criteria | Form* | Recipients | Convocation Addresses | MTA
 
Honorary Degrees
The Honorary Degrees Committee will be considering nominations at a meeting in November for honorary degrees to be awarded at our Spring 2013 Convocations.

The Honorary Degrees Committee consists of representatives of Senate, students and Board of Regents. It considers nominations from members of the broader University community and from its own members. It recommends for the consideration of Senate those persons whom it determines should receive an honorary degree. A slate of potential honorary degree recipients is elected by Senate from those whose names have been recommended by the committee. A majority vote of the Senators present is necessary for election. The deliberations and decisions of the Committee and of the Senate are confidential.

Persons wishing to nominate individuals for honorary degrees should complete a nomination form at any time. Procedures and criteria used by the Honorary Degrees Committee are outlined below, as is a list of previous honorary graduands.

Members of the community are encouraged to consider nominating people from all walks of life. When granting an honorary degree, we are projecting our values and vision to our community. Members might also want to consider the areas of strategic emphasis laid out in the Strategic Statement:
  • Globalization
  • Environmentalism
  • Scientific Imagination and Discovery
  • Public Service
  • Arts and Creativity
 
Thank you for your involvement in the process.
 
Terms of Reference

The Committee will make recommendations to the Senate on the awarding of Honorary Degrees.
 
Composition:
The Honourary Degrees committee shall consist of :
President, Chair;
Chancellor;
the Chair of the Board;
the Vice-President (Academic and Research);
four members of faculty;
two members of the Board of Regents; and
one student.
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Procedures and Criteria
This brief outline of procedures and criteria for honorary degrees is intended as an aid to committee
members:
1. Procedures
  The Honorary Degrees Committee, which consists of representatives of both Senate and the Board
of Regents, considers nominations from members of the broader University community and from
its own members, and it recommends for the consideration of Senate those persons whom it
determines best meet the stated criteria. A slate of potential honorary degree recipients is elected
by Senate from those whose names have been recommended by the committee. A majority vote
of the Senators present is necessary for election. The deliberations and decisions of the committee
and of Senate on honorary degrees are confidential.
   
2. Criteria
  The Senate of Mount Allison University awards honorary degrees to individuals who are nationally
or internationally recognized within their fields. Most degrees would come under one or more of
the following categories. While the weight of tradition is strong in an institution as old as Mount
Allison, committee members may still wish to deviate from a well worn path.
Exemplars in their chosen fields (particularly if the field in some way touches Mount Allison):
 
  • creative performing artists
  • educators
  • researchers
  • religious leaders
  • professional men and women
  • business people
  • philanthropists
  Service to the wider community (persons whose actions have significantly affected the university
and/or the region):
 
  • persons making an unusual contribution to voluntary organizations
  • patrons of the arts, sciences, etc.
  • persons whose lives, in the service of society, have served as examples for others to
    follow
  Service to the University (the Alumni and Board have played an important role in this category):
 
  • outstanding workers on the University’s behalf
  • members of the Board
 

Prominent public persons (who might be better known to the wider community than the University
itself). By accepting a degree they have cast luster on the University, and, incidently, drawn public
attention to the Institution.)

e.g., the Governor General, the Prime Minister, Provincial Premiers
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Recipients
The following individuals have received a honorary degree from Mount Allison:
 
Convocation Addresses

2008

Convocation Address to Mount Allison University — May 26, 2008 (pdf)
Dr. Kevin Lynch ('72), Chief Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet of the Government of Canada

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June 19, 2012
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