Award Process and Criteria
Nomination Process
Any UWF stakeholder, including UWF faculty, staff, alumni, and students as well as Board of Trustee or advisory group members, may submit a nomination to the Honorary Awards and Recognition Committee (HARC) for consideration. Nominations from the external community should be channeled through a university stakeholder. Nomination forms and instruction are available on the Honorary Awards and Degrees website located under Types of Awards.
Complete nomination submittals will be reviewed by the committee in the fall and spring of each academic year for presentation of honorary degree candidates at spring and fall commencement, respectively, (e.g. fall review for spring commencement and spring review for fall commencement). Therefore, honorary degree nomination packets should be submitted no later than June 15 or December 15 to the President's Office for full consideration. Complete nomination submittals for the Founders Medallion and the Presidential Medal of Honor will be considered as received and reviewed quarterly during the academic year.
All complete nomination packets must be submitted to PresidentsOffice@uwf.edu in digital format to facilitate distribution and review to the committee. The President will seek the advice and counsel of the committee and may also consult with past recipients of awards to help in the determination.
After due consideration, the committee may endorse a different level of recognition than the nominator recommended when the committee members deem a different award to be a better fit for the accomplishments and contributions apparent in the nomination materials. In such cases, the committee chair will provide a written rationale for this change in honor.
The criteria for personal recognition in the awards in HARC purview include the following characteristics:
- Excellent character exemplifying at least one of the UWF values; including Caring, Diversity, Engaging, Equity, Innovation, and Integrity;
- Extraordinary achievement or distinction in the arts and sciences, education, the professional life, public service, philanthropy, or private enterprise;
- And one of the following:
- Distinction on a national or international level;
- A significant connection with or history of support of the University; or
- A record of distinguished contributions to the area served by the University.
Review of Nominations
HARC will make a formal recommendation that will be confirmed by the Board of Trustees upon request of the President. The successful candidate will be notified in writing by the President’s office. All parties involved in the process should exercise discretion in speaking with nominated individuals prior to an official notification being issued by the President's Office. A waiver of this requirement may be granted by the President.
No college or other subunit can award honorary degrees, name facilities, or confer University-level awards.
The ten-member HARC is a standing committee whose responsibility is to oversee the granting of university-level recognition to worthy individuals. The HARC consists of several types of individuals to ensure broad representation across the University. Nine members of HARD, including the Chair are eligible to vote.
Membership:
- University President (nonvoting except in cases of a tie)
- Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs
- Vice President for the Division of University Advancement, Chair
- Student Government Association President
- University Archivist
- Four faculty members
- Recommended by the provost and appointed by the University president in consultation with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee.
- Serve staggered three-year terms.
- Academic representation:
- College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities - 1
- Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering - 1
- Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business - 1
- Usha Kundu, MD College of Health - 1
- One voting UWF workforce member.
- Recommended by the Staff Senate to the vice president for administrative affairs and appointed by the president.
- Serves a three-year term.
The president may designate consultants to the process as deemed necessary.
HARC rights and responsibilities:
- Formal recommendation by HARC represents a majority vote of the committee members. HARC members may provide a proxy to another HARC member when they are unable to attend a meeting. In cases of a tie, the president shall cast the deciding vote.
- Although the committee is responsible for reviewing all University-level honorary recognitions, the primary responsibility is the identification of an honorary degree candidate in relation to the fall and spring Commencement ceremonies. HARC may designate more than one honorary degree candidate for each commencement ceremony.
- HARC will review completed nomination packets on behalf of the University. The members may independently gather additional information to enrich the review and discussion of each candidate.
- HARC members may actively pursue nominations for their own candidates for honorary awards recognition; however, if an individual moves a candidate's name forward for consideration, the nominator must recuse themselves from the formal voting on the proposed candidate.
Receive Nomination Protocols:
- The Chair will be notified by the President’s Office when a nomination has been received. The Chair will acknowledge receipt of the nominations and advise nominators regarding the anticipated timeline for deliberation and decision. The Chair will also advise nominators if the nominations are incomplete or have other challenges associated with the timing of the submission.
Monitor and Maintain an Appropriate Pool of Nominees:
- The Chair will issue an open call twice per year for nominations from UWF’s constituents, including faculty, staff, students, and BOT members. The open call notice will contain directions for the preparation of a complete nomination application to the President’s Office.
Coordinate Materials and Meeting Details for Candidate Reviews:
- The Chair will forward only complete nomination applications to the committee members a minimum of two weeks prior to scheduled meetings. The Chair will also arrange the time and location of meetings.
Prepare Formal Request for BOT Action:
- The Chair will draft the agenda memorandum and provide any other necessary documentation for objective review and approval by BOT members at the next regularly scheduled meeting. The President or President’s designee will be responsible for presenting the HARC recommendations to the BOT for confirmation.
Maintain/Revise Nomination Protocols:
- Protocols for HARC will be posted online. HARC will review the protocols at the first meeting of the academic year to determine if any changes are needed. If any changes are made to the protocol, the HARC Chair will be responsible for disseminating those changes, including updating the website.
Provide a Written Rationale to the Nominator if HARC Redirects the Award:
- The rationale will link the HARC decision explicitly to selection criteria.
The President is responsible for presenting candidates recommended by HARC to the Board of Trustees along with supporting documentation. The president may also suggest a nomination and work with HARC members to develop the appropriate submission of materials for the HARC review process. The President may designate consultants to the process as deemed necessary.
The Board of Trustees may authorize the President to confer awards and recognitions following a recommendation by HARC. The Board of Trustees, in its discretion, may gather additional information on the nominee beyond the materials submitted for consideration.
Timeline for Selection of Honors Related to Commencement Presentations
HARC Fall Meeting
The fall standing meeting should take place in August to prepare and forward nominations for the Board of Trustees' scheduled September meeting. Successful candidates during the fall process would be feted at subsequent spring commencement. The coordinators will need to be active in recruiting nominees and preparing nominations during the preceding spring semester and submit nomination packets to the President’s office no later than June 15 to accommodate the necessary time needed for a Board of Trustees review in September.
HARC Spring Meeting
The spring standing meeting should take place in January to prepare and forward nominations for the Board of Trustees' scheduled February meeting. Successful candidates during the spring process would be feted at the subsequent fall ceremony. The coordinators will need to be active in recruiting nominees during the preceding fall semester and submit nomination packets to the President’s office no later than December 15 to accommodate the necessary time needed for a Board of Trustees review in February.