Although the 219th Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 17, 2020 is a number of months away, plans are under way for the 220th Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 23, 2021. An important aspect of the ceremony is the awarding of honorary degrees and the delivery of the Commencement address.

Members of the UVM Community are invited and welcome to participate in the process by submitting nominations of potential honorary degree recipients and persons to be considered to deliver the Commencement address.

Honorary Degree and Commencement speaker nominations may be submitted by visiting the Honorary Degree and Commencement Speaker Nominations webpage. In addition to information on the process of submitting a nomination, the website contains the criteria considered in conferring an honorary degree and recommending a Commencement speaker along with areas considered when evaluating nominations. Below is a link to previous honorary degree recipients.

If you would prefer to mail your nomination, please write to Honorary Degree Advisory Committee, c/o Erin Dickinson, Assistant Trustee Coordinator, 358 Waterman Building, 85 South Prospect Street, Burlington, VT, 05405. The deadline for nominations for Commencement 2021 is Tuesday, February 18, 2020.

Your letter should state how the nominee fits the nomination criteria and why the University should honor the nominee in this way. Please also include biographical information, whether the nominee has connections to UVM or Vermont, and the nominee’s current contact information, as well as yours.

Previous Honorary Degree Recipients