Guidelines for the Conferment of Honorary Degrees and Awards

Scope of application

§ 1. This part of the Statutes regulates honorary degrees, honorary awards and other distinctions to be conferred by the University of Vienna in accordance with these guidelines.

I. Honorary Degrees and Awards

Honorary doctorate

§ 2. The University of Vienna may award a doctorate honoris causa in the sphere of activity of the University of Vienna, upon application or with the involvement of the competent academic organisational unit, to persons who enjoy a high reputation among the academic community due to their academic achievements, who have rendered outstanding services furthering the academic mission of the University of Vienna and whose activities are related to the University of Vienna, without fulfilling the requirements of the study regulations.

Honorary membership

§ 3. not applicable

Honorary senatorship

§ 4. The University of Vienna may award the title of Honorary Senator of the University of Vienna to persons who have rendered outstanding services to the University of Vienna and for the advancement of its academic mission. The services of the honoured person have to consist of an exceptional and long-term firm commitment to the academic mission of the University of Vienna.

Honorary citizen

§ 5. The University of Vienna may award the title of Honorary Citizen of the University of Vienna to persons who have earned special merits through generous support for the improvement of the University and its facilities or through their scholarly pursuits for the mission to be fulfilled by the University.

Renewal of academic degrees

§ 6. The University of Vienna may honour persons who have already earned an academic degree with a ceremonial renewal of that degree on a special occasion, such as the 50th anniversary of the graduate’s original graduation date, if their scholarly achievements, outstanding professional record or close ties to the University of Vienna merit this honour.

Decoration of Honour in Gold

§ 7. (1) The University of Vienna may grant the Decoration of Honour in Gold as a visible sign of recognition to persons who have earned special merits providing outstanding intellectual or material support for the University of Vienna, its organisational units or its students, or who have distinguished themselves in serving the University and academia.

(2) The decoration consists of a bronze, fire-gilt and white enamelled Maltese cross of 50 mm in diameter which is combined with a second, 33-mm-diameter fire-gilt Maltese cross to form a so-called “sun penny”. It has a circular gold medal in the middle, which bears an image of the secret seal of the University from 1365 on the obverse side: in a Gothic trefoil, under a Gothic canopy, the crowned figure of Sapientia with a lily sceptre and a book. In the medal field, the circumscription “Alma Mater Rudolphina” runs around the trefoil in Gothic minuscule. The words “Grata/Universitas/Vindobonensis” are inscribed, also in Gothic script, in three lines on the reverse side; below the letters are three roses.

(3) The Decoration of Honour in Gold may be worn in the form of a suitable emblem, the design of which has to be approved by the Rectorate.

(4) A stamp die will be produced for the decoration. This and the samples of the emblems have to be archived at the University of Vienna.

Conferment of the right to add “Universitäts-...” to a professional or company designation

§ 8. (1) The University of Vienna may grant the right to adopt a designation that reflects their ties with the University to natural or legal persons that maintain an ongoing business relationship with the University or any of its units.

(2) The right is granted for a period of five years and may be renewed upon expiry.

(3) Those who have been distinguished in this way are entitled to use the designation as part of their business name and in their business dealings.

§ 9. (1) The University of Vienna may enter persons who are or were members of the University of Vienna and were persecuted by the National Socialist regime in a special Memorial Book.

(2) The Memorial Book has to be kept permanently in the prayer house on the Campus of the University of Vienna.

Monuments and commemorative plaques

§ 10. (1) The University of Vienna may erect monuments for deceased persons who have worked at the University of Vienna and who continue to be held in high esteem by the expert community due to their scholarly achievements. These monuments may be erected on any premises of the University of Vienna. The Arcaded Courtyard is a complete historic ensemble in which no further new monuments will be erected.

(2) It is not permissible to erect monuments for living persons.

(3) The minimum amount of time that has to pass between the demise of the person to be honoured and the inauguration of a monument to him/her is 15 years. This period may be shortened if the inauguration marks the 100th birthday of the deceased person so commemorated.

(4) Commemorative plaques listing certain groups of persons or officials of the University of Vienna or which inform about certain events in the history of the University are not regarded as monuments within the meaning of para. 1 above.

