ASU Snubs Obama?
In case you haven’t heard, Obama’s giving the commencement speech at ASU TODAY… in the 101 degree heat… and he’s NOT getting an honorary degree.
What’s up with that? There was a great vignette on the Daily Show about it. It also does a great job making fun of our undergrads. I agree that not every commencement speaker should be given a degree, but ASU has been so patchy about this in the past that it only makes us look ungrateful. Well, I suppose that reflects ASU’s high level of selectivity in their admission process….oh wait. (Except for our graduate programs, which are highly acclaimed, despite the pathetic undergraduate record)
p.s. I have a ticket to commencement! I’ll be sure to post photos. They’ll probably be of the crowd of literally tens of thousands of people filling the stadium. I hope I don’t melt.
You know, although I think ASU is being hypocritical here, I sort of agree with the decision (although not the reasons). First, ASU is being absolutely ridiculous. They said the reason they are not giving him a degree is that the degrees are for eminence and Obama’s “body of work is yet to come.” That’s dumb. If you look back at those that they have already received awards, at the time of their honor they hadn’t reached their biggest accomplishment yet either. If you’re going to give them out like hot cakes, then note he’s the president and give him a damn award.
On the other hand, I think the honorary degree has become more about giving a famous person something for coming to do the commencement speech for free, than about honoring someone for academic accomplishment. Remember, these are (sort of) real degrees, and they were meant to reward those that have proved their academic chops such that actually going to the school was not necessary. Obama really hasn’t shown his academic achievement. True he graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School, but as someone who will (relatively) soon graduate law school that’s not saying much. After that he was a community organizer…um. He also was a lecturer in constitutional law at the University of Chicago, but even they have admitted that he didn’t really have enough scholarship at that time to become a professor. Now, I agree that being the first African-American President of the United States is a HUGE thing to have done, but is it academic? Is it even scholarly?
In my opinion, if ASU hadn’t been so hypocritical with their policies, maybe they would have had a leg to stand on. Unfortunately for them, they don’t. Furthermore, he’s the damn president, give him a piece of paper.
Lame. Brandeis gave that lame World Bank guy a degree, and he’s just a lame World Bank guy. Obama’s like, so ridiculously accomplished it hurts a little. I think it shows a big lack of respect on ASU’s part (wonder if they’d give McCain an honorary degree…). Anyway, have fun at the commencement! Don’t all melt away.