The Ohio State University bestows the distinction of an honorary degree upon those individuals who have made significant contributions to the human condition in the national and international arena.
An honorary degree from our university is a public manifestation and reflection of its commitment to and support of excellence. A complete list of previous honorary degree recipients is available here.
Although most nominees should come from academe, given the university's prime mission of instruction and research, outstanding non-academic individuals who have made important contributions to society and the world's well-being will be considered.
Since nominations for honorary degrees come almost exclusively from the faculty, faculty involvement in the process is crucial. Faculty members are encouraged to consider nominating an eminent person in their field and bring them to the attention of the university through the honorary-degree process. In addition, departments that are planning to invite distinguished guests to campus are encouraged to nominate them for an honorary degree.
Nomination process
(1) Letter of Nomination
A letter of nomination and curriculum vitae or biographical listing from a published source is submitted to the Honorary Degree Committee chair. The nominator should identify any association of the candidate with The Ohio State University.
(2) Nomination Review
The nomination materials, in context of University Senate guideline standards, are reviewed by Honorary Degree Committee members.
(3) Decision
The Honorary Degree Committee chair notifies the nominator about the decision to advance or withhold the nomination. In the former case, the committee may request that the nominator assemble a full candidate dossier, consisting of three intramural and three extramural letters of support and a letter of support from the nominator's college dean. The committee will review the dossier when complete, and if approved for advancement, will submit materials to the secretary of the University Senate for an email vote by that body. Pending a positive recommendation by the University Senate, the nomination will then be submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval.
(4) Notification
Honorary degree awardees will be notified in writing by The Ohio State University president. The Office of Commencement and Special Events determines at which commencement the honorary degree will be officially awarded. Honorary degrees are awarded three times per year during commencement. The timetable for completion of successful nominations varies, depending on the number of nominations in the queue and nominees' personal schedules.