Non-academic elections to our Honorary Degrees and Honorary Fellowships Committee
We have a vacancy on our Honorary Degrees and Honorary Fellowships Committee following the resignation of Chelsey Smith as the non-academic staff member, who has been appointed as our Graduation and Awards Manager. We will be holding elections for this appointment in the autumn.
The University awards a number of Honorary Degrees each year. These are normally presented at our Graduation ceremonies which are held at our Colchester Campus each summer. The committee is responsible for reviewing the nominations for Honorary Degrees and recommending these nominations to Senate and Council for final approval.
Chelsey said of her time as a member: “I thoroughly enjoyed sitting on the Honorary Degrees and Honorary Fellowships Committee. The nominees received each year are unbelievably inspirational. Being able to read their achievements and stories, champion those most worthy, and having an influence in the discussions that ultimately determine who receives these Awards is a great honour. The time commitment required is very little for a role that is actually very rewarding”.
Nominations for a new non-academic staff member are now open. If you’re interested in applying you need to complete a nomination form, which you can can download from our Elections to Honorary Degrees and Honorary Fellowships page. This should include a personal statement giving a brief biography and information in support of your nomination. The nomination form must be signed by two members of non-academic staff, including one person from your own department/school or section.
The normal term of office is three years from 1 August, but members must stand down if they cease to be a member of non-academic staff during their term of office. All non-academic staff who have a contract that extends to at least 31 July in the following academic year are eligible to stand for nomination and to vote in the elections. Take a look at our list of everyone who is eligible to stand for election.
All nominees must have completed all the modules set out in the Essential Training Policy for University Employees and, if elected, to undertake any additional training for University Committee members.
Election Key dates
- Call for nominations: Monday 2 November 2020
- Last date for nominations: Monday 16 November 2020 5pm
- Ballot for Election: Wednesday 18 November 2020 – Wednesday 9 December 2020, midday
Further information Nominations forms and further information can be found on the Elections to Honorary Degrees and Honorary Fellowships Committee webpage.
Should an election be required, electronic ballot papers will be circulated via email to those members eligible to vote in the election, through the University’s Qualtrics survey platform.
If you would like to speak a member of the Governance team, please do not hesitate to contact us. Just email governance@essex.ac.uk.
Thank you for your interest.