Topeka ? A move to allow the awarding of honorary degrees at state universities is in the works.

Kansas State University President Kirk Schulz said he has made it his goal to get this done since coming to K-State in 2009 and finding out that honorary degrees aren’t awarded in Kansas.

“I was not aware of any other state in the country that did not allow universities to award honorary degrees,” he said. Kansas University Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little is on board, too.

Kansas Board of Regents members indicated support in changing policies to allow the authorization of these special degrees.

“The total ban, I never believed in that,” said Regent Gary Sherrer. “There are universities that use honorary degrees quite well to promote the university. It’s good for the students and universities,” Sherrer said.

But questions arose last week over the initial proposal before the regents, and it was sent back for more work.

“This is a huge shift in policy and it ought be well thought out,” said Regent Donna Shank.

As initially proposed, state universities could confer honorary degrees upon approval from the regents if the person is notable for intellectual, scholarly or creative achievement or service to humanity.

The honorary degree would be granted only in exceptional circumstances and not be considered an annual occurrence.

Also under the plan, an honorary degree could not be given to any faculty member, administrator or other university official for at least five years after that individual had been separated from the institution. The five-year waiting period would also apply to elected or appointed officials after vacating office.

But several regents members had questions. Sherrer said the five-year wait may be unreasonable if one of the schools wanted to honor a foreign dignitary.

Gray-Little said the five-year wait was aimed more at Kansas officials to eliminate the perception that schools could be pressured to grant an honorary degree.

But Gray-Little also said another area of the policy needed some tweaking.

She said she was concerned that a person could be nominated for an honorary degree and then turned down by the regents.

“It would be very damaging to have a public ‘No’ vote,” on a proposed honoree, she said.