Senate and Honorary Degrees FAQs

How are honorary degree recipients determined?

Anyone — any member of the public or the University of Alberta community — may submit a nomination to the Senate for an honorary degree. The Senate Honorary Degrees Selection Committee reviews and approves nominations on average three times each year.

Who is on the Senate Honorary Degrees Selection Committee?

Membership on the committee includes no less than 20 and no more than 23 members of the Senate including the Chancellor, President and Vice-Chancellor, Provost and Vice-President (Academic), and a balance of representation from elected Senators and all other Senate constituent groups (see below for details on Senate membership).

The full complement of the Senate is 62 members.

Who decides?

Members of the Honorary Degrees Selection Committee approve honorary degree recipients.

Quorum for meetings is 50 percent plus one of the current committee membership either in person or by teleconference or video conference. A two-thirds majority of members present and voting is required for the selection of each nominee.

Discussions and deliberations on all nominations take place in camera. Decisions of the committee are confidential until the award of an honorary degree to a recipient is announced by the university.

Why do we give honorary degrees?

Honorary degrees are intended to honour individuals whose extraordinary intellectual or artistic achievements or significant service to society set a standard of excellence and merit the university’s highest honour. In accepting an honorary degree, the recipient also honours the spirit of the university. Honorary degree recipients are invited to deliver an address to a graduating class at University of Alberta convocation ceremonies, sharing their individual perspectives, advice and experience.

What are the criteria for selection?

Honorary degrees celebrate individuals who have had a transformative impact and who represent diverse backgrounds and fields of endeavour, including, without limitation:

• Leading academics in all disciplines,
• Creative minds in arts and performance,
• Athletes of extraordinary achievement,
• Public intellectuals and opinion-makers,
• Visionary leaders in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors,
• Contributors of long-standing and exemplary service to the university, and
• Community builders and philanthropists.

What is the Senate?

The Senate of the University of Alberta is an independent body of diverse community leaders and university representatives established under the Post-secondary Learning Act.

The purpose of the Senate is to:

• INQUIRE — Identify and explore issues, ask questions, seek community input and offer recommendations based on experiences and initiatives both within and beyond the focus of post-secondary education.
• PROMOTE — Advance the reputation of the University of Alberta through informal advocacy and celebration within circles of personal, professional and community influence.
• CONNECT — Build bridges, connecting University of Alberta programs and people with initiatives and peers in the community while also engaging community leaders in university opportunities.

The 62 members of the Senate meet four times annually and work throughout the year to achieve the Senate’s mandate through committees and individual initiatives.

Who is on the Senate?

Senators include representation from three groups:

Those who are members by virtue of their offices

• Chancellor
• President
• Vice-President designated by the Board of Governors
• Chief Academic Officer for Student Affairs
• Director of Extension
• President and Vice-President of the Alumni Association

Appointed members

• 2 deans, appointed by Deans’ Council
• 2 members of the Board, appointed by the Board
• 3 members of the General Faculties Council, appointed by General Faculties Council
• 2 members of the Alumni Association, appointed by the Alumni Association
• 2 non-academic staff members, appointed by the Non-Academic Staff Association
• 4 members of the Students’ Union, appointed by the Students’ Union;
• 1 member of the Graduate Students’ Association, appointed by the Graduate Students’ Association
• 9 members of the public, appointed by the Minister

Representative members

30 representative members are elected by the members of the Senate to represent geographical areas and groups and organizations with an interest in the university.

The Senate’s current membership includes individuals living in the following communities: Beaumont, Camrose, Cochrane, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, High Prairie, Lacombe, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Sherwood, Park, Slave Lake, and Tofield.

Calgary has been represented on the Senate in recent years; however, the geographic balance of elected membership shifts every year.

How are Senators selected?

Each constituency group of the Senate manages its own appointment process.

Applications for one of the 30 elected public positions on the Senate are accepted each year by the Senate Office. Applicants from across Edmonton and Alberta are shortlisted by the Senate Nominating and Review Committee and are interviewed by phone. A proposed slate of new Senators is then reviewed and elected by the full Senate each spring.

Once every four years, through an open nomination process, Senators elect a Chancellor to chair the Senate, represent the university at ceremonial occasions, preside over all degree-conferring ceremonies and represent the public interest in the university.