Call for Nominations
Call for Nominations for Honorary Degrees, Fellowships, Emeritus and Distinguished Alumni Award
Among the most significant acts undertaken by our University is the awarding of honours to individuals who have achieved great distinction through their contributions to the University and/or the local or global community. Honorary degrees and fellowships are awarded at Convocation on the authority of the Senate, and the Senate selects those to be honoured on the recommendation of its Honorary Degrees and Fellowships Committee. Members of the University community are invited to nominate individuals for consideration.
Convocations
The University awards several different honours, notably Honorary Degrees and Fellowships. Honorary degrees (Doctor of Divinity, Doctor of Letters, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Science) are awarded to individuals from outside the University, who have made significant contributions to society. Honorary degree nominees should have a clear connection to the University, or to its particular work and mission. Fellowships (Fellow of United College and Fellow of The University of Winnipeg) are awarded to those former staff and volunteers, respectively, whose contributions have been primarily to The University of Winnipeg. In addition, the University confers the rank of Professor Emeritus on retired, tenured faculty who have attained distinction in their field, as well as the Distinguished Alumni Award, which honours alumni who have achieved excellence in their endeavours following graduation. Details are as follows:
DD (Doctor of Divinity) – This degree is conferred upon an ordained or consecrated member of the clergy for service in ministry. The DD was the only honorary degree conferred by this University prior to 1967.
LLD (Doctor of Laws) – This degree is conferred upon those recognized for service to the community, and for those recognized for scholarship in academic disciplines other than the sciences. The LLD is the most frequently given honorary degree, and was first conferred in 1968.
DSc (Doctor of Science) – This degree is conferred for scholarship in the sciences. The first DSc was conferred by this University in 1982.
LittD (Doctor of Letters) – This degree is conferred upon those whom the University wishes to recognize in the Literary, Performing, Visual or Fine Arts. The LittD has been conferred by this University several times since 1986.
Honorary Degrees are not generally conferred upon members or former members of the faculty, but exceptions can and have been made. The standard practice is to honour former faculty (and staff) by granting them Fellowship in United College. It is also standard practice for honourees to be honoured only once.
Honorary Degrees are also not conferred upon currently serving political figures, i.e. Members of Parliament, Members of the Legislative Assembly, mayors, councillors etc. However, this is not meant to exclude the possibility of honouring Indigenous leaders from First Nations, Metis or Inuit communities.
Nominations for posthumous Honorary Degrees will not be considered.
Fellowship in United College – Prior to 1967, the University awarded Fellowship in United College in lieu of honorary degrees. Fellowship in United College is awarded for distinguished service to The University of Winnipeg, and is reserved for retirees of the University, both faculty and staff, including the Collegiate. This service should have been manifested in concrete and demonstrable initiatives that have enhanced the University and its work.
Fellowship in the University of Winnipeg – In 2000, the Honorary Degrees Committee recommended that service to the University by volunteers be recognized by a new honour of Fellowship in The University of Winnipeg. This honour is for excellent service to The University of Winnipeg by volunteers, including service in enhancing the University’s reputation, in fundraising, in advocating for the University, and for contributing to the overall goals of the University.
Professor Emeritus – The category of Professor Emeritus is open only to tenured, retired faculty. The conferring of emeritus rank upon a retiring Professor is not, however, automatic, but is reserved for retired faculty, reflecting the highest level of excellence in both teaching and research/scholarship. The nominator, together with those writing supporting letters for a nomination for the rank of Professor Emeritus, should include credible experts able to certify the research excellence of a candidate. The opinion of national and international experts would also be strongly persuasive.
Distinguished Alumni Award – The Distinguished Alumni Award honours graduates of The University of Winnipeg who have distinguished themselves in either their chosen profession or in their community. Graduates of The University of Winnipeg, The University of Winnipeg Collegiate, United College, Wesley College, and Professional, Applied and Continuing Education (formerly The University of Winnipeg Division of Continuing Education) diploma or certificate programs are considered alumni, and therefore eligible for this award. Sitting politicians, current faculty, staff and current members of the Board of Regents and the Alumni Association Council are ineligible for this award. There are no provisions for a group award or a posthumous award.
If you would like to make a nomination for any of the above outlined honours, please submit it to the University Secretary, who serves as Secretary of the Senate and of the Honorary Degrees and Fellowships Committee, by Friday, January 17, 2025. Contact information for the University Secretary is set out on the nomination form.
Any nomination for the foregoing honours should be made by a member of the University community, defined to be a current or retired employee, student, alumnus, or Board member of the University. External persons wishing that a nomination be considered are encouraged to find an internal nominator.
Your nomination should be in the form of a letter, stating your reasons for making the nomination, which should speak to your nominee's suitability for the particular honour, and in the case of an honorary degree, to the matter of his or her connection with The University of Winnipeg. Please ensure it is noted which honorary degree the nominee is most suited for. In addition to your letter of nomination, please provide the following:
(a) completed nomination form, setting out current contact information for yourself, as nominator, and your nominee;
(b) letters in support of your nomination:
• Minimum of two (2) letters of support and maximum of four (4) letters of support;
• Each letter of support not to exceed two (2) pages (if double sided, not to exceed one (1) page);
• If additional letters of support are received, please include a list of individuals who have submitted letters. Additional letters may be included, and will be kept on file in the Office of the University Secretary, and can be reviewed by members of the Honorary Degrees and Fellowships Committee upon request.
(c) current résumé or curriculum vitae of the nominee.
Please only submit your nomination once it is complete, including all letters of support and required documentation.
Nominations which do not comply with the guidelines noted above will be returned to the nominator for revision. A confirmation of receipt of a nomination will be sent to the nominator. Results of each nomination are confidential and nominators will not be advised of the Committee or Senate’s decision.