Obama to Arizona State: I haven't done enough in my life for honorary degree

The president's remarks were his first to address the recent controversy about the school's decision not to award him an honorary degree during his commencement speech to graduates on Wednesday.

After congratulating the class of 2009, the president took on the issue in his first few moments at the podium. "Now, before I begin, I'd just like to clear the air about that little controversy everybody was talking about a few weeks back," he said. calling it "much ado about nothing."

The president joked that the controversy had taught everyone an important lesson. "I learned never again to pick another team over the Sun Devils in my NCAA bracket," he said, promising "It won't happen again." Then he added, "President Crow and the Board of Regents will soon learn all about being audited by the IRS."

Following the joke, the president seriously acknowledged that his status as president was not enough by itself to warrant an honorary degree and used the speech as an opportunity to challenge the culture of celebrity over substance in our country.

"In all seriousness, I come here not to dispute the suggestion that I haven't yet achieved enough in my life. First of all, Michelle concurs with that assessment. She has a long list of things that I have not yet done, waiting for me when I get home," the president said.

"But more than that, I come to embrace the notion that I haven't done enough in my life. I heartily concur. I come to affirm that one's title, even a title like President, says very little about how well one's life has been led - that no matter how much you've done, or how successful you've been, there's always more to do, always more to learn, and always more to achieve."

President Obama used the controversy as a teachable moment for an exhortation to graduating students. "And I want to say to you today, graduates, class of 2009, that despite having achieved a remarkable milestone in your life, despite the fact that you and your families are so rightfully proud, you too cannot rest on your laurels. . . Your own body of work is also yet to come."

Defenders of the president and critics of the university had complained that many others with lesser credentials than President Obama had previously received honorary degrees from the school, and the university was clearly a bit embarrassed by the controversy in recent weeks. Obama, a former constitutional law professor and the first black president of the United States, received a B.A. degree from Columbia University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was the first black president of the prestigious Harvard Law Review.

To help smooth over bad feelings, the university revealed on Wednesday that it was starting a new President Barack Obama Scholars program and announced the first six high school seniors who will receive the scholarship, which provides up to $17,000 annually to help students pay for tuition, room and board.