ELIGIBILITY

(i) A candidate for an honorary degree shall be a living person of great accomplishment and should have made an outstanding contribution on a national or international scale. The contribution may be to the advancement of the candidate’s discipline or field of work, or it may be to artistic, cultural, or remarkable public/community service in a particular field.

(ii) A candidate’s record should be of such a nature that the conferment of a degree would bring credit to the University, and would not be at variance with the spirit of the South African Constitution and the University’s vision, mission, values, goals and strategic objectives.

(iii) An “outstanding contribution”, especially when it comes to conferment of the degree of doctor, would usually refer to extraordinary achievement over an entire career or a sustained period of time and not merely a single achievement. Mere success in a career or social role is insufficient. There should be evidence of a contribution that is beyond the norm which is characteristic of a leader in the field.

(iv) Honorary degrees from the University of Fort Hare will not be confered to current University of Fort Hare members of Council, Senate or their committees and its employees, but may, in exceptional cases, be conferred on former University of Fort Hare employees.

(v) Nominees whose profiles reflect multiple conferrals of honorary degrees by South African Universities, are considered on a case by case basis. In the case of nominees who have been awarded honorary degrees by another higher education institution in the Eastern Cape Province, a cooling off period of at least three years shall be required before they can be conferred an honorary degree at the University of Fort Hare.

(vi) The spread of the honorary degrees/awards across the Faculties and Departments shall be considered and the conferment of an honorary degree will be limited to the degrees offered at UFH.

Posthumous Award of Honorary Degrees

Except in exceptional circumstances an Honorary Degree shall not be conferred posthumously unless a candidate has died after he/he had been nominated

Award of Honorary Degree in Absentia

(i) Except under extraordinary circumstances, no honorary degree will be conferred in absentia or at a place or occasion other than a designated graduation venue and ceremony of the University.

(ii) In the exceptional circumstances where graduation in absentia is allowed the graduand shall provide an appropriate address to be read on her or his behalf at the respective graduation ceremony.

Revocation of Honorary Degree Award

(i)  The University reserves the right to revoke the award of an honorary degree where proven evidence comes to light that an awardee engaged in conduct which is at variance with the spirit of the South African Constitution and the University’s vision, mission, values, goals and strategic objectives either before or after the award of the degree.

(ii)  The Honorary Degrees Committee shall consider evidence adduced and make recommendations to Senate and Council regarding the revocation of an honorary degree.