Taylor Swift to receive an honorary doctorate degree from NYU
Graduates can expect a "Taylor's Version" speech by the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter
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Grammy winner, red scarf owner, and one of the most important singer-songwriters of our generation are a few titles that often appear in front of Taylor Swift’s name. Now, Swifties will likely be adding “Doctor” (at least honorarily), too.
The All Too Well singer will be receiving an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts (or honoris causa) from New York University. She’ll also give an address to the graduates during the commencement ceremony held at Yankee Stadium May 18, according to Billboard. Disability rights advocate Judith Heumann will also receive an honorary degree, and give a speech to the graduates.
“I cannot overstate how thrilled I am to be coming together in person with graduates, parents, faculty, and honorees for NYU’s Commencement. Since 2019, we have been deprived of Commencement’s festive, communal joy, and its absence has been keenly felt,” NYU President Andrew Hamilton said about the upcoming ceremony in a press release. He added, “We reconvene at Yankee Stadium with a renewed sense of appreciation for the act of celebrating together in person, a recognition of our graduates’ enormous achievements, and a respect for their character and perseverance.”
This will be Swift’s first degree, since she basically became a music star as a teenager, and was a bit busy selling out tours. Though, this isn’t her first time influencing the prestigious university. Earlier this year, NYU’s Clive Davis Institute held its first course on the pop icon.
According to the course description, the class was designed to “deconstruct both the appeal and aversions to Taylor Swift through close readings of her music and public discourse as it relates to her own growth as an artist and a celebrity.”
Before she can make it to Yankee Stadium, Swift is set to compete for Album Of The Year at the 2022 Grammy Awards on April 3. After winning last year with Folklore, its sister album Evermore could be her fourth win and make her the only performer to win the category a collective four times.
10 Comments
That’s doctor Swift to you.
Good that she has a degree to fall back on now in case her little music hobby doesn’t work out.
I despise NYU for so many reasons. This is a pretty slimy honorary degree. It’s a WTF event.
Okay, this pisses me off. I worked very, very hard for my Ph.D. Taylor worked very very hard (with backing from her hedge fund dad) for her millions of dollars and countless boyfriends. They are not equivalent.
But at least her degree is not considered in the same standing as your well earned degree. If listed on her CV — which, let’s be honest, is something she’ll never have to write up anyway — it would be listed as an award instead of as her education. And it would be looked down upon if she started calling herself Dr. Swift. Her honorary degree doesn’t take away from yours. It’s just an annoyance because she didn’t put in the same kind of work.
An honorary doctorate is traditionally given to everyone who delivers a commencement address. Surely an educated person like you already knew that.Right?
As someone with a real doctorate degree, I think honorary doctorates are a terrible thing that imply that doctorate status is something that can just be bestowed upon you like a knighthood or something rather than something that is the result of years of research. Although to be fair, most recipients get the emptiness of the thing and would never really call themselves Dr..
Doctorate status is a thing that is simply bestowed upon people. Every degree is. I mean, it is just a piece of paper and a rented gown.The years of study and hard work is the achievement. Conversely, many people worked their ass off for their knighthood.
An honorary degree is kinda like a nerf vibrator… …it looks good but doesn’t really do much. —Robin Williams
What does that even mean?I hereby declare I have an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Sarcasm.Ok, let all the 100k a year job offers roll in!