One of the lesser-known purposes of academia is to provide moral leadership for society. This comes across through the high ethical standards that professors are held to - they may not lie or commit plagiarism without endangering their careers. Our moral leadership is also conveyed through honorary degrees.
At every graduation, the University of Massachusetts awards honorary degrees to distinguished individuals. Such degrees are to be awarded only to "persons of great accomplishment and high ethical standards who exemplify the ideals of the University." On May 25, Bush's former chief of staff Andrew Card will receive an honorary degree from UMass at Graduate Student Commencement.
Andrew Card worked in the Bush White House until 2006, and he was one of its most important figures behind the scenes. Card handled Bush's schedule and advised him on the political repercussions of his decisions. On The Daily Show, Card described himself as the gatekeeper to the president - he decided which information passed up to Bush. It was Card who, on Sept. 11, whispered in Bush's ear during the reading of "The Pet Goat" in a Florida schoolroom. The chief of staff played a key role in shaping Bush's policies, both domestic and foreign.
When Bush began the process to go to war with Iraq, it was Card who led the war's marketing campaign, as he described it. He formed the White House Iraq Group, which coordinated the administration's statements about Iraq. All the talk about aluminum tubes, Nigerian yellowcake uranium, smoking guns and mushroom clouds can be laid at his feet. It was a propaganda campaign to drag the American public to war, and it worked.
What's more, Card himself admitted that the campaign was cynical. Asked about the timing of the campaign by a New York Times reporter, specifically why it started after Labor Day, Card remarked, "From a marketing point of view, you don't introduce new products in August." A war that has killed and maimed thousands of Americans, a war that has destroyed many more Iraqi lives, a war that has become an immense tragedy for all involved, was to him no more significant than the release of a new product.
When Card came to UMass in April, he continued to defend the president and all of his policies. He even repeated the thoroughly debunked claim of an Al Qaeda-Iraq link as a justification for the war. Unlike other officials who distanced themselves from the administration after leaving office, such as Richard Clarke or former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, Card remains an ardent supporter of the president.
Card is not being recognized by the University for his stint as Massachusetts legislator, for his job as a lobbyist for automotive firms or for his positions in the first Bush and Reagan administrations. He would have received the degree years ago if any of those roles merited honor. Card certainly is not being recognized for any contributions to the University, or to an academic discipline; he has no such achievements.
It is Card's integral role in the Bush cabinet that is being honored. By honoring him, the University is endorsing the Iraq War and all the other works of the Bush administration. The UMass Board of Trustees, led by Chairman Stephen Tocco, presumes to speak for all of us, both students and faculty, in supporting the Bush presidency. They signed off on Card's nomination, and have made no effort to back down from supporting it.
By awarding Andrew Card an honorary degree, UMass administration betrays its own undemocratic tendencies. This past Thursday, a coalition of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty, confronted Tocco at a meeting on campus and requested that the board revoke their offer to Card. Student Trustee Mishy Leiblum suggested a special meeting of the Board on this issue. The chairman disregarded these democratic requests. He argued that the process used to select Card was valid and that he deserved the honor. Tocco offered to discuss revising the process, but would not consider rescinding Card's degree.
While Card is certainly a man of accomplishment, his ethical standards are anything but high. He oversaw a massive campaign of misinformation and deception - any professor or researcher who engaged in a comparable venture would be immediately thrown out of any self-respecting university. To present him with a degree is a condemnation of every virtue UMass stands for, and it would be a black mark on this institution.
There is nothing irrevocable about this process, however. If the people who drive UMass - the faculty, staff and students - voice their opposition to the administration's decision, then it will be reversed. This is an opportunity for all of us to take a stand against the Bush administration and against the Iraq war, and in favor of a more democratic society.
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