Honorary Degrees

Too often they go to donors to the university to say thank you for the money, rather like the way life peerages go to political party hacks.

I think honorary degrees, like honours should go to those who have achieved something beyond the ordinary, like Fahma Mohamed or inventors like James Dyson or Tim Peake for getting into the space station and doing so much during his period there to interest children in science

I have no problem with them where they have been earned, like those mentioned. But when the purpose is PR or in exchange for donations, I think it stinks and so disrespectful to all those students who slog away for years. Sadly, the honourary degrees we hear about are usually the worst kind. I shook my head last year when Kanye West received one.

Well I must be missing something, because I don't see the point of them at all. I thought a Degree was supposed to be about academic achievement. No disrespect to the young lady mentioned above, but I don't see that a degree is an appropriate form of recognition for her achievement.

And as to Tom Peake and James Dyson-what do they need degrees for? They are already well-recognised in their fields and have degrees already, I assume.

And as for Kanye West....

I object to most (not all) of the recipients. It took me six years of hard work to get my degree with the OU whilst juggling work and home responsibilities. Giving them to some white toothed celebrity undermines all the work done by those who earned them.

I see that the Duchess of York has been made a visiting 'Professor of Philthrepeneurship (is that even a word??) at Huddersfield University?. Not a lot more you can say really. I'm expecting to hear from Cambridge any day now. Wonder what they'll offer me? ?

Apparently "Philanthropreneurship an entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy; it is giving that disrupts the status quo." www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGJ_SHGABo0

Whatever that means.

Oh yes of course! Duchess of York, that well known and well-regarded philanthropist.