Am
I the only one who thinks the story about Barack Obama not getting an honorary
degree, after giving the commencement speech at Arizona State University, was a
big, blown-up bunch of nothing? An event with no real impact, a lightweight feature
piece best used to fill space on a slow news day? Obama himself seemed
unperturbed, and wittily incorporated the dustup  in his speech (he seems to be adept at that:
see Notre Dame Commencement). He delivered a stirring graduation address, full
of admiration for the students who were breaking ground in their families by
getting a college degree--and pushed graduates to think about leadership and success
in non-material terms.

Why
do I care about this? Because I was a tuition donor to ASU, from 2003 until
2007 (note: four years), when my daughter graduated. I have seen Arizona State up
close, and know some things about the campus, the students and the mission of
the university. If you asked my daughter why she went to Arizona State, she'd
tell you it was because of their unique Justice Studies program, but I'd be
remiss in not mentioning that none of the other schools she applied to had a
Palm Walk or year-round flip-flop mojo. ASU does have a well-deserved
reputation as a party school (parents know these things). The Daily Show dished
up the funniest take on this--I'm pretty sure that the pool scene was shot at
my daughter's apartment complex.

I
care because I am a fan of big, comprehensive public universities. I see them
as the higher-ed manifestation of the American mixing bowl ideal--places of
rich diversity where children of the wealthy mix with children of immigrants, where
serious scholars go to class with injudicious 18-year olds on their own for the
first time. Arizona State has a generous admissions policy, a huge, fast-growing
student body (more than 60,000) and a commitment to increasing minority
enrollment--nearly a third of this year's freshmen were minorities.

As
a long-time secondary teacher, I taught many intellectually capable but
unfocused high school students who had zero future plans or goals, despite the
best efforts of their parents and schools.  Big state universities serve an important
function, offering an elastic opportunity for students who don't enroll as
motivated scholars. Yes, some of them drop out. But others find their academic rhythm
or their passion.

If
we believe that a four-year college degree is an essential component of the
American dream, we need places like Arizona State, which blend open opportunity
with an array of showcase programs.  I
was surprised to see edbloggers attempt to tie Obama's choosing ASU for his first
commencement speech to low NAEP scores in Arizona (!?)--or use the story as a vehicle
make the cheap-shot observation that not every school can compete with
Princeton or Stanford.

One
other thing I care about: graduation speeches. One of the highlights of my
professional career was being invited to deliver the commencement address to
graduates of the School of Education at Michigan State University, another
large public university. I took the task seriously, and read lots of famous
graduation speeches. I finally decided to speak on the need for educators to
become story-tellers, to help their students make meaning of what they learned. 

Sometimes,
these narratives change, with time. I used the example of the commencement
address at my own undergraduate exercises. It was delivered by Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Jr, shortly after the U.S. pulled troops out of Viet Nam. Zumwalt
spoke with great passion about selfless service--and especially of his son, just
a few years older than the graduates, who fought bravely in Viet Nam, doing his
patriotic duty rather than protesting or seeking shelter from the draft. The
admiral's son, Elmo Zumwalt III, later died of multiple cancers that his father
was convinced were caused by exposure to Agent Orange, a toxic defoliant used
by American troops in Viet Nam. Perspectives take time.

I
congratulate the Class of 2009 at Arizona State, and wish them the gift of
remembering both the speaker and the speech that marked their graduation.  Do you remember who spoke at your college
commencement?