ASU: "we blew it" on Obama honorary degree

And backlash from the university's community.

The Arizona State University community is expressing anger and embarrassment in response to ASU's decision not to award President Barack Obama an honorary degree when he gives the commencement speech there next month. An ASU spokesperson now confesses, "we blew it," and concedes that the university likely would have conferred the honorary degree, but once it became a controversy, ASU administrators were too worried about appearing insincere.

When the news hit last week that ASU would not honor Obama with a customary honorary degree when he addresses the graduating class, the Huffington Post asked for people with ties to ASU to email their reactions. A couple hundred members of the university's community (students, alumni, staff, and faculty) submitted their personal thoughts.

Nearly every email expressed shame over the decision made by their alma mater. One alumnus, Dr. Neil Francis, wrote from Thailand to say he will no longer wear his Arizona State University ball cap -- even halfway around the world. Several said that they did not believe the story when they first heard it: they thought the story was a satirical news piece or a holdover from April Fool's Day.

Many Huffington Post readers wrote in to say that they would be withholding donations. Some said they would even remove endowments from their wills. The detrimental effect that this debacle will almost certainly have on fundraising could not come at a worse time, since the state legislature has recently enacted major funding cuts.

Dianne Safford writes:

I have given to the school every year since graduation--and planned to bequeath money upon my death. All that has changed. In fact, I have asked for credits for money I gave to two scholarship programs just last month. I won't resume giving until [university President] Michael Crow resigns.

Bridget Quinsley says:

My husband earned his doctorate from ASU and has been making regular financial contributions throughout the years. We are both very upset that ASU is snubbing our President in this way. My husband has emailed the President of ASU to let him know that we will not be making any further financial contributions to the University and eliminate a legacy in our wills. We believe this was a politically motivated action and totally out of line.

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