To: All Faculty & All Academic Professionals <everybody@illinois.edu> 
    From: "Harry H. Hilton, Chair, Honorary Degrees Committee" <h-hilton@uiuc.edu>

Reply-To: djmorris@uiuc.edu
 Subject: MASSMAIL - Noms. for Honorary Degrees: May 2004 Commencement

DATE:	January 23, 2003
TO:	UIUC Senators, Deans, Directors, Faculty and Staff
FROM:	Harry H. Hilton, Chair, Senate Committee on Honorary Degrees
RE:	Nominations for Honorary Degrees for May 2004 Commencements

The Senate Committee on Honorary Degrees is pleased to invite nominations 
for the May 2004 honorary degree awards.  Nomination procedures are 
detailed below.   You are urged to nominate, through your unit, 
outstanding candidates for Honorary Degree awards.  

The committee requests that nominations and supporting materials for the 
May 2004 commencement be submitted by February 28, 2003.  The Committee 
urges all units contemplating submitting a nomination to begin their 
preparation as soon as possible.  Please note that in order to maintain 
absolute confidentiality and avoid possible embarrassment to the candidate 
and to the University in case of lack of approval, under no circumstances 
is any potential candidate to be contacted even to obtained lists of 
references and/or vitae.  You may contact her/his secretary, colleague, 
etc., swear the person to absolute secrecy and obtain such a list. Only 
the President and/or Chancellor may contact candidates.

The Committee appreciates your help in identifying outstanding individuals 
whom the University can honor and, in so doing, honor itself.  If you have 
any questions or need additional information, please contact the Senate 
Office (333-6805).  For your convenience, a nomination form is at: 
http://www.uiuc.edu/providers/senate/hd_form.html


REQUEST FOR NOMINATIONS FOR HONORARY DEGREES

The prime, controlling consideration should be distinction.  The person 
should have made a distinguished contribution to knowledge and creativity 
in the relevant field of endeavor, and have shown sustained activity of 
uncommon merit.  The contributions may be made in a wide range of 
activities; the following list is not exhaustive:

-	Scholarship, in any discipline:  major breakthroughs in knowledge 
in fields of scholarly work.
-	Creative Arts, in the broad sense of the term:  literature, music, 
architecture, engineering, et al; the development of new frontiers of 
creativity.
-	Professions:  distinguished contributions, innovative work of 
distinction.
-	Public Service:  outstanding achievement in statesmanship, 
administration, legislative activity, the judiciary.
-	Business and Industry:  outstanding, innovative activity in the 
business community.

Following Senate guidelines, the Committee will consider, but not be bound 
by, the degree to which the candidate has had some association with 
Illinois - the University or the State.  While alumni of the University 
should not be excluded, honorary degrees are not a means of recognizing 
their contributions; other awards exist for this purpose.  Current 
administrators, faculty, or staff of the University ordinarily are not 
eligible; emeriti are eligible even if engaged in teaching or research at 
the University.  Elected officials of the State of Illinois and its 
subordinate units and members of the Legislature, during their terms of 
office, ordinarily are not eligible.

Senate guidelines emphasize recommendations by departments and other 
academic units.  A nomination coming to the Committee from a member of the 
Board of Trustees, an alumnus/alumna or friend of the University, will be 
referred to the proper academic unit for support of the faculty.

For full consideration by the Committee, the nominator or nominating unit 
should supply the following information to the Committee by February 28, 
2003:

1.     A brief letter of nomination, summarizing the candidate's 
qualifications for this honor, and certifying the support of the 
appropriate academic unit.

2.     A brief curriculum vitae of the nominee, including addresses, 
telephone numbers, or other means by which the nominee can be reached.  If 
the nomination finds substantial initial support in the Honorary Degrees 
Committee, additional information may be requested from the department to 
develop the case and to provide the Senate with the materials it needs for 
the final decision.

3.     The names and addresses of at least four professionally-
distinguished individuals who could be contacted for letters of support or 
further information about the candidate.  It is hoped that oral 
communications among professional colleagues will help assure the 
confidentiality of the decision process.

Nominations and full dossiers should be marked confidential and sent to 
the Committee on Honorary Degrees, c/o Senate Office, 228 English 
Building, MC-461.

This mailing approved by:
The Office of the Chancellor

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