January 20-21, 2005

ITEM 126-101-R0105   Revision of Honorary Degree Policy; Montana University System

THAT:   The Board of Regents of Higher Education approves the following change to Policy 322.1:

(1)      grants permission to award an honorary doctoral degree to any campus of the Montana University System that has authority to award a baccalaureate degree.

 

EXPLANATION:   Dr. Ronald Sexton, the chancellor at Montana State University-Billings, asked the Board of Regents to consider this policy change during his report to the Board in July Dr. Sheila Stearns, the Commissioner of Higher Education, consulted with Dr. George Dennison, president of The University of Montana-Missoula, and Dr. Geoff Gamble,president of Montana State University-Bozeman, about extending the privilege to other campuses in the System. With their concurrence, staff in the Commissioner's office proceeded with the policy revision.

The new policy requires that, before campuses can award the honorary degree, they must:

a)       develop written, internal procedures governing the the process; and

b)       those written procedures must be approved by the appropriate President.

The policy was reviewed by all of the chief executive officers and chief academic officers of the baccalaureate campuses, before it was placed on the agenda of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee of the Board of Regents. The specific revisions and additions to Policy 322.1, to effect the change, are set out in the attached document.