Arizona State: Obama unready for (honorary) degree

[sabra]

Source: Chicago Trib

President Barack Obama may be delivering a commencement address at Arizona State University this Spring - one of three campuses where the president will send off the graduating classes of 2009 - but he won't be coming home with any degree.

While "it's common for universities to confer honorary degrees on commencement speakers,'' Dawn Teo writes from Tempe for the Huffington Post, "Arizona State says it has specific rules for recognizing academic achievement and Obama's 'body of work is yet to come.''

She cites ASU Media Relations Director Sharon Keeler as saying that Arizona's honorary degrees are given "for an achievement of eminence" and that the president was not considered for an honorary degree because his body of achievements, at this time, does not meet the criteria.

Author of two best-selling books, Teo notes of Obama's accomplishments, "developing one of the largest grassroots organizations in the world? Nothing special. Becoming the first African American President of the United States? Good, but nothing to write home about.''

Read more: http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/04...

[undeterred]

1. That sounds like something University of Chicago would do.

But Arizona State? They should be glad he accepted their invitation.

[EFerrari]

2. Boy, do they look stupid. n/t

[ixion]

3. degrees are given "for an achievement of eminence"

uh, and how is making it all the way to the WH NOT an "achievement of eminence"?

hmmmmmm?

[global1]

4. Now George W. Bush On The Other Hand Would Be Given One For......

his achievement of eminence of being the 'worst U.S.president ever'.

[FailureToCommunicate]

5. Yes, or for just getting through one speech using a (gasp) teleprompter!

[FailureToCommunicate]

6. Yes

[msanthrope]

7. ASU President Michael Crow is a fundy Mormon...this comes

from him.

[Abacus]

38. According to OpenSecrets, he made a contribution to McCain in 2003.

CROW, MICHAEL M
PARADISE VALLEY,AZ 85253 2/26/03 $1,000 McCain, John (R)

[gcomeau]

8. Headline:

"Arizona State Considers United States Presidency Unworthy Of Respect"

I mean, what the hell? Oh, sorry man... you only became the "leader of the free world". We have standards a bit higher than that for our honorary degrees. Like... the ability to give us money.

For cripes sake, the man has ACTUAL degrees from Columbia and Harvard but he doesn't mean fucking Arizona State's stringent requirements for an honorary one? Someone's playing remarkably petty politics, and it should bite them in the ass hard.

[tomm2thumbs]

9. I guess Arizona SU is pushing hard to be the dogshit scraper of the United States -

Fitting.

[Jefferson23]

10. He doesn't need an honorary degree from this college, nor any other

for that matter, fuck them and their snide bullshit that Obama does not meet the criteria. Harvard, where Obama attended ranks #1, Arizona State ranks #121, keep your piddly honorary degree Arizona State.

Best Colleges 2009

Best Colleges School Comparison

* Comparison
* Premium Comparison

Harvard University Cambridge , MA Arizona State University Tempe , AZ Year founded: 1636 1885
Religious affiliation: N/A N/A
Total number of undergraduates: 6,648 41,626
Setting urban suburban
Costs: 2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $36,173 2008-2009 In-state: $5,315; Out-of-state: $17,949
Room and board: $11,042 $8,790
Selectivity: most selective selective
Website http://www.college.harvard.edu http://www.asu.edu
Overall score: 100 35

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/c...

[Coventina]

11. That's my alma mater for you! *sigh*

How embarrassing!

The person who spoke at my commencement (B.A.) was a local businessman who makes golf clubs. They gave him an honorary Ph.D.

[Bette Noir]

27. Were they eminent golf clubs?

[whoneedstickets]

30. I think it was Karsten Solheim of Ping...

nice clubs but not the same as being elected president.

[qanda]

12. It would be interesting to see who they do deem worthy

Wow! I just don't know what to say.

[Coventina]

14. see my post just above yours

we posted at about the same time.

I'm embarrassed beyond words....

[Tansy_Gold]

16. Makes two of us

Oh well.

[sabra]

15. here you go:

http://graduation.asu.edu/honorary/past

[D-Lee]

18. Thanks for the list of Arizona State past honorary degree recipients

What a bunch of hypocrites ...

[CreekDog]

33. They gave congressman (now former) Bob Stump an honorary degree

so much for the spokesman's assertion.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

39. And Jerry Colangelo.

(former owner of the Phoenix Suns)

[CreekDog]

40. that ASU spokesman is so dead to me

[Bette Noir]

29. Clearly, Obama's not in the same class as Erma Bombeck and Steve Allen.

[Wetzelbill]

24. Erma Bombeck for one

I saw a list on the Huff Post thread. Lots of ASU donors, people with accomplishments but mostly nothing like what Obama has done. It's just sad.