Naming of rooms

§ 11. (1) The University of Vienna may name buildings, courtyards and all types of rooms (such as lecture halls, seminar rooms) individually.

(2) The name chosen may include the name of a living or deceased natural or legal person or of a specific event.

Rights to nominations, hearings

§ 12. (1) Nominations for the award of honorary degrees and awards within the meaning of these guidelines have to be submitted to the Rectorate in writing, with a well-argued case for the nomination duly stated. Nominations may be submitted by the University Board, the Senate, the Rector and the heads of organisational units.

(2) The Rectorate may invite the bodies and persons entitled to nomination to submit nominations.

(2a) Following a hearing of the applicant, the Rectorate obtains two expert reports on the question of whether the persons proposed for an honorary doctorate are held in high esteem by the expert community based on their scholarly achievements and have earned special merits through their scholarly pursuits for the academic mission to be fulfilled by the University of Vienna. In special cases it is possible to refrain from obtaining these reports.

(3) The conferment of honorary degrees and awards and the award of the Decoration of Honour in Gold as well as the erection of monuments are subject to confirmation by the Senate; with respect to all other awards, the Senate has to be consulted.

(4) Additionally, the competent body responsible for study matters has to be consulted prior to conferment of an honorary doctorate and the renewal of an academic degree.

(5) The heads of the academic organisational units have to be consulted prior to the conferment of honorary degrees and awards, the award of Decorations of Honour in Gold and the erection of monuments.

(6) In addition to the general requirements including section 14, applications for monuments contain the following proposals:

1. personal details related to the performing artist

2. the type of monument (such as a relief panel with a portrait medal, an inscription plate or a monument that does not show a portrait of the person to be honoured but illustrates their scholarly achievements in artistic form). Portrait busts, on the other hand, are no longer a fitting type of honour today.

3. the possible location where the monument is erected or mounted and its alignment with the surroundings

4. concept for the communication of the scholarly achievements of the person to be honoured (such as essential information for a QR code at the monument, temporary exhibitions or accompanying courses).

Awarding procedure

§ 13. Honorary degrees and awards and the Decoration of Honour in Gold within the meaning of this part of the Statutes are awarded by the Rectorate, usually as part of an academic ceremony. The honoured person receives a diploma bearing the seal of the University of Vienna and with the signature of the Rector; the name is entered in the Honours Book of the University of Vienna.

Financing

§ 14. Provision has to be made in the budget of the University of Vienna to cover the costs of the decoration of honour and the emblem as well as of the award certificates. To cover any further costs incurred (such as costs incurred for erecting a monument), the applicant is obliged to submit a proposal for financing in each individual case.

Implementing provisions

§ 15. More detailed provisions, in particular regarding the course of academic ceremonies on the occasion of the awarding procedure based on this part of the Statutes, may be made by the Rectorate in line with the academic traditions of the University of Vienna.

Revocation

§ 16. (1) The Rectorate may revoke honorary degrees and awards and other distinctions within the meaning of this part of the Statutes if the honoured person proves to be unworthy of honour due to his/her conduct. The diploma as well as the Decoration of Honour in Gold and the emblems are confiscated, the entry in the Honours Book of the University of Vienna is deleted.

(2) The revocation also extends to honorary degrees and awards, decorations of honour and other distinctions which have been conferred based on previous regulations.

Entry into force

§ 17. (1) This regulation enters into force on 23 October 2007 and replaces the Guidelines for the Conferment of Honorary Degrees and Awards (section 19, para. 2, sub-para. 8 of the 2002 Universities Act), University Gazette of 20 October 2003, 1st edition, no. 1.

(2) Section 2 and section 12, para. 2a as amended by the University Gazette of 16 March 2012, 18th edition, no. 105 enter into force on the day following its announcement in the University Gazette.

(3) The waiving of section 3 including the heading as well as section 4, section 5 and section 12, para. 2 as amended by the University Gazette of 27 June 2013, 35th edition, no. 244 enter into force on the day following its announcement in the University Gazette.

(4) The title of this part of the statutes as well as section 10, section 11, para. 2, section 12 and section 14 as amended by the University Gazette of 25 June 2024, 34th edition, no. 247 enter into force on the day following its announcement in the University Gazette.

As of: 26 June 2024

The only legally binding version is the German version published in the University Gazette.

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