Each year, MICA invites a few individuals to receive Honorary Doctorate degrees at the undergraduate and graduate Commencement ceremonies in May. At each ceremony, one of the recipients also serves as the Keynote speaker. Because the individuals we invite have demanding schedules, it's important that we make our selections well in advance to ensure that our candidates are available on Commencement Day.

I invite members of the College community to submit nominations for the 2019-2020 Honorary Doctorate degrees for both the undergraduate and graduate ceremonies. Consideration will be given to the long-range balance in diversity; e.g., gender and race, in addition to the professional fields represented so that no MICA programs are either under- or over-represented over time. Nominations are due by Friday, December 6, 2019. I will then work with the Board of Trustees to make the final choices.

Nominees should meet some combination of the following criteria:

• Have a background and experiences that reflect MICA’s mission and its programs.
• Have influenced professional practice, and have accomplishments that make them a role model for MICA students.
• Reflect MICA's aspirations.
• Have made extraordinary contributions to the College and/or the larger community.
• Have served, or could serve, as a friend and ambassador of the College.
• Are inspiring public speakers (if nominated as the Keynote speaker).

Nominations must include the individual's name, professional area, and brief biography, as well as a short explanation of why this individual would be an appropriate recipient of the Honorary Doctorate degree.

Our previous honorary degree recipients are also listed on the MICA web site: www.mica.edu/HonoraryDegreeHistory