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Trustees debate proposed changes to FGCU's honorary-degrees regulation
Summary
Trustees discussed edits to Regulation 3.002 that would add due-diligence checks and clarify eligibility; legal counsel said the draft language excluding current officials "was not statutory," and trustees asked administration to refine the language before the full Board meeting.
Provost Debbie Thorne presented proposed revisions to FGCU Regulation 3.002 (Honorary Degrees), including a new Section E describing due-diligence steps and reserving the right to conduct background checks on nominees. The proposed edits also revise eligibility language; Thorne said the changes reflect Cabinet recommendations after prior Board discussion.
Trustee Joseph Fogg questioned whether language stating that "honorary doctoral degrees are not ordinarily awarded to current members of the University faculty, staff, BOT, or any elected official or state employee who has direct oversight of the University" was required by statute. Vice President and General Counsel Kristi Carman replied, "it was not statutory," and said she would further investigate and make any necessary revisions. Fogg said he wanted the ability to nominate elected officials when appropriate; the trustees and administration discussed whether awarding honorary bachelor's degrees should be delegated to the president via guidelines or remain codified in the regulation. President Aysegul Timur said delegating routine administrative steps to guidelines could increase flexibility while preserving the regulation's core authorization.
The item was informational and not for vote; trustees asked administration to clarify statutory constraints and to return with updated language for consideration at the full Board meeting.
