KUDOS TO DR SHAQ

Shaquille O’Neal earns honest-to-goodness doctorate degree

I have often made snide remarks about the semi-pro athletes that are referred to as ‘student athletes’ by our nation’s colleges and universities. Their graduation rates are dismal in football and hardly any basketball players ever manage to graduate.

That is why I am surprised to learn that former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal has just earned a doctorate degree in education from Barry University.

Barry University is not a diploma mill. It is a private, Catholic university, which was founded in 1940 in Miami Shores, Florida and is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami.

Sincere congratulations are in order for Dr. Shaq! He made millions playing in the NBA and continues to make millions in product endorsements. He certainly did not need a degree. The fact that he did so and went far beyond the bachelor’s degree is simply amazing.

Shaq’s degree was not an honorary degree bestowed upon him by a university looking for media attention or for a benefactor – he earned an honest-to-goodness doctorate degree. Shaq took and passed all the required courses over the years and submitted an acceptable dissertation to earn his degree.

Shaq has indicated several times that he would like to be a top cop somewhere in America. Last October he told The New York Times that he was “going to be running for undersheriff in Lake County, Florida." If I lived there I would not hesitate to vote for him.

Kudos to Dr. Shaq!