The University Distinguished Professors and Honorary Doctorates are the university’s highest honors, administered from the Office of the President.  North Dakota State University takes great pride in the impressive accomplishments of our Honorary Doctorates.  See the comprehensive list of honorees.

NDSU follows policies of the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education for honorary degrees. The policy states, in part, that degrees may be granted only after recommendation from the president, with approval from the chancellor and by the board.

The criteria include: 

1. The candidate should have had an association with the State of North Dakota. This association may be by virtue of birth, residence, education, service to the state, the Board, or one of the institutions governed by the Board. 
    
2. The candidate must have achieved a level of distinction which would merit comparable recognition in his or her profession or area of excellence. 
    
3. The renown of the candidate should reflect favorably on the Board, the institutions it governs and the State of North Dakota.

Nominations  

Faculty and staff are encouraged to suggest names of nominees to the Provost or to a collegiate Dean or the Dean’s designee. Final nominations must be approved by an academic Dean; the Dean will submit the nomination on behalf of the college. At no point can a potential nominee be notified that his or her name has been suggested for this honor. Violation of this confidentiality requirement is sufficient grounds for removal of a person from consideration.
 
Nominations from the Dean must include a letter addressing the criteria, biographical information of the nominee, and two additional letters of support. The nomination package should be submitted to the Provost by November 1st for spring commencement or April 1st for fall commencement. Nominations must be kept strictly confidential; failure to maintain confidentiality will result in the withdrawal of that person from consideration. Successful candidates will be informed by the President after final approval by the SBHE.