ASU Official: We'll Consider Giving Obama A Degree When He's Out Of Office

UPDATE: Mike Allen reports:

Michael M. Crow, president of Arizona State University, tells POLITICO that the school is reconsidering its widely mocked plans not to give President Barack Obama an honorary degree when he speaks at commencement on May 13 and will “honor him in every way possible.”

“There was no intended slight,” Crow said by telephone from his office in Tempe. “We had not yet talked about what honors we might give him as our commencement speaker, and we still have a month to work all that out. We don’t want anyone to think we do not recognize what he has achieved and what he means in America.”

* * *

Arizona State University's decision to not award Barack Obama and honorary degree despite his role delivering the university's commencement address has left a lot of people puzzled and posing questions: Is politics at play? How will this be resolved? Why would the university invite him in the first place?

Well, here, apparently are some answers. A reader sends over a response she received from Emily Dalton Smith, the director of communication at the Office of the Provost.

The university, it seems, has recently decided to stop giving honorary degrees to major donors or sitting politicians. But the best line comes near the end: "We will be delighted to consider him for an honorary degree once he leaves office at the end of his presidency," Dalton Smith writes.

Mind you, they won't give him the degree once his time in office is over. They will "consider him" for it.

Multiple calls and an email to Dalton Smith went unreturned.

HERE IS THE EMAIL:

Dear xxxxxxxxxxxx,

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We have tremendous respect for President Obama, and that is why we invited him to speak at our graduation ceremony. We are honored that he accepted our invitation, and that we will be the first university in the nation to host him for a commencement ceremony.

In recent years, we have determined not to give honorary degrees to sitting politicians or major donors, but to do so based on an individual's body of work. While President Obama has already achieved remarkable success--including becoming the first African-American president--his greatest work is yet to come. We will be delighted to consider him for an honorary degree once he leaves office at the end of his presidency.

Sincerely,

Emily Dalton Smith
Director of Communication
Office of the Provost

Are you an ASU student or alumnus? HuffPost wants to hear from you. What are people saying on campus? As an alumnus, will this effect your decision to donate to your alma mater? Write us at [e-mail].

Comments

[FinallyFreeOfGeorgeIII]

Ask ASU to print the honorary degree on soft paper so it can actually be useful when the White House runs out of toilet tissue. This whole thing is ridiculous and petty. The President can withdraw from this very easily. Why should he allow himself or the office he holds to be pimped by a civil servant college administrator?

[lysistrata]

Because he is the bigger man, he will speak to the students in spite of the dunces.

[AnnfromCA]

This is THE funniest story ever.

It's got it all......

[frantaylor]

Especially your amusing posts.

[KodeBloo]

Except for you getting dowsed in gasoline by your hero Glen Beck.

[jingles32]

LOL! Well, I don't think we've heard the last of it, that's for sure! Anyone else have the nagging feeling that SP and ASU employ the same PR people?

[qdog112]

I vote for the Palin was pregnant, but didn't show story. Along with Bristol being out of school for 5 months - coincident.

Now that's funny.

[kankan]

If I was some cranky white dude mad at my President because he made my Senator look bad on tee-vee, I shore wouldn't give a honorary degree. Economy is tough, tuition costs are way too high anyways. Wasn't ASU called the "Resort University", where all that was needed was cash to get a degree? Seems ASU admins are trying to make a big deal out of their degrees, when so many American young adults stuggle to get degrees at overpriced American universities. Why are ppl even losing breath over this?

[Anonani]

Gee, they just keep on stepping in the same old stinky! Just be quiet and pray that it goes away.

[partyofone]

The White House should just pull the plug on the ASU visit. This outstanding man, the Office of the Presidency and the nation do not need their petty, distracting politicing.

I do not think President Obama should accept an honorary degree from ASU under any circumstance. They had their chance and they blew it big time.

[frantaylor]

No, they should continue to allow ASU to flop about like a fish out of water. It's both entertaining and illuminating.

