Awarding of Posthumous Degrees

The purpose of this document is to provide a policy governing the awarding of Posthumous Degrees to current WMU students. Regrettably, we have students who pass away while pursuing their studies. In some cases, family members request a Posthumous Degree to be awarded to their son or daughter.

Therefore, the awarding of a Posthumous Degrees will follow these guidelines and process:

1. To initiate the awarding of a Posthumous Degree, a request must be submitted in writing by a faculty member in the department/school in which the student was enrolled. Members of the former student’s family or classmates should be referred to the department Chair/school Director of the former student’s major area of study to make initial inquiries;
2. A faculty member(s) in a department/school submits a written request for the posthumous degree on behalf of the former student to the department Chair/school Director. To be considered, students must meet the following criteria:
   • Only undergraduate students will be considered;
   • Students must be within the last semester (i.e. 12-15 credit hours) of earning the Bachelor’s degree;
   • Students must be in Good Academic Standing with the University
3. If the Chair/Director is in agreement with the faculty request, a letter of support from the Chair/Director is submitted, along with the faculty request, to the Dean;
4. If the Dean is in agreement with the request, a letter of support from the Dean is submitted, along with the faculty request and letter of support from the Chair/Director, to the Provost;
5. The Provost reviews the faculty request and letters of support, and submits a letter of support/recommendation to the President;
6. The President reviews all supporting documents and makes a final decision to approve/not approve the awarding of a Posthumous Degree.

In addition to the recommendation of a posthumous degree, some colleges/departments may award a Certificate of Remembrance to acknowledge the investment and contributions our students have made to the WMU community. These situations have involved students who fall outside of the criteria noted above. A copy of a certificate (with generic identifying information) is provided. Recommendation for awarding a Certificate of Remembrance would follow a proposal routing and support pathway as outlined in steps 1-5.

Families of the students who request a Posthumous Degree and do not meet the above criteria will receive a letter of explanation declining the awarding of the Posthumous Degree.