ASU Chooses Not to Award Honorary Doctorate to President Obama

President Barack Obama will not receive an honorary degree when he delivers the commencement address from Arizona State University on May 13, according to ASU President Michael Crow. This highly controversial decision has refueled the debate about honorary degrees and who should receive them. Instead of an honorary degree, a scholarship program for students with financial need has been named for the president.

Spokesperson Sharon Keeler stated that honorary degrees from ASU are conferred on individuals with a body of work, and President Obama did not yet have a body of work because his presidency has just begun. Many have claimed that President Obama already has already made a significant contribution to society and is deserving of the honor. ASU President Michael Crow indicated that the university did not award honorary degrees to sitting politicians. Previous honorary doctorates have been awarded to scientists, humanitarians, and public servants. However, donors and business leaders are also on the list. According to the Arizona State University website, author Erma Bombeck, astronaut Frank Borman, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, journalist Walter Cronkite, and film director Blake Edwards among many others have received honorary degrees from Arizona State University.

Institutions of higher learning have long awarded honorary doctoral degrees to reward significant achievements or solicit financial support from the recipient. A committee or board must approve the nomination through a process of credentials review. Candidates generally have contributed to humanity in some way that is noteworthy. Many authors, musicians, scientists, poets, politicians, and actors have received honorary doctorates. The first recorded honorary doctorate was given to the Bishop of Salisbury in the fifteenth century. Benjamin Franklin received two honorary doctorates for his scientific achievements. Modern-day poet and author Maya Angelou holds over 30 honorary degrees from colleges and universities.

There are two sides to the controversy of awarding honorary degrees. Generally, the college receives a lot of free publicity, which often leads to financial support. Schools often award "native sons" or those with ties to the state for a reason - to build on the person's notoriety. News articles often list a person's accomplishments, and having the school name tied to a famous person at no cost to the school is a great marketing technique. Of course, it is also a gamble because the recipient may end up becoming notorious instead of notable. The conferring cost is also minimal: the degree is simply a piece of paper in a nice frame given during commencement. An honorary degree may take a normal graduation ceremony and thrust it right onto the front page of the newspaper or online news website.

On the other side are those who believe a doctorate should remain as a distinctive and earned honor. A PhD is very hard work and takes years to complete. A person who receives an honorary doctorate can be addressed as "Dr. So-and-So" if he/she chooses, and of course, many choose to do so. Some argue that honorary degrees dilute the respectability of earned degrees or contribute to reducing the importance of a doctorate. Others believe the granting of honorary degrees to popular figures like President Obama is unnecessary grandstanding; it is a little like grasping at someone's "popularity coattails."

Lost in all the media attention surrounding the honorary doctorate, Arizona State University has revealed its new scholarship program, President Barack Obama Scholars. This program will offer students with great financial need the opportunity to go to college. Moving away from honoring one person to helping many achieve their educational goals is a tribute to ASU's commitment to the future. Honorary degrees spotlight the accomplishment of one person to society; a scholarship extends the honor even farther. President Obama must be very proud to have his name on a scholarship that will have much more positive affect than conferring an honorary degree only on him.

Unfortunately, Arizona State University is experiencing media, student, alumni, and contributor backlash about this decision. Denying President Obama a doctorate has resulted in unbridled negative publicity. Many have expressed their support for conferring an honorary degree on President Obama, believing that it gives notoriety to the school. Some see the decision as a slight against the office of the president or the man himself. Those criticizing the action should remember that an honorary degree is essentially a gift, not a requirement. ASU has clearly stated the reasons for their decision.

No matter which side of the debate you find yourself, this controversy has moved from an academic discussion to pure politics and the school was clearly the loser from the start. There is no way that ASU can win this fight - they are outgunned. The real news in this story is that Arizona State University has magnanimously decided to offer a scholarship to underprivileged students. It is time for the media and society to stop talking about the honorary degree issue and focus on the opportunities that the President Barack Obama Scholars program will give deserving students. Education and opportunity is how real change in America will happen.

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References:

"Arizona State University Past Honorary Degree Recipients", Arizona State University, retrieved April 12, 2009: http://graduation.asu.edu/honorary/past

"ASU honors President Obama with scholarship program," Arizona State University Press Release, April 11, 2009: http://asunews.asu.edu/20090411_obamascholarship

"No degree, but ASU names scholarship for Obama," by Bob Christie, Associated Press, April 11, 2009: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBAMA_HONORARY_DEGREE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

"ASU apologizes for degree flap, honors Obama," CNN Politicalticker, April, 11, 2009: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/11/asu-apologizes-honors-obama/