Senate Committee on Honorary Degrees

Introduction

The Senate Committee on Honorary Degrees of Queen's University invites nominations for honorary degrees to all who qualify, including individuals from equity deserving groups such as women, Black, racialized persons and Indigenous Peoples, persons with a disability, and persons who identify in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, to be awarded at future convocations. 

Eligibility Guidelines

  • faculty and staff at Queen's are not eligible for nomination until at least three to five years after retirement
  • an active politician is not eligible
  • the person must be living
  • nominations that reflect the diversity of Canadian society are encouraged

Selection Process - 2024

Nominations are now closed. The Honorary Degrees Committee will meet in late March and provide their recommendations to Senate in April. Notification to nominators and nominees will take place prior to public announcements of successful nominations.

Please check back for details related to applications for consideration in 2025.

Selection Criteria

  • outstanding contributions to discipline or field of work, to community, to society or to the University
  • nominee may come from any country

Convocation Dates

Convocation dates and ceremony details can be found on the convocation website.

Nomination Form

To apply, follow this link to complete the application form.  Please note that you will need to have your supporting documentation ready as a single PDF file to upload as an attachment to the application form.  If you have any questions about completing the process, please contact senate@queensu.ca for assistance. 

A completed nomination form is essential and is all that is strictly required for submission to the Committee and the Senate.  You may include up to 15 pages of supporting documentation (curriculum vitae, letters of support, etc.) to assist in the deliberations of the Committee.  Only the completed nomination form will be presented to Senate.

To complete the form, you will be asked the following:

  • Names and contact information of two nominators;
  • Nominee name and contact information;
  • A list of educational achievements and honours received by the nominee;
  • A short summary of the nominee's career;
  • A 500 word statement on the Reasons for Recommending the Award of an Honorary Degree; and
  • Upload the supporting documentation as a single PDF file (optional). 

Please take great care in completing the section "Reasons for Recommending Award of an Honorary Degree" since the Committee focuses on this section in making its selection.

Please note that in order to assure confidentiality nominators should not contact nominees.

Nomination packages may also be submitted to:

The University Secretariat
Senate Committee on Honorary Degrees
Mackintosh-Corry Hall, Suite F300
Queen's University,
Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6

or senate@queensu.ca 

If you wish, you can review the form prior to beginning the online submission - Honorary Degree Nomination Form 2022 (PDF 144KB)