Honorary degrees and fellowships

All staff (including those employed directly and contracted, e.g. cleaning, catering, security staff, etc), students (including ACP, Transactional Partners, Apprentices etc), alumni, governors, and the Chancellor are eligible to make nominations throughout the year for honorary degrees to be presented at the graduation ceremonies in the Spring or Autumn.

It is important that a high level of confidentiality be maintained from the beginning of the process of nomination, through to the point at which a decision is reached and the successful candidates have been invited to receive their award by the Vice-Chancellor and have accepted.

It would be a major embarrassment if a nominee was made aware of their nomination and was then subsequently unsuccessful. Equally it would be embarrassing for the University if there was disclosure in the public domain prior to the successful nominees receiving official notification from the Vice-Chancellor.

To be successful, your nominee should demonstrate one or more of the following:

• substantial and significant achievements either nationally or internationally, in a relevant field (a subject area taught or researched in the University)
• an outstanding contribution to national and/or international life in any way
• distinguished service to the University, in any capacity, over a long period of time
• an active and influential role in enhancing the provision of education in the UK or abroad
• the ability to contribute to the future aims, strategies and development of the University, eg by enhancing its reputation
• be an Oxford Brookes alumni who has achieved distinction in the academic, public service, industrial, commercial, artistic, cultural or sporting fields
• an example worthy as a role model to students.

In addition, nominees must demonstrate their relevance to the work of Oxford Brookes, for example a close alignment with our guiding principles and strategic objectives or an active engagement in the business of the University.

You must not nominate someone with whom you have a close personal relationship. For example, a relative, partner or spouse. Nominations from individuals with a conflict of interest will not normally be accepted. 

Finally, in order to be deemed eligible, the nominee must be alive and cannot be a currently serving politician (including councillors).

For full information on how to nominate someone and the requirements of a nominee, please see the Honorary Conferments Committee Google site if you are a member of staff, student, chancellor, or governor of the University. 

Alumni are asked to contact Jan Taylor: janice.taylor@brookes.ac.uk

In 1986, the former Oxford Polytechnic awarded its first honorary degree. The recipient was the late Olive Gibbs, twice Lord Mayor of Oxford and a long-standing supporter of our institution.

Over the next few years, the Polytechnic continued to confer the occasional honorary award, generally in acknowledgment of past service given to the institution, whether as a member of staff or a governor or as an individual whose work and support had contributed to the growth of the institution.

The regular practice of conferring honorary degrees and fellowships at our annual awards ceremonies was introduced in 1993, in the wake of the institution gaining university status.

Since then Oxford Brookes University has conferred many honorary awards on a diverse range of individuals from the worlds of science and technology, medicine and health care, art, academia, industry, entertainment, voluntary work and many other fields. 

In some cases, the award was conferred on retirement or towards the end of a distinguished career; in others it acknowledged a remarkable display of youthful genius and more recently the awards have been given to some who continue to contribute to their field of expertise and to the work of the University.

In many cases, the recipients have been well known individuals, their achievements already widely celebrated, both locally and nationally; in a few, their contribution has been best known here at Oxford Brookes. The only common denominator amongst all, beyond that they have made a notable contribution to society, is that they set a wonderful example to our students.