Honorary degree nominees sought for the 2024-25 academic year

Oakland University's Honorary Degree Committee invites nominations for honorary degrees to be conferred during the 2024-2025 academic year. These prestigious recognitions will be awarded only to individuals of special merit, distinctions and outstanding achievement.

Through the nomination and selection process, Oakland University reaffirms its scholarly, creative and humanitarian values, as well as its ties to the wider community. Recent honorees have included:

Glenn Ellis - author, educator, researcher and advocate for health ethics and equity in medicine (2023)

Eugene Gargaro - distinguished attorney and community leader in the Detroit Metropolitan area with notable contributions in the DIA renovation and expansion and long term support of sustaining this cultural treasure in the region (2023)

Donna and Walter Young - community leaders with tremendous support for OU Keeper of the Dream, OU Foundation Board, the Honors College scholarships as well as business and charitable leadership (2023)

Wendel White - National activist and artist in the field of contemporary photography with a commitment to explore the racialized experiences of the Black community through art (2023)

A complete list of OU honorary degree recipients is available on the Provost’s web section. These distinguished awardees have been selected according to the criteria and procedures outlined below:

• Eligibility is open to all except current employees of Oakland University.

• Exemplary candidates are those with records of outstanding achievements in areas such as academe, business and government, or civic, cultural, humanitarian, or public affairs. Examples of such achievements include original and creative accomplishments within one or more academic disciplines or significant contributions to humankind's intellectual, cultural, commercial, aesthetic, social or civic betterment.

• Nomination materials should include a cover letter together with supporting documentation that might help the committee make a recommendation to the Provost and the President. Letters should include a clear statement of the nominee's outstanding achievements that justify conferral of the honorary degree. Nominations from such traditionally underrepresented groups as minorities and women are especially welcomed and encouraged. Examples of supplemental documents can be found here.

• Initial screening of the candidates for honorary degrees will be conducted by the Honorary Degree Committee. Nominators may be contacted by the committee and asked to assist in providing additional biographical material and supporting documentation. The Board of Trustees confers honorary degrees based on the work of the screening committee, and the recommendations made by the Provost and the President

Those interested in submitting a nomination and supplemental materials should do so by Friday, March 8, 2024 using the Honorary Degree Recipient Nomination Form. Those with questions about the nomination process should contact honorary Degree Committee Chair Amy Banes-Berceli at [email protected].