Regulations for the Award of the Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University The following regulations describe the limitations, frequency and procedure for awarding the honorary degree of Doctor of the University in furtherance of Statute 6.2. 1. Honorary degrees of Doctor of the University There will be an honorary degree of Doctor of the University (HonDUniv) and an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (HonDLaws) 2. Nominations for award of Honorary Doctorate 2.1. Each year the Chief Operating Officer will invite members of the Corporation, Senate, Chapters and the Professoriate of the University to bring forward nominations of persons falling within the category described in Section 6.2.2 of Statute 6.2 to be considered by Senate for the award of an Honorary Doctorate, usually in the following year. The Vice-Chancellor and President (in consultation with the Chair of the Honorary Awards Committee) may, in exceptional circumstances, bring forward nomination(s) for the award of Honorary Doctorate for approval by Senate. 2.2. Each nomination should have a nominator and a seconder and should be supported by sufficient documentation to demonstrate the worthiness of the case and to assist in the preparation of a citation. 2.3. Nominations must be seconded by a member of the Corporation or Senate (a different member of Senate to the proposer). 2.4. With the exception of the Vice-Chancellor and President, Honorary Awards Committee members should not participate in the nomination process. 2.5. Nominees are not to be approached by nominators, or any other person acting for the nominators, without the approval of the Honorary Awards Committee.
3. Process The following process and timeline applies to all nominations: DATE ACTION 1 June The call for nominations is circulated by the Directorate of Governance to all University staff, Senate, Chapters and Corporation on behalf of the Chief Operating Officer 30 July Closing date for nominations. Nominations are to be sent to: Honorary.Degrees@acu.edu.au August September February February The Honorary Awards Committee meets to consider nominations The Honorary Awards Committee s recommendations are presented to the September meeting (or the next most appropriate date) of Senate for approval The Honorary Awards Committee meets to consider nominations received subsequent to the August meeting The Honorary Awards Committee s recommendations are presented to the February meeting (or the next most appropriate date) of Senate for approval Nominations outside of this cycle will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Chair of the Honorary Awards Committee (Chancellor). 4. Selection of nominees to recommend for award of Honorary Doctorate 4.1. The Honorary Awards Committee shall consider nominations for the award of an Honorary Doctorate from all parts of the Australian community and will make recommendations to Senate only when the Committee is unanimous in its view. 4.2. The Honorary Awards Committee may make whatever confidential enquiries it desires pertinent to any nomination and shall not be required to divulge its reasons for declining to recommend a candidate for an Honorary Doctorate. 5. Essential criterion Nominees must support the Mission of the University.
6. Selection criteria The Honorary Awards Committee will assess nominations against one or more of the following criteria for selection: Persons who have given eminent service to Australian Catholic University by having a significant connection or by making a benefaction to the University, and/or Academic eminence, and/or Distinguished creative achievement, and/or An outstanding contribution beyond the expectations of the person s particular field of endeavour which has influenced the thinking or general wellbeing of the wider community. 7. Persons to whom the degree should not be offered Honorary Doctorates should not be offered to the following persons, unless they fall within the category described in Section 6.2.2 of Statute 6.2: politicians in office; visitors and scholars or visiting scholars, unless they were/are at the University for an extended period and make an outstanding contribution to the work of the University independently of their role; retiring members of Senate, professors and others associated with the University, unless they have made quite exceptional contributions to the University. Generally, members of Senate and others in office should not be considered unless in relation to outstanding contributions made independently of their membership of a University body. 8. Conferral of award of Honorary Doctorate The award of an Honorary Doctorate shall normally be conferred at an official graduation ceremony. These shall ordinarily be ACU s autumn graduation ceremonies following Senate approvals in September and ACU s spring graduation ceremonies following Senate approvals in February. The acceptance of an award outside of a graduation ceremony is not encouraged and only granted in exceptional circumstances by the Chair of the Honorary Awards Committee. Senate may grant a maximum of five Honorary Doctorates each year, although Senate may increase the number in special circumstances. Furthermore, there will be a maximum of one Honorary Doctorate awarded at any one graduation ceremony. There is no presumption that there will be an Honorary Doctorate awarded at each graduation ceremony in a particular year.
9. Conferral of award for overseas recipients Overseas conferral will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. It is preferable that awards be bestowed in Australia in conjunction with the graduation ceremonies. Awards must be conferred by either the Chair of the Honorary Awards Committee or a member of Senate, commencing with the Vice-Chancellor and President. Overseas conferral of award ceremonies will include the same formalities that apply to Australian ceremonies, including the reading of a citation and bestowing of the award. A minimum of three months notice is needed to ensure events are arranged appropriately, including preparing the conferral arrangements, the creation and approval of a citation, liaison with the Media team and event preparations. The type of overseas conferral event will be considered on a case-by-case basis, along with factors such as the recipient s preference, country, links with stakeholders in that country and the University s profile in that country. 10. Citation preparation The Manager, Graduations and Protocol will liaise with the recipient and the nominator to prepare a draft citation. 11. Roles and responsibilities The following table outlines the various roles and responsibilities in the Honorary Award process: ROLE Member of the Professoriate or Chapter Member of the Corporation or Senate Directorate of Governance Honorary Awards Committee RESPONSIBILITY Proposes nomination for honorary degree Acts as seconder for nomination for honorary degree Reviews nominations to ensure appropriate information has been received ahead of the review by the Honorary Awards Committee Reviews and assesses all nominations received against the selection criteria and makes a determination to refer the nomination to Senate for approval or to decline the nomination
Senate Chair, Honorary Awards Committee Manager, Graduations and Protocol Reviews and assesses all nominations approved by the Honorary Awards Committee The Chair of the Honorary Awards Committee will advise the outcome of a nomination in writing to the successful nominee Coordinates with the Office of the Vice-Chancellor and President, the Directorate of Governance and the Events team the recipient communications and conferral of award Information relating to a nomination must be treated as confidential. This does not preclude confidential discussions being held internally between officers of ACU, as necessary to facilitate the processes and responsibilities described in clauses 3 and 11 of these Regulations. 12. Other information A Nomination Form will not be accepted and progressed for consideration by the Honorary Awards Committee unless it is completed in full by the nominator and seconded by a Member of Company or Senate. The Chair of the Honorary Awards Committee will advise the outcome of a nomination in writing to the successful nominee. Nominees have a period of two months to accept. Acceptance should be received in writing. Approved by Senate on 13 October 2016