The process for determining University of Western Ontario honorary degree recipients was called into question last week during a Senate meeting.
University of Western Ontario Faculty Association president and Senate observer Michael Carroll addressed the selection process, raising concerns about this year’s honorary degree recipient, Victor Tzar-Kuoi Li. An honorary Doctor of Laws will be presented to Li at Western’s Hong Kong convocation on May 24.
The selection was made by the honorary degrees committee of the Senate and was announced at last week’s meeting. The committee has authority to make the decision without seeking approval from Senate.
Li is a Hong Kong businessman who holds Canadian citizenship. He is the deputy chairman of Hutchison Whampoa Limited, a company with broad holdings in ports and related services, property and hotels, retail, energy, infrastructure, investments and telecommunications.
The honorary degree recipients are selected based on their curriculum vitae, information about their achievements, including academic career, publications, research and public service, as well as letters of support submitted by the nominator.
According the selection criteria outlined by the University Secretariat, honorary degrees are given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the sciences, humanities and professions in which the university is active, as well as those whose exceptional accomplishments have contributed to enhancing Canadian culture and society, or have achieved international standards of excellence in their endeavours.
Richard Ivey School of Business Dean Carol Stephenson says Li is highly respected as a business person and philanthropist in Hong Kong and Canada.
In a statement to Senate, Carroll suggested the university examine the ethical standards and business practices of those nominated for an honorary degree.
“In some ways he is a good candidate for an honorary degree,” says Carroll, in reference to Li. However, Carroll suggests the company upon which Li sits as deputy chairman, Hutchison Whampoa Ltd., is on what he referred to as a “dirty list” of companies that have offered financial support to the Burmese military government.
The list is produced by The Burma Campaign UK, a non-governmental organization promoting human rights, democracy and development in Burma.
“I want to suggest this is a case that clearly establishes that Senate should exercise its own scrutiny of these honorary degree recommendations,” says Carroll.
Because Senate has given the decision-making power for who receives the honorary degrees to the Honorary Degrees Committee, Western President Paul Davenport says the issue concerning Li is not subject to review.
“I think the committee has made its decision,” says Davenport, who is also chair of the selection committee.
“The issue of the Burmese list did not come up,” he adds.
Faculty of Education professor Rebecca Coulter, presented a motion of her intent to present a motion at a future meeting that Senate establish a small committee to review the terms of reference and the policies and procedures governing the Honorary Degrees Committee, to ensure the proper Senate oversight of the process for future selections.
“There is certainly room … for review of the terms of reference to guide the process,” she says.
Western’s selection process is unique compared to other universities in that the responsibility was delegated to a committee and Senate does not have the leeway to overturn its decision, says Davenport.
“My opinion would be allowing that committee to have final say has generated a greater diversity of people receiving these degrees at Western than might be the case at other universities,” he says.
Honorary degree nomination forms and guidelines are available at https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/senate/honorary_degrees.pdf
In other business:
New programs
Senate approved the creation of several new programs, including:
· A new MESc, MEng and PhD programs in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and Civil and Environmental Engineering. The existing graduate Engineering Science programs will be discontinued as of May 1, 2010, or upon graduation of the last registered student.
· A PhD in Women’s Studies and Feminist Research, effective in September.
· The Faculty of Arts and Humanities will offer a minor in Writing Studies beginning in September.
· The Faculty of Science will introduce a minor in Physics of Materials in September.