Former Real Housewives Housewives of Atlanta cast member Sheree Whitfield was recently given an honorary doctorate degree from Christian Harvest University.
“I am truly honored and grateful to receive my second honorary doctorate degree! This current honorary doctorate is from Harvest Christian University,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “I want to thank God, my family, friends, & supporters for always rooting for me in this journey called “life”. I never thought I would be saying Dr. Shereé Whitfield EVER, but that goes to show you that the man above has the final say 🙌🏽. If GOD is with you, Who could be against you?”
Shortly after the post was made, her Instagram username was changed to Dr. Sheree Whitfield. Despite her elation, the nod to the honor drew the ire of some social media users who shared their discontent in the comments.
“A degree with no education… how dreadful,” one user wrote. Another commented: “I was thrilled until I read it was honorary. Can’t call yourself a doc unless you go through defending your thesis, examination, and met all doctoral requirements. I have three degrees I have worked, stressed, and many sleepless nights to study/write papers. I can’t congratulate someone who didn’t earn it like the many of us who are still paying student loans years later. Sorry. Not sorry. Still love ya gal.”
I agree with the latter statement.
For years, I’ve watched celebrities of varying stature be given honorary degrees to which the school officials say is because of their life’s work. While some celebs definitely fit this description, others do not.
With that, it’s not surprising Whitfield’s latest honorary degree moved some onlookers to share their discontent. I understand that receiving a degree of that kind is merely a vanity measure and doesn’t hold any educational weight, but it can feel like a bit disrespectful to the people who sacrifice time, money and sometimes their mental health to complete rigorous degree programs.
Another example of recent backlash came when comedic social media influencer and actress Vena “Pretty Vee” Excell was given an honorary doctorate degree of humanitarian arts.
At the top of her Instagram caption announcing the feat, she writes “from now on, address me as Dr. Excell.” The announcement garnered mixed responses, with some congratulating the popular online personality and others making their displeasure known.
“If you didn’t study and put the work in, you will never be a doctor,” one comment under the Instagram post reads, garnering more than 1k likes. “These honorable diplomas are a slap in the face to people spending all of their life savings going to college.”
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In response, Excell took to social media to address the criticism.
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“I see a lot of people that are hating and they have said, ‘I don’t deserve this,” Excell stated in a video. “It’s so sad because I put in so much work behind the scenes. People are saying, I don’t deserve it. It’s just so sad. It’s so sad. But I appreciate everybody who has congratulated me, friends, family, my supporters. I love you all. I love you all so much. Do your research on what honorary means.”
To her point, I understand an argument can be made that some celebrities have demonstrated excellence through their lived experiences, thus justifying receipt of the degree. In most cases though, that is simply not the case.
For example, Real Housewives of Atlanta viewers watched Whitfield struggle for years to launch a clothing line and when she did, it was widely panned because of operational failures and price gouging. Yet and still, she received an honorary doctorate degree in business administration and entrepreneurship.
With the student debt crisis still raging on, a topsy turvy hiring economy and rampant corporate discontent plaguing millions of degreed workers, I think it’s time for some educational institutions to exercise a higher level of discernment when bestowing certain honors, otherwise, degrees may start to lose the last bit of value they have.