[whoneedstickets]

37. Kim Campbell, first Women Canadian PM...

..Which might seem like a major accomplishment but she was never actually elected to the position. She won the Conservative leadership convention when Mulroney resigned (over Jean Charest) took over the party which held a majority in parliament (thereby becomming PM) and then led the PCs into the 1993 election which they lost in one of the biggest landslides in Canadian electoral history. The PC party was effectively destroyed by that result and collapsed. She did manage to get elected in her riding in BC a few times but that would hardly seem to be more impressive than a US senate victory.

[classysassy]

46. Sheriff Joe

would be great.

[stray cat]

13. A degree from Arizona State isn't as big of a deal as Arizona State seems to think

I guess its a 4 year state school anyway but no different than my degree from Mankato State in Minnesota.

[whoneedstickets]

35. That might depend on the program...

There are several at ASU that rank among the top 10 in the country. If you graduated from one of them, you'd probably be better off than coming from Mankato.

[L. Coyote]

17. Where is there a story in this story?

If you have a Harvard JD, maybe getting out of Tempe w/o having to do the honorary degree thing or lots of pomp and delay, is what's cool.

[JaneQPublic]

19. What a shame. Obama really could've used that honorary ASU degree on his resume.

[CreekDog]

34. but if he got one, should he really show it on his C.V.?

i mean would it help or hurt?

[JDPriestly]

20. Who arranged these commencement speeches for Obama?

It seems that these events are overly controversial. Why isn't Obama speaking at Occidental College, Columbia and Harvard before going to schools in which he has so many detractors? That's not smart.

[Coventina]

21. Arizona is "purple" and could go "blue" next election.

Seriously, if McCain hadn't actually been from Arizona, Arizona probably would have voted for Obama last election.

I think that's the strategy. That's my guess, anyway.

[xxqqqzme]

22. Wonder what the college age vote

split was? Now that will tell AZ future state color.

[AndyTiedye]

26. This Petty Snub is Backfiring on Them Already

This is suddenly becoming the best-publicized commencement speech in quite a few years.
They can't report the snub without reporting that he's going to give the speech.

The Repiggies look stupid and petty, and everyone will be looking at (and listening to) Obama.

[Mz Pip]

31. That's what bothers me about this

It is a mean spirited, petty snub. It makes the powers that be at ASU look small and nasty because their guy lost. They are just another example of what I call the Eric Cartman school of public discourse "Screw you guys! I'm going home!"

ASU is saying "Screw you." to Obama.

[AndyTiedye]

42. Of Course, But Even Obama Could Not Have Gotten So Much Publicity for a Commencement Speech

without this kind of help.

[byronius]

23. What a stain on a formerly reasonable institution.

I went to high school in Tempe, and spent at least five years at ASU. My father taught there.

It was actually a pretty cool place back then. Tempe was beautiful.

Mecham's election ruined everything. He passed draconian drug laws (three years minimum mandatory state penitentiary for THC resin on a pipe, seizure of your vehicle and home) that drove every cool person out of the state. I was there a few years ago and had a record store owner tell me that he couldn't put concert posters in his window because of roaming gangs of young right-wing toughs that would smash them everytime.

Proud home of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, as well. What a badge of wingnut honor that is.

So long, ASU.

[Wetzelbill]

28. Tempe is gorgeous

And you're right, they took a wild turn to the right, beyond anything reasonable. I thought of going to ASU, but I got into my first choice and would have gotten into my second choice if I had applied. They were in my top five, so while I joke about ASU because I'm a Arizona Wildcat, the school does have it's potential. They haven't gotten past the stigma of being a party school and this Obama thing doesn't exactly help either.

[Kali]

44. delete

edit - decided that was tmi

[byronius]

45. My father taught Chemical Engineering. I was in the Theater department.

[Wetzelbill]

25. ASU is a party school

Nothing wrong with that, I guess, but that's what they're mostly known for.

And yes, I went to the University of Arizona, so that makes me a bit biased, I know. There are plenty of smart people who have gone to ASU, I know many, but overall they aren't exactly a beacon of higher education. Their student body president several years ago engaged in a porno being filmed at a party and that pretty much sums up ASU.

[CreekDog]

36. I went to U of A too but would have been happy to go to ASU as well

ASU is a good school as things go and certainly has their share of respected academics.

But the way this has been handled is slipshod. They end up taking on a very popular president, whom they have decided should speak at their commencement, and then snub him unnecessarily. Makes them look petty, and by comparison, small.

[ardvark]

32. but what will Obama do, without a degree from Arizona?

does he have any plans on how he will go on without it?

Perhaps ASU should attend a class on understanding the limits of their own importance

[CreekDog]

41. I'll bet the folks in Tucson are having fun with this

[notadmblnd]

43. What would he need thier stinkin honorary degree for?

he's got his own degrees and he earned them.

[No Elephants]

47. Let me help. I speak

Teo.

Author of two best-selling books

Developing one of the largest grassroots organizations in the world

Becoming the first African American President of the United States

Teo: "Good, but nothing to write home about.''

Teo to English. I am a Republican and he's not.