3.42.1 Posthumous Academic Awards

Responsible Position

Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs

RELATED ITEMS

Minnesota State Board Policy

Minnesota State System Procedure

PROCEDURES

Purpose

To establish criteria under which posthumous degrees, certificates, and diplomas may be awarded.

Authorized Posthumous Awards

Alexandria Technical and Community College may confer any degree, diploma, or certificate posthumously that they are authorized to award.

Eligibility
  • The student must have been enrolled at the time of death or continuous enrollment was interrupted by injury, illness, military service, or other extenuating circumstances.
  • The student must have completed a significant amount of the academic program to warrant the academic award at the time of death.
  • The conferring of the academic award must be consistent with other common degree conferment.
Nominations
  • Students, faculty, staff, and family members of the deceased may nominate a deceased student for a posthumous academic award.
  • Nominations must be submitted in writing to the ATCC Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs (VPASA).
Approval

Upon receiving a nomination, the VPASA shall request a review of the student’s academic record to determine the deceased student’s eligibility under this procedure. If the student is eligible, the VPASA shall notify the Registrar to add the award to the student’s academic record.

Presentation of Posthumous Academic Awards

A posthumous degree, diploma, or certificate will customarily be conferred at the next scheduled commencement ceremony and presented to a member of the student’s family or student’s representative. The official commencement program will include the student’s name with the annotation that the academic award was conferred posthumously. The student’s record will be similarly annotated. The posthumous degree, diploma, or certificate may also be presented by a college official to the family in a private gathering, if the family prefers.

Exceptions

Exceptions to this procedure may be considered in special cases, with support of the VPASA and the approval of the college president.

Related ATCC Documents:

Approved by: College President 

Effective Date: 3/30/2024

Next Review Date: March 2027

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