Our website use cookies to improve and personalize your experience and to display advertisements (if any). Our website may also include cookies from third parties like Google Adsense, Google Analytics, and Youtube. By using the website, you consent to the use of cookies.

Why award honorary doctorates, and what do the choices say about our universities?

Why award honorary doctorates, and what do the choices say about our universities?

UNIVERSITIES like to associate themselves with exceptional individuals through the awarding of honorary doctorates, but this practice has often attracted controversy, creating headaches for university administrators. Honorary doctorates highlight uncomfortable but important questions about the purpose of the university and its role in reinforcing and perpetuating social inequality. Author KATE MURPHY, Senior Lecturer in Contemporary History, Monash University The tradition and purpose of honorary doctorates Honorary degrees (usually, though not always, doctorates) are awarded by universities to recognise outstanding achievement in a particular field, or service to the broader community. While some universities have established separate honorary degrees, such as…
Read More