Honorary degrees

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Honorary degrees

Postby The Egg Man » Tue Jul 02, 2013 4:32 pm

It's the time of year when people get given Honorary Degrees for no obvious reason.

Phyllida Law has just has one from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Emma Thomson got one also - talk about a marketing ploy.........) anyway, Ms Law announced with some surprise that 'there was a piper .... and music'.

This was, after all, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
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Re: Honorary degrees

Postby robertpool » Thu Jul 04, 2013 11:19 am

some of us had to work for our Degree ... mines a BA in Electronic Business, what's your? :D
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Re: Honorary degrees

Postby The Egg Man » Thu Jul 04, 2013 12:00 pm

I'll have a Deuchars please.
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Re: Honorary degrees

Postby sandabound » Thu Jul 04, 2013 12:06 pm

The Egg Man wrote:I'll have a Deuchars please.


::):
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Re: Honorary degrees

Postby Ruchazie Rat » Thu Jul 04, 2013 2:43 pm

The whole notion of Honorary Degrees are obscene. Especially these days. Students are chained to debt for decades ahead. On The Keiser Report last Thursday, (2nd half), he talked to a guest about on-the-quiet report the Coalition have been researching for past 18 months on the viabilility of floating student debt/loans on stock market. And they want to renege on previous assurances currrent students won`t be bunged in with future students, cos this`ll make it even more attractive to the circling piranhas -- sorry -- the investors.

Honourary Degrees? Pish! Why can`t these luvvies swot-up and earn proper degrees like real students? Too thick? Or too lazy? Both, probably. I could knock up an Honorary Degree for myself right now on the PC. But it wouldn`t mean a thing.
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Re: Honorary degrees

Postby The Egg Man » Thu Jul 04, 2013 3:23 pm

Honorary degrees are designed to do no more than bring the media to an institution's graduation ceremony, an event which would otherwise be ignored by all except the patricipants, the family and friends.
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Re: Honorary degrees

Postby Lucky Poet » Thu Jul 04, 2013 11:31 pm

We all know (or should by now, shurely) that it's just a form of advertising.
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Re: Honorary degrees

Postby Ruchazie Rat » Fri Jul 05, 2013 2:14 pm

You mean it`s a seedy form of procuring funds -- sorry -- investment by the unis, (e.g. getting the chemistry dept indirectly bankrolled by the MOD, getting the media-management courses (a.k.a. spin doctoring) clandestinely sponsored by any/all main political parties).
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Re: Honorary degrees

Postby hambone » Fri Jul 05, 2013 6:45 pm

The Egg Man wrote:I'll have a Deuchars please.

that's a cracker ::):
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Re: Honorary degrees

Postby Lucky Poet » Fri Jul 05, 2013 8:56 pm

Ruchazie Rat wrote:You mean it`s a seedy form of procuring funds -- sorry -- investment by the unis, (e.g. getting the chemistry dept indirectly bankrolled by the MOD, getting the media-management courses (a.k.a. spin doctoring) clandestinely sponsored by any/all main political parties).

I couldn't hazard a guess at how much money they figure comes their way as a result of celeb degrees, but presumably they feel it's worth their while. Partly advertising their presence for prospective students, I'd imagine. Raise the public profile and all that. For all the charity status and so on, a Uni is in large part a business like any other, and they need bums on seats above all else.

I very much take your point about the shady stuff, but in a spirit of fairness, a lot of genuinely useful stuff does emerge from those places too.
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Re: Honorary degrees

Postby Ruchazie Rat » Sun Jul 07, 2013 2:58 pm

I very much take your point about the shady stuff, but in a spirit of fairness, a lot of genuinely useful stuff does emerge from those places too.


Agreed. Unfortunately, unis have been twisted from places of eglitarian learning into conveyor-belt debt factories. Poor students. Having to turn a blind eye to this "novelty" nonsense while struggling with harsh realities student-life. Degrees only mean something if you`ve studied. Raised your mental prowess. Had that process tested with a final exam. They`re a receipt of learning. Celebs mock this. They`re bunged a roll of paper and asked to say "cheese".....
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Re: Honorary degrees

Postby Dexter St. Clair » Sun Jul 07, 2013 6:34 pm

Ruchazie Rat wrote:
I very much take your point about the shady stuff, but in a spirit of fairness, a lot of genuinely useful stuff does emerge from those places too.


Agreed. Unfortunately, unis have been twisted from places of eglitarian learning into conveyor-belt debt factories. Poor students. Having to turn a blind eye to this "novelty" nonsense while struggling with harsh realities student-life. Degrees only mean something if you`ve studied. Raised your mental prowess. Had that process tested with a final exam. They`re a receipt of learning. Celebs mock this. They`re bunged a roll of paper and asked to say "cheese".....



I'm glad to see they no longer bother about spelling, sentence structure and the use of personal pronouns.
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Re: Honorary degrees

Postby stevienoo01 » Mon Jul 08, 2013 11:13 pm

3 rd deg burn on my back from the sun
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Re: Honorary degrees

Postby crusty_bint » Tue Jul 09, 2013 9:10 am

Whats the average age of a recipient of an honorary degree? Its merely an acknowledgement of a lifetimes contribution to something meaningful, and dare i say, worthwhile... and if it raises the profile of an institution, then its a couple a hunner quid well spent.
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Re: Honorary degrees

Postby HelenD » Tue Jul 09, 2013 10:10 am

stevienoo01 wrote:3 rd deg burn on my back from the sun

:)

Surely you can only earn that the hard way? ;)
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