[terragazelle60]

The President needs to go,give the best commencment speach ever, saying something about doing the right thing for its own sake...not for degrees or honors...and then walk off.

f um.

[jacobnyc]

It doesn't matter anymore, the damage has been done and the true colors of ASU have come to light. There is nothing ASU can do to repair their reputation in the eyes of millions of Americans.

[AnnfromCA]

Oh, I think the damage is to Obamafans, who issue death threats even to academics.

[tangelan]

Sure we are. You still arm.ing for Bachman's revolution?

[jingles32]

You mean like SP "fans" at political rallies?

[MO-JM]

I'm not sure what the usual protocol is - if commencement speakers at ASU are customarily awarded honorary degrees, then ASU should award it to Mr. Obama in this instance. If it is not a custom to award such degrees - or at least not an "every time" custom - then someone somewhere has blown this situation all out of proportion, which is no big surprise nowadays.

Obama has shown himself to be a very secure, mature person, so I'm sure he couldn't care less about the supposed slight. He might even be getting a chuckle out of the whole thing.

[partyofone]

This should have been discussed behind the scenes quietly so there was no misunderstanding and no public embarassment. ASU should be ashamed and someone at the WH should be fired for allowing this to become a pointless public debate about Obama's qualifications.

[Rober]

Interestingly it appears that their policies regarding the awarding of honorary degrees recently changed. It's tough to figure out but it appears that this is the first year in which the new policies are being applied.

[proshot22]

Michel Crow donated $1000 to McCain last election and supported him. I guess he and the Republicans are just bitter President Obama won. Just yesterday when asked if he would change the policy of giving President Obama the honorary degree he flatly stated no way. Crow just made ASU the laughingstock of the entire nation. ASU gave a honorary degree to a Communist Chinese Vice Premier and some guy who donated $50 million dollars, but not the POTUS?
I guess the POTUS being held by a guy who was editor of Harvard Law Review, someone who went to Harvard and Colombia, taught at U of Chicago, published two bestselling book, became a Senator of IL, raised the most ever in an election campaign, changed the American campaign process, and not to mention become one of only 44 guys in 233 years to hold the highest office in the United States just doesn't qualify for a honorary degree from a school Playboy has ranked as the best party school in America. What do you gotta do to get a honorary degree from ASU? I guess Barbara McConnell Barrett, a former Reagan administration official is much better than being POTUS in the eyes of ASU.

[AnthonyAfterwit]

Anyone who tries to defend ASU just sounds like an idiot. Every child in America knows that President of the United States is the most esteemed job on earth. I'm willing to give ASU the benefit of the doubt and say the decision was politically motivated and not racial. Or maybe they wanted the free press; though I'm not sure how this fiasco will encourage anybody but the most extreme right wing nut cases to think better of this second rate school.

[LREKing]

“There was no intended slight,” Crow said by telephone from his office in Tempe.

Lying SOB.

[lordcopper]

Obama has degrees from Columbia and Harvard, he's really going to miss that Arizona State University degree.

[incognito-ergo-sum]

That honorary degree and .75 will get him that Arizona paper.

[kmswriter]

8000 grads - President Obama will be commencement speaker at Sundevil Stadium - by the way - holds 75-80,000 people -

this will now be a way to test the strength of the political winds in AZ - can't wait -

We were fortunate enough to see President Obama in Mesa AZ when he introduced his housing act.. even then - not enough tickets for everyone who waited on a very chilly night -

Imagine the effect on ASU's athletics????????????????

[Kanye East]

What! You're not giving him a meaningless degree?! DIE! DIE! DIE!

[realpolitic]

If only President Barack Obama had that honorary degree from ASU. He might be able to make something of himself!

[beaupritchard]

I can understand ASU ... stacked next to the other ASU graduates that have become president what has this president done. What was that ... I said "the other presidents that were ASU graduates" ... what do you mean "you're not sure there were other presidents that graduated from ASU".