Links
Archives
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
|
‘ DEGREE FOR GRAND PRIX WINNER ANGERS ITALY'S ACADEMICS Barbara McMahon in Rome Tuesday June 7, 2005 Guardian For some Italian academics, this was the last straw. Standing on the podium at the Italian grand prix, the world motorcycle champion Valentino Rossi, proudly wore a mortarboard, emblazoned with a sponsor's logo. Having just been awarded an honorary university degree, the 26-year-old felt entitled to put on his new hat last weekend. But the decision - and the prominently displayed emblem - led yesterday to demands for an end to the liberal distribution of honorary awards, which, critics say, have been completely devalued. The novelist and philosopher Umberto Eco has 33 degrees, including a recent one for architecture. An Italian who invented a popular children's game and the owner of the Valleverde shoe range are also among new honoraries. Over the years pop stars, cartoonists, sports personalities and actors as well as academics have been honoured. The actor Roberto Benigni, for example, is a doctor of letters at Bologna University, the musician Ennio Morricone has received a degree from Rome's Vergata University and Allegra Agnelli of the Fiat family was given an honorary degree in veterinary studies from Turin University for "having constantly offered refuge and protection to animals in need". The late John Paul II had 11 honorary degrees. In the past month, 23 have been awarded to recipients such as Rossi. Doubts have also been expressed by Giovanni Puglisi, rector of Ilum Milan University, who conferred an honorary degree on the singer Vasco Rossi. At the time he defended the choice in the university debating chamber, saying: "Nobody gave degrees to Oscar Wilde or Pasolini or Edith Piaf in their time; the university must anticipate the recognition of merit." But he has now floated the idea of placing a limit on the number of honorary degrees handed out. The origin of the honorary degree dates back to 1478, when Oxford University awarded Lionel Woodville, the dean of Exeter and brother-in-law to Edward IV, an honorary degree. The commentator Stefano Bartezzaghi, writing in La Repubblica, said handing out an honorary degree in Italy nowadays had about as much value as "giving them a cigar." He said it was simply a way for universities to get publicity, and he added: "Even a donkey can become a doctor these days." The chancellor of Urbino University, Giovanni Bugliolo, defended the decision to award the motorcycling champion a degree. "With Valentino we gave the students a very good role model, someone who has worked hard and has been successful." ‘ ------------------------ The good news is that Fabio, the Italian model, has gotten in just under the wire. Next month, he will be awarded an honorary degree from the University of Trieste, based, in the words of Trieste’s chancellor, on Fabio’s contributions to world literature. Fabio is best known for his appearances on the covers of such novels as Awaken My Fire , but he has also made a point throughout his career of promoting literary classics like The Tempest and the Homeric Across A Wine Dark Sea. |
