6 articles
Civil rights leaders, novelists, scientists and public servants have all been honoured from commencement stages. A look at what kinds of contribution earn the gesture. What separa…
The honoris causa award is older than most modern institutions. Its medieval origins explain a great deal about how universities use it today. Selection is usually a serious insti…
The tradition travels well, but each academic culture decorates it differently — from the wording on the scroll to the weight the title carries in public life. Criticism of the pr…
When did universities begin conferring degrees without coursework? The documentary trail runs through the late medieval and early modern period, and it is more colourful than expe…
Undeserved titles drive plots, and satirists never tire of commencement rituals. Fiction reflects a real public intuition: a degree is a story society tells about merit. Academic…
The pattern repeats across decades of enforcement actions: convincing front, growing customer base, investigative scrutiny, collapse. The anatomy is worth studying once. Most mill…
