Every year, the sitting President of the United States is bombarded with requests to speak at graduation ceremonies throughout the country. Usually, the White House selects a few universities for him to deliver the commencement address, and each time the host university awards the President an honorary doctorate degree in return. In fact, this has always been customary for EVERY invited commencement speaker, EVERY year. So when President Barack Obama accepted the invitation to deliver the commencement address at Arizona State University, the university decided they would NOT confer an honorary doctorate on him, saying he is too “inexperienced” and “his body of work is yet to come.” HUH????
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ASU President Michael Crow said “significant contributions to education and society over the course of a person’s career merit consideration for an honorary degree,” and Media Relations Director Sharon Keeler said that honorary degrees are given “for an achievement of eminence” and that Mr. Obama’s body of achievements does not fit within that criteria at this time. HUH???
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Here is a VERY short list of just a few of Mr. Obama’s accomplishments:
– First African-American President of the Harvard Law Review
– Taught Constitutional Law at an Ivy League University
– Wrote two best-selling books
– Served as a United States Senator
– Sponsored in Congress the HOPE Act, which developed comprehensive plans for students to receive education benefits in exchange for public service
– As a community organizer, established an adult education program and a college preparatory program in inner-city Chicago
– Developed one of the largest grassroots organizations in the world
– Oh yeah…and became the first African-American President of the United States and leader of the free world
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Notice any “significant contributions to education and society” or perhaps one very big “achievement of eminence?” Well, according to ASU, Mr. Obama’s accomplishments were just not quite enough to qualify for an honorary degree. However, ASU awarded Barry Goldwater his honorary degree in May 1961, three years before he received the Republican nomination for president and only eight years after becoming a U.S. senator. Sandra Day O’Connor was similarly recognized just three years after being appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. But Barack Obama — the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES? Not good enough!
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Needless to say, all hell broke loose when the ASU news was made public, and the university has found itself caught up in an extremely embarrassing situation. So instead of just eating crow, making a public apology to the President and offering him the honorary degree afterall, the university tried to “fix” the snowballing slight over the weekend. The ASU President issued a statement saying that instead of an honorary degree, the university will instead designate a group of scholarship students as the “President Barack Obama Scholars” and will name a special scholarship in his honor. HUH?????
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Naming a scholarship in his honor is a “very nice gesture,” and is the sort of thing you give IN ADDITION TO, not INSTEAD OF. So unless ASU is creating the “Obama Scholars” AND also awarding him an honorary doctorate degree just as every other commencement speaker has ALWAYS received, there will be hell to pay! Apparently ASU still doesn’t understand how unbelievably rude their actions are and how unbelievably embarrassing this situation is about to become. Ironically, this is the first time they’ve denied the honorary degree to a commencement speaker AND their slight just so happens to be against the very first African-American President of the United States! This is a deadly minefield they are already failing miserably at navigating and with each passing day ASU seems to keep digging themselves into a deeper hole, assuring that this story is FAR from over.
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NOTE TO ASU: Do yourself a favor. Name the scholarship program after Mr. Obama. Confer the honorary doctorate degree on Mr. Obama as is customary and that, based on your own standards, he so well deserves. Then give Mr. Obama a phone call and offer a personal and heartfelt apology for the unnecessary slight and trouble you’ve caused. Now in case you’ve forgotten, President Obama already holds an ACTUAL Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from HARVARD UNIVERSITY and surely does not “need” any degree from Arizona State. But since you will not “run out” of degrees if you honor him with one, the principle of the matter suggests you do the right thing and avoid making this already bad situation worse.
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NOTE TO ASU: Do yourself a favor. Name the scholarship program after Mr. Obama. Confer the honorary doctorate degree on Mr. Obama as is customary and that, based on your own standards, he so well deserves. Then give Mr. Obama a phone call and offer a personal and heartfelt apology for the unnecessary slight and trouble you’ve caused. Now in case you’ve forgotten, President Obama already holds an ACTUAL Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from HARVARD UNIVERSITY and surely does not “need” any degree from Arizona State. But since you will not “run out” of degrees if you honor him with one, the principle of the matter suggests you do the right thing and avoid making this already bad situation worse.
"It" (meaning IGNORANCE) really doesn't get more OBVIOUS and pathetically embarrassing than this!Those backward-azzez at "ASS-U" thought it'd be a "good" idea to publicly "dis" the first African-American President in the history of the United State!?!Let me guess: ASS-U is run by a bunch of "ChristiaNIST" theoCONS and/or NeoCONS_"dumb and dumber."And here's the kicker: Pres. "O" could care less about some so-called "honorary" degree from "ASS-U." The man is a HARVARD grad and Constitutional Law scholar, for crying out loud!!!(shaking my head)