This past week Barack Obama received a Ph.D. from Notre Dame. Dolly Parton got one from the University of Tennessee. Here's the kicker: neither one of them did a dang bit of the university's coursework.
On top of that, they didn't even have to buy a textbook or take a test. President Obama never had to paint a football helmet gold. Dolly Parton never had to sing "Rocky Top Tennessee" after getting hazed into a sorority. It was just given to them.
Here's a list of a few other famous folks that picked up a degree like it was a doughnut at a complimentary breakfast:
- Tim Allen - Western Michigan University
- Bob Barker - Drury University
- George Foreman - Houston Graduate School of Theology
- Billy Joel - Syracuse University
- J.K. Rowling - Aberdeen University, Scotland
- Arnold Schwarzenegger - University of Wisconsin Superior
- Mike Tyson - Central Ohio State University
After seeing the above list of honorary degree recipients, I think their path to higher education is the way to go. Now I know what you're saying:
"You could never successfully host a game show for 35 years."
"You'll never pen a song that matches the likes of Uptown Girl or Piano Man."
"There's no way on this green earth you could write a book about Quidditch."
Maybe that's the case, but I think I could be a handy man (regardless of what my wife says). I also think I could invent something like a hamburger grill. Shoot, I could even be a boxer and take a bite out of some dude's ear.
Wikipedia says that a school giving someone an honorary degree "often derives benefits by association with the person in question." That may be a hard sale. I know that even my wife wouldn't give me an honorary degree, based off that criteria.
For now, I guess my marriage certificate is as close as I'll get to anything honorary.
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2 comments:
Great post this week, Ross.
I'm sure there is something out there any one of us could do in one area or another that is just as impressive as someone who does it for a living with a PhD. Good thought Ross.
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