The Honorary Degrees Advisory Committee is charged with accepting nominations for honorary degrees from various college constituencies, including the Faculty Advisory Committee to the President, faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, and the local community. The committee is required to review the information presented and to recommend to the President those candidates that the committee believes meets the criteria of an exceptional record of distinction and achievement in at least one of the following areas: scholarship, research, teaching, creative arts, and public service, or manifests outstanding acclaim to the College.

In addition, the College confers honorary degrees in recognition of outstanding intellectual or creative achievements in scholarship, high distinction in service to humanity, including meritorious contributions to the College or for exemplary leadership in education, business, public service, or other appropriate sector of society. The President will review the nominations and forward them to the College of Charleston Board of Trustees for final consideration.

Criteria for honorary degree recipients include:

• A College of Charleston honorary degree should represent lasting recognition of eminence, distinction and/or exemplary service of an outstanding individual. Recipients should bring acclaim to the College of Charleston and serve as proud representatives of the institution. The awarding of honorary degrees is to be regarded as a method by which the College expresses its mission, goals, values, and ideals and recognizes exceptional achievement.

• Nominations of candidates with a College of Charleston connection, including those as an alum, faculty or staff member, or an individual who has provided exemplary service to the institution through public or philanthropic support may be given special priority.

• Honorary degree nominations for the following academic year must be received by the Honorary Degree Advisory Committee by December 1 and will be reviewed and forwarded to the President by January 2 to be presented to the Board of Trustees at its January Board meeting. All deliberations of the honorary degree nominations by the Advisory Committee will be confidential. The Board of Trustees votes on the final selections by secret ballot.

• The chair of the Nominating Advisory Committee will coordinate with other local higher education institutions regarding their honorary degree recipients for the ceremony being considered to ensure we avoid presenting honorary degrees to the same individual the same year.

• Nominees not selected within three years from the date of the original nomination will be disregarded and a new nomination must be submitted if the candidate is to receive further consideration.

• An Honorary Degree Recipients list will be maintained in the office of the Secretary to the Board to ensure contact is maintained with these new alumni of the College. Contact will include regular mailings of the College of Charleston Magazine, annual Christmas cards, and invitations back to campus as appropriate.

Recommendations for prospective candidates for honorary degrees should be entered into the nomination form.