Celebrities with Honorary University Degrees – You gotta check them!

Author: Sally Croft

Honorary degrees are appointed for various reasons but they tend to be disputed when awarded to celebrities. Celebrities are more known for their financial success derived from their acting, singing or sports. However, what goes unnoticed is the hard work that had to be put in to put them at the top of their game. In addition, many of these celebrities are involved in extensive social work, both locally and internationally, that benefit millions of individuals.

Honorary Degree Criteria

The golden question is “what qualifies a celebrity for an honorary degree?” Here, we will attempt to dispel the misunderstandings behind the selection of celebrities for honorary degrees. To qualify for selection for an honorary degree celebrities should:

They show exemplary service in choice of service to society, locally or internationally
Their core values have an affect on the society
Their values reflect those of the university
They show a willingness to accept the degree and have the capacity to be a reasonable commencement speaker

Honorary Degree Awardees

Over the years, we have seen many celebrities being awarded inspiring degrees. Some of these have come as a surprise, while others seemed to have taken too long for their recognition. Some of these celebrities include:

Oprah Winfrey: In May of 2009, Oprah Winfrey was honored with an Honorary Doctor of Human Letters Degree from Duke University. During her 25 min commencement speech, she mentioned one of the best ways of enhancing your life is by enhancing the lives of others. Oprah Winfrey is widely known for her many contributions to social development most notably her recently opened school for girls in South Africa. She also encouraged the 4,400 member audience to make wise decisions daily and stand in their own shoes with humility, compassion and courage.

Jon Bon Jovi: In 2001 the rock star and Grammy, Golden Globe and American Music Awards winner was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities Degree by Monmouth University, located in his home state of New Jersey. Although Jon Bon Jovi is known for his many onstage performances, little is known about his deliberate local focus of his charity work. By choice, he focuses on developing his local community by focusing on sports development, aids prevention and health care.

Yoko Ono: The famed wife of slain Beatles singer John Lennon was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Liverpool University in 2001 and a year later an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Bard College. Yoko Ono is widely known for her activities for the peace movement and human rights along with creation of the Strawberry Fields Memorial in Central Park.

Kermit the Frog: The iconic TV character was created in 1955. He was made popular by the TV program Sesame Street that is watched by millions of children worldwide in hundreds of different languages. In 1996, Kermit the Frog was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Amphibious Letters by Southampton College in New York. Funny enough, although being a puppet, Kermit the Frog was on hand to give a commencement speech.

Do you know of any other celebrity with honorary degree that we might have missed out? In that case don’t forget to share your list with us.

Tags: Celebrity Degrees, Celebrity Education
Posted in Celebrity News | No Comments »

Feb

Obama on Social Media - A New Political Trend!

Author: Sally Croft

Since 2008 during his presidential campaign, President Barack Obama has changed the landscape on how politicians connect with their grass-root support base. Analysts will all agree that just like how President Kennedy was built for TV, President Obama was built for the internet age. There are many stories of his admitted addiction to his blackberry. However, there are much more technological advancements in his arsenal that he uses to communicate with online audience. At one point in time, President Obama communicated on at least 16 social media sites including MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.

The Campaign Strategy

To the comfort of many especially his young vote bank President Obama comes as a real charmer who is not only tech savvy but has strong presence in popular social networking sites as well. What more can you ask for to see your favorite politician using the same social media sites like you and your friends? President Obama realized from the beginning that he won’t be able to visit his vote bank over a cup of coffee for a nice chit chat on politics.

With a large chunk of the American population having access to the internet, President Obama wisely uses this technology to win over the masses. So, what better way to reach out to them than going into the places where they are most comfortable? Having a president who understood computer slang meeting them in the annals of their various chat rooms was just too irresistible and thus these were won over by a stroke of genius. President Obama used social network site such as Flicker and YouTube to spread his message of change and hope and encouraged his fans to create their own videos. From that came the famous “I’ve got a crush on Obama” single and the remake of the Apple vs Microsoft advertisement.

