91AV’s Anouar Majid interviewed by news outlet covering higher education in the Arab world

Anouar Majid

Anouar Majid, Ph.D., 91AV vice president of Global Affairs and Communications, was quoted in an article Al-Fanar Media, a news outlet specializing in academics in the Arab world. The article, titled, “Academics Uneasy About Honorary Degrees for Rulers,” discussed the controversy over awarding degrees as gifts to political leaders.

Last year, Egyptian King Salman bin Abdulaziz received an honorary doctorate from Cairo University. Majid stated, “On the one hand, it’s risky to offer honorary degrees to politicians and heads of state because it could send the wrong message that universities support the politics of the recipient. On the other hand, a politician may deserve recognition for supporting an educational or cultural program.”

“Conferring an honorary degree is like naming a building after a donor—he may turn out to have engaged in illegal practices and the university would have to consider removing his name from it,” he said. “In any case, honorary degrees are symbolic; they don’t indicate credit for academic work.”

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The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.