Let me begin by saying that I didn’t seek a terminal degree
(what those of us in academia call a PhD) for mercenary motives, ego
gratification, or the desire to be taken more seriously by others. Albeit for me to say that those reasons may
be the driving force behind some who are in pursuit of that prestigious honor. While the endless hours spent researching,
being humbled by tenured faculty mentors and the drudgery of data analysis
often felt crippling to me, my ultimate goal was the become more intellectually
engaged and to be able to be more critically sophisticated in the study of communications
in which I endeavored.
That brings me to my soapbox for this blog entry. And yes, I’m calling it a soap box, because since
2007 when I graduated with my PhD from the “Mecca” (Howard University), I’ve
had to defend my choice to dedicate seven years of my life to academic studies
which many believed (and probably still do) to have no true payoff, other than
allowing me to have my summers off as a college professor.
A few weeks ago, I watched HBO 24/7: Mayweather vs
Cotto, a reality/documentary, and there were a number of comments about the fact
that Cotto’s training had a doctorate.
In fact, Mayweather’s uncle said in the episode that Dr. Diaz was going
to have to sew Cotto’s a*# up after the
fight. I’d beg to say that Roger
Mayweather doesn’t know what kind of ‘doctor’ Diaz is and really doesn’t care,
but was clear in making the point that his type of education wasn’t going to be
what allowed Cotto to win in the ring.
By now you know…Cotto didn’t win the fight, but that doesn’t make Dr.
Luis Diaz’s PhD in Pedagogical Sciences any less important. Believe me, there is great value in studying the
science of learning and teaching learning from a number of perspectives. My hope is that Cotto sticks with his
professor/boxing training and allows him to better develop his own skills as a
coach. For me, there’s something about a
mixed approach (scientific know-how and years of experiences) that makes us
better at what we do in life.
Fast forward this past Saturday. While watching the NBA playoffs I sat there
listening to Charles Barkley take shots at Shaquille O’Neal who was awarded his
PhD in Organizational Learning and Leadership from Barry University. Contrary to what Mr. Barkley had to say, my
search of news stories revealed that Dr. O’Neal did indeed spend the last 4 ½ years
working through the degree program and earned a 3.8 GPA. While accommodations were made for him
(professors would fly to him at various locations and hold one-on-one classes
or video conferencing was used) the degree is valid and he is worthy of
congratulatory honors for his dedication and commitment to academic excellence. The way Dr. O’Neal got through schools is
pretty much the same way I did. The only
exception was that professor’s weren’t flying around the country to meet me; I
was spending long hours in their homes, writing, re-writing, being lectured to
and of course being mentored. Shaq said
in a television interview that his mother always stressed the importance of
education and that he knew at an early age that his education was never finished
and that you’re always learning. So
while, Shaq’s peers are bestowed honorary degrees, he can hold his head proud
and say that he worked hard and truly earned his position among the ranks of those
assumed to have the highest intellectual capital.
So let me leave you with this. Dr. Luis Diaz and Dr. Shaquille O’Neal are
not frauds like that guy Shereé from the Housewives of Atlanta was dating. They, like thousands of others who hold PhD’s
from accredited universities, have worked long and hard to earn the right to be
called doctor. So the next time you
decide to take a shot as someone with those endearing three letters behind
their name or choose to question their credentials think twice!
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