Did Arizona State University get it right?

If I understand the situation at Notre Dame, the problem is not that Obama is speaking but that he is receiving an honorary degree. Why is it that a secular university can get it right? What do you all think?

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-politics/20090514/US.Obama.Arizona.State/

of giving an honorary degree for accomplishments achieved, rather than for potential.

Then again, I prefer to read someone's autobiography written at 75 than one written by someone at 18.

is that Notre Dame officials want to stick it Catholic hierarchy. Catholic universities are in a weird place right now; in attempting to appeal to many, many are struggling with their Catholic identities. So I think that Notre Dame could have very well done what ASU did, and I wonder if, perhaps, we're watching apower struggle for the university's future direction.

I should add that while I don't agree with what they're doing, I do have some sympathy for the difficulties and confusion many Catholic universities face right now. The question of what, exactly, makes a university Catholic is at issue these days: is it the Catholicic affiliation of the faculty and/or the students? Is there are ratio to be strived for? Should students be required to take theology classes? What if most of those students aren't Catholic--should they learn about church history? Or should the Catholicism be more in the background, a kind of ethos that informs the mission in a less obvious way?

are those colleges that were founded Catholic are now in the "Catholic tradition". What does that even mean. Nazareth and St. John Fisher are examples of two such schools. 2+ = to and fro

Sigh. Yeah, sadly, I think that's where a lot of RCC schools are headed these days. One of the problems is that often, in being inclusive, the identity erodes. And a lot of RCC schools don't ask a potential candidate's religious affiliation, so we're getting departments stacked with atheists and agnostics, since that's the bent of many graduate students. So then, you have faculty who see the "Catholic identity" of the school as something they hold their noses and put up with, which can't help but fundamentally affect the ethos of the school. I know for certain that most Lutheran colleges really want to maintain their identity, and look for faculty who reflect that; as an applicant for jobs at more traditional Protestant insitituions, I've been asked to sign pledges that I will not drink (or sometimes dance) if I'm hired at the school. That was the end of those applications, as I couldn't do either in good conscience.

Catholic schools have tried to avoid that, but to their peril. I feel sorry for Catholic students who do go to Catholic colleges right now, because so often they're informed so little about the treasures of our faith. It's good to have critical engagement, but it's bad when information is simply not transmitted. And often, they're made to feel outsiders, especially if they read the catechism or are interested in learning about, rather than just rebelling against, church authority.

On another note, can we spell-check?