Awarding of Posthumous Degrees

Policy number 04-01
Responsible office Provost and Academic Affairs
Enforcement official
Enforcement official
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Classification Board of Trustees-delegated Policy
Category Academic Programs and Requirements

Statement of policy

The purpose of this document is to provide a policy governing the awarding of Posthumous Degrees to current 51福利社 students. Regrettably, we have students who pass away while pursuing their studies. In some cases, family members request a Posthumous Degree to be awarded to their son or daughter.

Summary of contents/major changes

The purpose of this document is to provide a policy governing the awarding of Posthumous Degrees to current 51福利社 students. Regrettably, we have students who pass away while pursuing their studies. In some cases, family members request a Posthumous Degree to be awarded to their son or daughter.

Therefore, the awarding of a Posthumous Degrees will follow these guidelines and process:

  1. To initiate the awarding of a Posthumous Degree, a request must be submitted in writing by a faculty member in the department/school in which the student was enrolled. Members of the former student鈥檚 family or classmates should be referred to the department Chair/school Director of the former student鈥檚 major area of study to make initial inquiries;
  2. A faculty member(s) in a department/school submits a written request for the posthumous degree on behalf of the former student to the department Chair/school Director. To be considered, students must meet the following criteria:
    • Only undergraduate students will be considered;
    • Students must be within the last semester (i.e. 12-15 credit hours) of earning the Bachelor鈥檚 degree;
    • Students must be in Good Academic Standing with the University
  3. If the Chair/Director is in agreement with the faculty request, a letter of support from the Chair/Director is submitted, along with the faculty request, to the Dean;
  4. If the Dean is in agreement with the request, a letter of support from the Dean is submitted, along with the faculty request and letter of support from the Chair/Director, to the Provost;
  5. The Provost reviews the faculty request and letters of support, and submits a letter of support/recommendation to the President;
  6. The President reviews all supporting documents and makes a final decision to approve/not approve the awarding of a Posthumous Degree.

In addition to the recommendation of a posthumous degree, some colleges/departments may award a Certificate of Remembrance to acknowledge the investment and contributions our students have made to the 51福利社 community. These situations have involved students who fall outside of the criteria noted above. A copy of a certificate (with generic identifying information) is provided. Recommendation for awarding a Certificate of Remembrance would follow a proposal routing and support pathway as outlined in steps 1-5.

Families of the students who request a Posthumous Degree and do not meet the above criteria will receive a letter of explanation declining the awarding of the Posthumous Degree.

References
History
Effective date of current version November 17, 2016
Proposed date of next review April 1, 2020