Call for honorary degree nominations

Members of the Washington University in St. Louis community are invited to nominate honorary degree candidates for the May 2024 Commencement.

The Honorary Degree Task Force of the Board of Trustees is accepting nominations until Friday, Jan. 27. To nominate distinguished individuals, visit the Board of Trustees website.

The task force is made up of students, faculty, administrators and trustees. The university has a long tradition, dating to 1859, of awarding honorary degrees to individuals who have made significant contributions.

The impressive and diverse list of past recipients includes pioneers and leaders in their respective fields, including NASA astronaut Mae Jamison, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and politicians Madeleine Albright and Cory Booker.

When considering nominees, the task force will be looking for individuals who have made significant contributions through their scholarly accomplishments, professional achievements and/or humanitarian service and impact on society.

Other criteria for strong candidates include individuals who have provided outstanding service to Washington University and the St. Louis community as well as those who would bring a heightened level of interest and excitement to the Commencement exercises. The task force is particularly interested in nominations of individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Nominations for the Commencement speaker also are considered through this honorary degree selection process.

The task force will meet in March to consider nominations before submitting a potential list of recipients to the full board. The Board of Trustees will select the final candidates for honorary degrees by vote at its meeting later in the spring.

Leave a Comment

Comments and respectful dialogue are encouraged, but content will be moderated. Please, no personal attacks, obscenity or profanity, selling of commercial products, or endorsements of political candidates or positions. We reserve the right to remove any inappropriate comments. We also cannot address individual medical concerns or provide medical advice in this forum.