Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

High-Fructose Corn Syrup Can Make You Dumb? Study says it affects memory, learning »

No Honorary Degree for Obama: ASU

What? 'First black president' isn't 'achievement' enough?

By Gabriel Winant, Newser User

Posted Apr 10, 2009 10:34 AM CDT

(Newser) – Barack Obama probably doesn’t need the extra diploma, but it’s usually considered a package deal: give a commencement speech, get an honorary degree. Arizona State, lucky enough to get Obama as its speaker, has decided that the leader of the free world isn't worthy of one. Seriously. An ASU spokesperson tells Dawn Teo of the Huffington Post that honorary degrees are given “for an achievement of eminence,” and "his body of work is yet to come."

Of course, ASU gave an honorary degree to Barry Goldwater when he was just a senator. Titans of industry, accomplished scientists, college presidents, even foreign dictators have all had sufficient achievements, but election as the first black Harvard Law Review president, a senator, and the first black president—not to mention writing two best-sellers—doesn’t cut it?

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks during commencement at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., Sunday, May 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

A students walks to class on the campus of Arizona State University Tuesday, July 10, 2007 in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks after receiving a honorary degree during the commencement ceremony at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., May 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

If being a U.S. Senator and President of the United States -- the so-called leader of the free world -- is not enough to be deemed as having made significant contributions to society, Obama also has a long list of contributions to education. - Dawn Teo

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

No Degree, But ASU Names Scholarship for Obama

University tries to save face after degree fiasco

(NEWSER) - Arizona State University won’t award President Obama an honorary degree during his commencement visit next month, but it will rename a scholarship program for him, the AP reports. ASU’s president, mocked for his refusal to grant Obama the degree, apologized for the “confusion.” “It has always been our intention to recognize and honor President Obama's accomplishments,” he said. More»

ASU Backtracks on Honorary Obama Degree

University still deciding on commencement gesture, president says

(NEWSER) - Deluged by a tidal wave of mockery, Arizona State University today set the stage for a flip-flop on its decision not to give President Obama an honorary degree when he speaks at commencement May 13, its president tells Politico. The Tempe school will “honor him in every way possible,” Michael Crow said this afternoon. “We still have a month to work all that out.” More»

Obama's Our First Woman President

Dana Milbank thinks Obama's taking the pandering just a bit too far

(NEWSER) - Good news, Barack Obama. You may not be the first black president (that would be Bill Clinton), but you are the first gay one , and apparently the first woman, too. That's how Dana Milbank of the Washington Post is interpreting yesterday's schedule. Eager to exploit his advantage over Mitt Romney with the fairer sex, Obama made his fourth appearance on The View, then gave the commencement speech at the all-female Barnard College. "Heck, he even appeared in public wearing a gown," Milbank quips. More»

Obama Puts Kid to Sleep at Commencement

Kalamazoo Central student dozes through reward for winning video

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama yesterday presented Kalamazoo Central High School's class of 2010 with their reward for winning his "Race to the Top" video competition: a commencement address from him. Thousands of students submitted inspiring videos about their schools; you can see Kalamazoo's over at the Huffington Post . Or cut to the chase and catch this soon-to-be-classic video above, in which a kid demonstrates his enthusiasm for Obama's historic visit by struggling to stay awake. Enjoy. More»

A Win for Obama, Moderate Catholics

President's Notre Dame speech was radical and conservative: Dionne

(NEWSER) - Abortion opponents protested and pro-life students skipped, but Barack Obama's Notre Dame commencement address was at once "the most radical and the most conservative speech of his presidency," writes Washington Post columnist EJ Dionne. The president refused to indulge the protesters' desire to "reignite the culture wars," opting for humility and compromise—but he showed a comfort with the language of faith equal to George Bush. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

No Honorary Degree for Obama: ASU