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Main Content
Degrees in Public Relations
When Universities get into bed with Celebrity
The university campus has long been associated as hives of sexual activity. Still there must have been more than a frisson of sexual energy when glamorous actor Kim Cattrall stepped on the stage of John Moore University Liverpool, July the 15th.
Cattrall, famous for her role as the libidinous Samantha on Sex and the City, was awarded an honorary degree. Ironically, the distinction was not granted for her portrayal of post-modern liberated female sexuality but for the actress’ ‘outstanding contribution to the performing arts’. Cattrall’s repertoire also includes, Police Academy, Live Nude Girls and a Golden Raspberry award-winning role for worst supporting actress in Bonfire of the Vanities.
Graduation season in the U.K this July also saw Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean’s Will Turner) receive an honorary degree from Kent University, while professional golfers Padraig Harrington, Tom Watson and Arnold Palmer all donned the gowns to accept Honorary Law degrees at St. Andrews University Scotland.
Perhaps celebrity has finally become the great leveller and academia has removed its mortarboard in deference to the entertainment industry. The reality though is that these celebrities garner the publicity that Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe, Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology and honorary Graduate on the same day as Bloom, could not. What we are seeing is in fact the cult of Public Relations. Universities vie for the media coverage that draws attention to their institutions, which could result in more interest, more applicants and ultimately more funding.
More and more universities rely on international students, who pay inflated fees, to shore up their finances. When glossy brochures filled with pictures of gothic buildings and preppy students fail to grab prospective students attention, awarding one of the stars of a cult television show a degree and having the pictures picked up by media worldwide, does seem like a bit of a coup. Kudos especially to the John Moore University when one realises that females continue to dominate men in academia and Sex and the City has become the international bible for so many young women. St. Andrews, a highly esteemed Scottish university, held their graduation ceremony just prior to the opening of one of the most prestigious Golf tournaments. Thus, the university ensured the moneyed international elite who follow the sport also received their attention.
The more traditional criticism that honorary degrees devalue or delegitimise the ‘pure’ graduate degree, awarded for actual completion of the course is almost moot. No one can really believe that golfer Tom Watson will begin proffering legal wisdoms on the back nine of Palm Springs golf course. And in the short term, for the financial quarter or the academic semester, positive media coverage is without doubt a good thing.
In the long term, the benefits appear less obvious. Universities across Europe already face accusations of grade inflation, the dumbing down of course material and a deficit of original thought as plagiarism becomes rife and increasingly difficult to detect. Education institutions may be able to garner column inches with beautiful people in their robes but this does not guarantee quality education. While Public Relations and celebrities go hand in hand, together with universities they leave a trail of tackiness that corrodes the good name of higher education.
When Pirates of the Caribbean has been relegated to the DVD sale bins and Sex and the City looks more like a crass relic from an ugly consumerist period, will the associated universities be able to distance themselves effectively? Will they regret the rush to exposure? Or will they merely replace the celebrities with fresher faces from the hallowed halls of fame?