Faculty, staff and students are invited to nominate candidates for two of the university’s most prestigious awards: the Honorary Doctoral Degree and the Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus/a Award.
Honorary Doctoral Degree
The degree is awarded to individuals who have made profound and enduring contributions to scholarship, culture and an improved quality of life for society at large. They also are individuals of great integrity who reflect WSU’s land-grant values.
- Review criteria and submit nomination
- Nomination deadline: March 12
The Honorary Doctoral Degrees Committee will review the nominating materials and forward its recommendations to WSU President Kirk Schulz and the Faculty Senate Steering Committee. The university confers honorary doctoral degrees at its fall and spring commencement ceremonies.
The awardee will join journalist Edward R. Murrow, Pulitzer Prize‑winning poet Carolyn Kizer and former Spelman College president and WSU faculty member Johnnetta Cole among the ranks of WSU’s honorary doctoral degree recipients.
Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus/a Award (RDAA)
This is the highest honor the university grants to its alumni. The award honors individuals who have made a truly distinguished contribution to society, or who, through personal achievement, have brought distinction to WSU.
- Submit nomination
- Nomination deadline: March 12
The selection will be based on a review of nominations and the recommendations of the Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus/a Award Committee. The university will honor the next RDAA recipient during the 2020–21 academic year.
The 2020 awardee will join a notable list of previous honorees, including Steve Gleason, Phyllis Campbell and Sherman Alexie.
