Staff Policy D-105.09
Institutional Effectiveness Criterion: Scholarship

Awarding Honorary Posthumous Certificates and Degrees

An honorary posthumous certificate or degree may be awarded to a student who dies while enrolled in a certificate or degree program at Northwestern Michigan College, subject to the following conditions:

• To be eligible, the student must have been enrolled in a certificate or degree program offered by Northwestern Michigan College and actively pursuing and making progress towards the credential at the time of death, or between semesters in such enrollment.
• The student must not have been dismissed or suspended at the time of death.
• The student must not have died while committing a felony (crime).
• Should the student have completed the requirements to warrant awarding the actual credential, the earned certificate or degree will be awarded in lieu of an honorary posthumous certificate or degree.

The Vice President for Educational Services, in conjunction with the appropriate faculty and staff, is responsible for the development and publication of any procedures or guidelines that may be necessary to administer this policy effectively.

If any provision(s) of this policy or set of bylaws conflicts with laws applicable to Northwestern Michigan College, including the Community College Act of 1966, the Freedom of Information Act, or the Open Meetings Act, as each may be amended from time to time, such laws shall control and supersede such provision(s).