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The Yale Alumni Magazine is owned and operated by Yale Alumni Publications, Inc., a nonprofit corporation independent of Yale University. The content of the magazine and its website is the responsibility of the editors and does not necessarily reflect the views of Yale or its officers. |
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About That Honorary Doctorate . . . In May 2001, the university granted George W. Bush an honorary doctorate. Coming just four months after Bush became president in a controversial election, the honorary degree was itself the subject of some controversy on campus. Some faculty boycotted, and there were some protest signs and boos at commencement. But many more cheered the new president and felt the honor was more prompt for Bush than it had been for his father, who had been vice president for eight years and president for three when he was awarded his honorary degree in 1991.
It's too late for George W. Bush to "do the right thing" -- if, indeed, he understands that concept. However, it's not too late for Yale to rescind the honorary degree, thereby restoring some of the university's prestige and some of the dignity of the graduates who actually deserved the degrees they hold. And, if there are people on the present Board of Trustees who think Bush should keep his degree, please let us know their names.
Having clearly acted in undue haste, bestowing this honor upon the "hapless son" in a blatant (and ill-advised) attempt to make amends to the "deserving dad," can Yale possibly move swiftly enough in revoking it from him now that our Idiot King has left the Oval Office?
The 43rd president of the U. S., George W. Bush continues the University's commitment to public service. As governor of Texas, Bush used the interpersonal skills evident to his classmates to forge a bipartisan consensus on education, and campaigning under the theme of "compassionate conservatism," he became the second generation of his family to win the White House and the third to receive an honorary Yale degree.
"He was returning to an estranged family," says Bush's college pal, Roland Betts. "It's hard to do. Of course Bush was nervous." But if there was one guy more nervous than Bush, it was Betts -- a Yale trustee who has been the biggest force behind Bush's rapprochement with his alma mater. Betts brokered the peace talks between candidate Bush and Yale president Richard Levin when Bush's less-than-stellar transcript leaked out of the Yale Bursar's Office and into the pages of The New Yorker during the campaign. Levin must have called Bush a dozen times to make amends.
As a physician, a Yalie, and a compassionate human being, I can learn from a man who has faced addiction, conquered it, and professed it. ... I have never been as proud of being a Christian, an American, or a Yale graduate as I am today. It is an honor to have George W. Bush '68 as our president. He deserves his honorary degree from Yale University. And more, he deserves our respect.
The intellectual arrogance of these protesters apparently precludes the possibility of considering someone else's viewpoint. Their crude behavior was disrespectful to the office of the president, the Yale graduates, the University, and the educational process.
We, the crowd, were tricked by the president's comedy routine into thawing an initially icy reception. With the first chuckle, perhaps we thought we were laughing at him. But before we knew it, he had us laughing with him at ourselves -- at our best selves. Our laughter could be heard on the network news that night, turning Yale's honorable ideals into a national laughingstock.
We were aware that the university had recognized the senior George Bush rather late, and the committee wished not to make the same mistake.
Yale's neglect of the father led to instant recognition of the son, the worst president in American history. So two wrongs do make a right?
The mistake was to give George W. Bush this high honor without waiting to measure his accomplishments as president. His achievements prior to becoming president hardly reflect the criteria President Levin articulates: "excellence -- truly distinctive, pathbreaking contributions in whatever field of endeavor the recipient represents."
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