The Iowa Board of Regents announced in February that it would be reviewing the honorary degree policy in Iowa. The following month, the board officially adopted a new policy regarding revoking honorary degrees given by universities in Iowa. This policy was adopted to clarify universities’ authority regarding revoking an honorary degree.
According to Indeed, an honorary degree is an award individuals can earn without pursuing a degree at a university or institution. Honorary degrees are usually awarded to people who make a significant impact on a school, the community, or the world. These degrees usually go to those who have committed to a lifetime of service or have had a significant achievement in a certain field.
Honorary degrees are nothing new to the three public universities in Iowa. Iowa State University began awarding these degrees in the 1800s, and since then, more than 230 honorary degrees have been awarded.
The University of Iowa didn’t issue its first honorary degree until 1962, when U.S. Chief Justice Earl Warren was given an honorary doctorate of law. Since then, the UI has issued 46 honorary degrees to “individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary achievements,” such as journalist Tom Brokaw and actor Gene Wilder, who both received Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
The colleges individually determine the guidelines for receiving or having an honorary degree revoked. The UI’s honorary degree program considers individuals with extraordinary achievements in areas such as education, artistic creation, social activism, human rights, innovation, or humanitarian outreach. These degrees are awarded to those who have had achievements over an entire career and not just a single event.
Recipients of these degrees are selected by a faculty committee and approved by the Provost, President, and Board of Regents. The university offers three honorary degrees: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Honorary Doctor of Science, and Honorary Doctor of Law.
Current university employees and those holding elected government offices are not eligible for an honorary degree, but they still have a chance. The university can award these degrees to former employees who left the institution in good standing and who meet the criteria.
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Although universities nationwide can revoke regular degrees from students, the question of whether honorary degrees fall under the same revocation guidelines as regular degrees was raised. Josh Lehman, senior communications director for the Iowa Board of Regents, said this policy was adopted to clear up any confusion.
“Each of Iowa’s three public universities — the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa — already have procedures for revoking a degree. The board policy that was approved at the Feb. 27 Board of Regents meeting is meant to be a complement to those existing policies and affirm that it applies to honorary degrees as well. University systems around the country have similar policies,” he said.
Since this policy was passed, the UI has begun developing its standards for revoking an honorary degree. Chris Brewer, UI public relations manager, said there has not been much progress.
“The University of Iowa does not currently have a policy for the revocation of an honorary degree and has not revoked an honorary degree from a past recipient,” Brewer wrote in an email to The Daily Iowan.
Starting in March, administrators and the Office of Provost began taking action to develop a revocation policy that fit the university’s standards and guidelines. Kyle Hughes, director of communications for the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, said the UI is taking its first steps to create guidelines regarding the revocation of honorary degrees.
“The University of Iowa does not have standards and procedures for the revocation of an honorary degree yet but plans to begin developing those now that the Iowa Board of Regents has established its policy,” Hughes said.