Posthumous Degree

Nebraska Wesleyan University may grant an undergraduate or graduate degree posthumously if the student was in good standing, and if completing the current semester or term schedule would have fulfilled the student’s graduation requirements.

Procedure

• Official documentation of the death must be provided to the Registrar’s Office.  This may include the death certificate or obituary.
• The Registrar will confirm if the student was in the final semester of study.
• If the student was in the final semester, the Registrar (or designee), the Provost (or designee) and the faculty members for the student’s current schedule will meet to determine if the coursework in progress was on track to be successfully completed.
• If coursework is on track, the courses may be changed to Pass/Fail grading with Executive Committee approval.  The requirement that no courses in the major may be taken pass/fail will be waived.  Grades of ‘P’ will be assigned for every class in which the faculty member agrees that the student has made sufficient progress in the course to warrant a passing grade.
• The Provost will notify the President that the student is eligible for a posthumous degree.
• The President will contact the family to ask if they wish to proceed with the awarding of a posthumous degree.  The President will also ask if they wish to participate in the next commencement ceremony or if they would prefer a private ceremony.  If they wish to participate in the commencement ceremony, they may elect a representative or representatives to walk in the student’s place.  The President will also ask if they wish to have the student’s name listed in the next commencement brochure.  If the name is to be listed in the program, a notation will be added that the degree was awarded posthumously.
• The Registrar will create a diploma with the notation “Degree awarded posthumously.”
• The Registrar will add a notation to the transcript that the degree was “Awarded Posthumously.”