Are we right to be annoyed by Bill Clinton’s honorary degree?

University officials flew across the Atlantic to give the ex-President his degree

america bill clinton bill clinton honorary degree honorary degree president US USA

Last month a handful of big dogs flew out to Washington DC to award President Bill Clinton with an honorary degree.

The ex-President and founder of the Clinton foundation received his Doctor of Laws at the British Embassy.

Against a back drop of looming industrial strikes, rows over fair pay and the extortionate cost of studying in general, is it about the time the University stopped splashing the cash on non-students and focused on what is happening on campus?

Clinton’s work in improving global health care and  protecting the environment (among other things) certainly warrants the recognition, but paying for our already well-off University representatives to go out there and give him the prize when such money could be put towards necessities closer to home does kind of stink.

Because, ultimately, the awarding of honorary degrees to high profile names, although image-enhancing and maybe even inspiring, simply isn’t a necessity.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Howard Newby said the Uni is “proud to honour one of the great leaders of our age”, and surely most students would agree it is important to raise a toast to these types of people from time to time. But now, really?

Staff are rightly unhappy about their pay and pensions being slashed, students are unhappy about tuition fees (not to mention the cost of text books, bus passes, printing credits and the rest) yet the powers that be are spending a worrying amount of time and money on people who no longer step foot on campus, and most of who already enjoy pretty fat wallets – Clinton couldn’t even be bothered coming to the UK to pick up his prize.

the fair pay row rages on with more strikes planned

After the outrage caused by the recent Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe honorary degree incident, it is probably about time the University put honorary degrees on hold and realised students’ immediate concerns do not lie with police commissioners or ex-Presidents.

The British Ambassador to the United States, Sir Peter Westmacott, described the occasion as a celebration of “links” between the two nations. How about the University works on the links between themselves and the students? 

Pay for the printing cost of my double-spaced, multi-copy dissertation: not your flight to Washington DC.