President Obama Tweets Haiti

Following the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12th 2010, President Obama has used Twitter profile to keep his followers updated on the progress his administration was making of the Haiti relief effort. When he entered the Haiti situation room to give support to the American Red Cross he sent a tweet that he and his wife Michelle wants to thank them for the valiant work they are doing. This shows that he acknowledged their efforts and can communicate with them through what at one time the only means of communication with the outside world from Haiti. To the surprise of many however, this was his first personal tweet.

The Secret behind President Obama Social Media Success

Now we certainly could not believe that President Obama ran all these social networking sites himself. Instead of sticking with the status co and take his media team from the same pool of one track minded so called media gurus, Obama went for his trusted group of youngsters who although were fresh to politics, understood the workings of social networking. So they were able to come with ideas he did not even dream of and then apply it to his overall strategy add to his image of being wired and hip. As a result president Obama has always been able to return to his grass root followers via social networking and rally them to back his policies when they get stuck in congress or the senate.

Tags: Blackberry, Facebook, My Space, President Obama, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Celebrity News | 1 Comment »

Jul

Michael Jackson - Student Loan Blog Pays Tribute to the Legend

Author: Sally Croft

Michael Joseph Jackson has created tremendous impact on the mind of students. He has given them a belief that if you are willing to work hard and give your 100 percent in every situation, you are going to attain success. Jackson was not a huge success right from the beginning but he kept on preserving until he gained the superstar status. Michael Jackson is an inspiration to all those students who give up their hopes just because they do not taste success in the initial stage. The life of Michael Jackson gives students a clear lesson that nothing is impossible in life. Rather than taking shortcuts in life, you should stick with your original plan and do not give up until and unless you achieve your objective.

King of Pop’s Profile

Michael Jackson made his debut as an entertainer in 1968. Three years later, Jackson started a solo career and was known as King of Pop in media fraternity. His album Thriller that was a huge hit among masses especially students. Till date, Thriller is widely been regarded as one of the world’s best selling album. Jackson other solo studio albums such as History, Bad, Off the Wall and Dangerous are among the world’s best-selling records.

Jackson was a prominent personality in American popular music and culture. Michael was the first African American entertainer to build a strong fan following in MTV. With music videos and stage performances, Michael implemented wide variety of complicated dance routines, such as the moonwalk and the robot. Jackson donated millions of dollars in the form of charity. Jackson has done everything he can for the betterment of society but in 1993 he was accused of child sexual abuse. However, investigation by the FBI found no evidence against Jackson and the case was closed immediately.

Michael Jackson Death

The sudden death of Michael Jackson has surprised everyone. The real reason behind his death is not known as yet but the investigation is focusing on the powerful sedative Diprivan. According to media reports, police found plenty of bottles of Diprivan inside Michael’s Los Angeles home.

MJ’s Children

Jackson’s three kids - 12-year-old Michael Joseph Jr, 11-year-old Paris Michael Katherine and 7-year-old Prince Michael II adored their father and are proud of his achievements. If media reports are to be believed, Jackson was not only a good father but also good mother, helping out kids in every possible way. Over 1.2 million people registered to get two of the 11,000 tickets for Jackson’s memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Michael Jackson Funeral

Michael Jackson was laid to rest on July 7, 2009 at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. His family, friends and friends made the funeral larger than life, it is said MJ’s funeral was attended by some 20,000 attendants and viewed by millions of viewers all across the globe. Number of celebrities attended the funeral and paid touching tribute to pop king.

Without any doubt Michael Jackson in going to remain in his fans heart forever. He was a living legend and now his songs would keep him alive for years to come.

Tags: African American Entertainer, Diprivan, Downtown Los Angeles, King of Pop, Los Angeles, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson Funeral, Moonwalk, MTV Awards, Music, Neverland, Staples Center
Posted in Celebrity News | 8 Comments »