ASU on Obama degree: 'We blew it' [View All]

[Pirate Smile]

ASU on Obama degree: 'We blew it'

04/14/2009 12:43 PM
Daniel Scarpinato

PHOENIX — In the ongoing soap opera surrounding President Obama‘s plans to speak at the Arizona State University graduation commencement next month, the university’s top spokeswoman now says “we blew it.”

In an email to a concerned out-of-state citizen, Terri Shafer, ASU’s associate vice president of marketing and strategic communications, makes what might be the most blunt concession yet by the university.

If you remember, ASU first said it would not award Obama an honorary degree. After controversy erupted, ASU President Michael Crow announced plans to create an Obama scholarship. But Crow said ASU always intended on honoring Obama.

Shafer says in the email, forwarded to the Star, that ASU “blew it” and “learned a big lesson.”

“We could have—and probably would have—awarded an honorary degree to the president before this controversy erupted,” she writes. “But after it started, we determined it would not be appropriate to offer a degree to President Obama under circumstances in which the offer might not be considered to be genuine or positive.

Here’s the money quote from Shafer: “You are right. We blew it. We have learned a big lesson, and we are taking steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again in the future.”

The rest of Shafer’s the email:
“We invited President Obama to speak at our commencement because we are committed to leadership, excellence and diversity. He is the best example we could imagine, as an extraordinarily talented and accomplished individual committed to public service. Although we were hoping to announce the President Barack Obama Scholars program when he comes here on May 13, we are pleased to do so now because it will open the door to college for more than 1,500 students this fall who would not otherwise be able to attend.”

http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/blogs/politics/14361/asu-on-obama-degree-we-blew-it

Fix it now, not in the future.