MANILA, Philippines—The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) has updated its policy on the conferment by higher learning institutions of honorary doctorate degrees to allow non-college graduates to receive the distinction.
At the same time, CHEd Chair Patricia Licuanan emphasized the commission’s policy of prohibiting the conferment of honoris causa (“for the sake of honor” in Latin) degrees on incumbent officials of higher education institutions (HEIs) and the CHEd.
“These enhanced policies and guidelines aim to enhance the integrity, value and meaning of awarding honorary doctorate degrees conferred by HEIs and are hereby adopted to guide HEIs,” Licuanan said, who added that the commission regularly reviewed its policies to keep them updated.
Commission on Higher Education Chair Patricia Licuanan. PHOTO FROM CHED.GOV.PH
She said that an HEI that violated the provisions of the memorandum would be subject to administrative or legal proceedings and face sanctions, including a 5-year suspension on granting honorary doctorate degrees in Fine Arts or Music, the Humanities, Laws, Literature, Pedagogy, Public Administration, Science, Technology and other fields.
Under the commission’s 2014 memorandum order on the “Enhanced Policies and Guidelines on the Conferment of Honorary Doctorate Degrees by HEIs,” a provision from a 2012 issuance was removed.
In 2012 memorandum order 53, or the Revised Policies and Guidelines on the Conferment of Honorary Doctorate Degrees by HEIs, an honorary degree could be “awarded only to individuals with at least a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent.”
Academic reputation
The latest CHEd policy only requires the awarding body to have existed as an HEI for at least 25 years with a “well acknowledged” academic reputation and institutional values and mission recognized by the commission.
But it further states: “No honorary doctorate degree shall be awarded to incumbent administrators, members of the faculty and staff of the awarding HEI.”
The memorandum also bars incumbent CHEd officials, including the chair, commissioners and employees from being nominated for honorary degrees.
The CHEd also reminded private HEIs with autonomous or deregulated status, as well as state universities and colleges (SUCs) with level III status, that they are allowed to confer honorary doctorate degrees without the commission’s prior approval.
An SUC with level III status is accredited by the CHEd and enjoys full administrative deregulation as well as financial autonomy where it can set tuition and other fees. It also enjoys full curricular deregulation and has the authority to graduate students without the prior approval of or a special order from the commission. Such an SUC also receives priority funding assistance and subsidies for faculty development.
Deregulated HEIs and SUCs are only required by the CHEd under the memorandum to inform the commission of the conferment of the honorary doctorate degree for record purposes.
Other HEIs will need to secure the commission’s approval for the conferment of honorary degrees and submit the necessary documents, including the justification for bestowing the award on an individual.
The CHEd further stated that it had the prerogative to “deny, withdraw, withhold or declare null and void” a conferment if it finds that the recipient had fabricated his or her credentials. Likewise the honorary degree could be nullified by the recipient’s conduct or if his or her stand on issues goes against public morals and policy.
An honorary degree is an academic recognition of a person’s contribution to a field or practice, to the institution and to society in general and where the awarding HEI or SUC waives the usual educational requirements. Jeannette I. Andrade
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