Drury University has a tradition of recognizing excellence and service through awarding of honorary degrees.
The Honorary Degree Committee shall be constituted as follows: two members of the Board of Trustees, appointed by the chair of the Board; two members of the faculty, appointed by the Faculty Affairs Committee; one administrator appointed by the President; and two students appointed by the Student Government Association.
The chair of the committee shall always be a member of the faculty. Faculty and trustee members generally serve for a period of two years, with their terms staggered so as to provide continuity.
The administrator shall serve as the secretary, subject to the approval of the committee.
2024-2025 Committee Members
During August, the chair will arrange the dates for three committee meetings to be held no earlier than September 15 and no later than November 1. Committee members will be advised of these dates as soon as possible. It may not be necessary to hold all three meetings.
In September, the secretary will ask all segments of the campus community and the Board of Trustees to submit names of candidates. Good candidates for honorary degrees are those who serve the purposes of the university in granting such degrees.
The guidelines for making honorary degree awards are:
The Spirit of Drury award was created to recognize those who have distinguished themselves throughout their careers and embody Drury University’s mission and goals. Nominees can be educators, scholars, professionals, or community leaders, who have championed the value of the liberal arts for education or for scholarly or professional endeavors, especially through an interdisciplinary approach.
Candidates for the Spirit of Drury Award are those who have distinguished themselves through their careers and embody Drury University’s mission and goals. They can be educators, scholars, professionals, or community leaders, who have championed the value of the liberal arts for education or for scholarly or professional endeavors, especially through an interdisciplinary approach.
Nomination criteria approved by the Drury University faculty on March 8, 2018.
To nominate someone for the Spirit of Drury Award, submit a nomination form along with two letters of recommendation and other supporting documentation to the University’s Honorary Degree Committee no later than October 1 each year.
Following review of the nominations received, the Honorary Degree Committee will recommend candidates for faculty approval.
The Office of University Advancement will determine the commemorative recognition to be given and coordinate the timing and presentation of the award.
Each nomination should include at least two letters of recommendation and is to be forwarded, by stated deadline to Jeff Riggins in the Provost’s Office at jriggins01@drury.edu.
The official list of recipients will be maintained by the Academic Affairs Office.
