The Senate Sub-Committee on Honorary Degrees and Ceremonials encourages members of the York community to submit nominations for honorary degrees. Honorary Degree Guidelines and nomination forms can be found here.
The awarding of honorary degrees is an important feature of Convocation at York University. By recognizing individuals whose achievements represent the values York cherishes, whose benefactions have strengthened the community and the institution, and whose public lives are deemed worthy of emulation, the act of awarding honorary degrees enriches Convocation for our graduands and guests.
A candidate for an honorary degree must meet one or more of the following general criteria:
- has eminence in his or her field;
- has demonstrated service to humankind, Canada, Ontario, York University or a particular community in a significant manner;
- has provided a significant benefaction to the University; and/or
- is someone whose public contributions to society are worthy of emulation.
To nominate a worthy candidate, kindly complete a nomination form and submit it along with a brief biographical summary (one to two pages) and two letters of support. The material is treated as confidential and should not be disclosed to the nominee. All nominations should be received by Friday, Nov. 6.
The Senate Sub-Committee on Honorary Degrees and Ceremonials will consider nominees for inclusion in a pool, from which the Chancellor and President will select individuals to be honoured at a given convocation. The committee encourages nominations that can provide a pool of high quality candidates reflecting the diversity of the York community and of Canada and representing a variety of backgrounds and accomplishments.
Completed nomination packages may be submitted electronically to emacrae@yorku.ca or in hardcopy to:
Senate Sub-Committee on Honorary Degrees and Ceremonials
c/o Robert Everett
1050 Kaneff Tower
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3