backtop


Print E-mail del.icio.us 73 comment(s) - last by Den.. on Mar 29 at 6:27 PM


Bill Gates studied computer science at Harvard College - Image courtesy Harvard News Office
Famous Harvard dropout Bill Gates finally gets a degree ... after a commencement address

Bill Gates, at the age of 20, dropped out of Harvard University to pursue his ambitions with the formation of Microsoft. Clearly, that went quite well for him, even though he was without a prestigious Ivy League degree.

On June 7, however, the world’s richest man will finally have it all when Harvard presents the Microsoft chairman with an honorary degree. Bill Gates is set to receive the degree when he delivers the school's main commencement speech. According to Bloomberg, details of the degree won't be disclosed until the morning before commencement.

"I am very pleased that the Harvard community will have the opportunity to hear from Bill Gates on June 7," said Paul Finnegan, president of the Harvard Alumni Association. "His contributions to the world of business and technology, and the great example he has set through his far-reaching philanthropy, will rightfully put him on center stage in Harvard Yard. I look forward to greeting him in June."

One can’t say that Gates’ experience at Harvard didn’t play a role in the continuing success of Microsoft. While at Harvard, Gates met classmate and future business partner Steven Ballmer, who is now the hyper-enthusiastic CEO of Microsoft.



Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled

By killerroach on 3/23/2007 6:56:59 PM , Rating: 2
... "After 30 Years, Bill Gates to Finally Receive Harvard Degree". Keeps the snark while being a bit more honest.




By walk2k on 3/23/2007 7:56:27 PM , Rating: 4
Maybe now he'll finally move out of his mom's basement and do something with his life!


By Clienthes on 3/24/2007 5:46:07 AM , Rating: 1
Second...Best...Post...Ever...


Hmmm...
By Souka on 3/23/2007 7:28:30 PM , Rating: 2
so if I drop out of college, make billions of $$, I can return years later, deliver a commencement address, and get a "honorary degree?"

so it's not a "real" degree then.... right?




RE: Hmmm...
By Hare on 3/24/2007 3:46:43 AM , Rating: 3
Yes. It's not a "real" degree

An honorary degree (Latin: honoris causa ad gradum) is an academic degree awarded to an individual as a decoration , rather than as the result of matriculating and studying for several years.

"Gates has received three honorary doctorates, from the Nyenrode Business Universiteit, Breukelen, The Netherlands in 2000, the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden in 2002 and Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan in 2005. Gates was also given an honorary KBE (Knighthood) from Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 2005," -wikipedia


RE: Hmmm...
By osalcido on 3/24/2007 4:42:01 PM , Rating: 1
if you're too stupid to figure that out for yourself... then you really don't have to worry about it anyway


a degree?
By xtknight on 3/24/2007 10:16:56 AM , Rating: 2
Screw the degree, he's already taken over the world. Why does he care about a degree?




RE: a degree?
By PWNettle on 3/26/2007 3:21:29 PM , Rating: 2
He probably doesn't care...but it's still a nice gesture.

Bill Gates success in business and his impact on technology is certainly as worthy of honorary degrees as the multitudes of other recipients throughout history.


RE: a degree?
By xtknight on 3/28/2007 6:52:26 AM , Rating: 2
Certainly, which to me is why it seems like an insult.


You guys are being silly...
By rushfan2006 on 3/26/2007 4:13:54 PM , Rating: 3
A few steps back into reality please...

1...He attended Harvard for a degree in BUSINESS. Did he drop out yes..but his purpose was to pursue his own business. What is the goal of college to get a piece of paper or to prepare you for a successful life in your chosen field/profession?

2...You are missing a HUGE point it is an HONORARY degree, they were created for that specific purpose. It is not classified as the same status, nor does society look at them the same.

3...Its just funny when people make assumptions how hard they work versus other people -- so just stop with the guessing how much Bill bust his ass or vice versa...grow the hell up are you guys 5?

4...Finally oh yeah the man built his company from the ground up into one of the most known companies in the world, is the richest man in the world AND has given BILLIONS to charities. Not to mention all the science contributions from all his little side ventures, etc.

So when you guys can attain all that..come back on this forum and whine about how Bill doesn't deserve an honorary degree.

Lastly, at least he did all the above, explain how ACTORS get honorary degrees -- that's the ones I get aggitated over.




DailyBlog
By microAmp on 3/23/2007 6:49:54 PM , Rating: 2
This title sounds exactly like the one on Slashdot.

Besides, Bill Gates has already received 3 honorary doctorates. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_gates#Awards_and...




Go Billy!
By outsider on 3/23/2007 10:17:02 PM , Rating: 2
How can you not give him a Harvard Degree? Look how sweeet he looks. Like a little innocent happy child :)




dis em
By Killrose on 3/24/2007 12:57:01 AM , Rating: 2
I think he should dis them, tell them to screw off, buy Harvard, fire the whole bunch, then start his own College. Call it Gates college or something.




Well...
By judasmachine on 3/24/2007 11:44:36 AM , Rating: 2
When he goes bankrupt and applies for manager at McDonald's it'll look good on his resume. Seriously though he's Bill Gates, he doesn't need a degree. But hey, Harvard can do what it wants.




Bill Gates is not evil...
By nightdagger on 3/24/2007 11:49:56 AM , Rating: 2
No matter how much you say that he is evil and how many underhanded things you think he did, he is a great person. He didn't just donate 1% of his wealth to charity as was posted. He has donated, if I am correct, 38.2 billion dollars. His net wealth is around 60 billion. Do the math.

People who have met him say that he is a really nice person, too. Maybe that's because he's the devil in human form as some of you think and that he is using his evil powers, but I think it's because he is a good person.

As for his business, many of the "underhanded" practices you accuse him of are things that any smart businessman would do. Make people use his product only? Sounds like a good way to make money to me.

I congratulate him on his degree (his HONORARY degree that doesn't mean for a second he could be judged for the same work the graduating students have done). He deserves a degree as arguably the most famous and most successful former student of Harvard.




funny
By knowom on 3/24/2007 6:41:21 PM , Rating: 2
I'm so tired of seeing rich and powerful people getting everything handed to them on a platter it's like the rules that apply to normal people suddenly don't apply for them. If Gates really wanted a Harvard degree he could go and earn it the right way. I'm more disgusted by Harvard than Gates it's not his fault they're tossing him a free bone I don't blame him if he takes it, but it's just disgusting how Harvard spits in the face of everyone who's earned a degree at there college the legitimate way. It's just a publicity stunt on Harvard's part.




Sick twisted people
By Regs on 3/24/2007 7:17:34 PM , Rating: 2
It's funny how greedy everybody is. The people who hate Gate's are the ones, I believe, are the greediest. Just like how Lotto winners end up going bankrupt from people coming out of the wood work to sue them.




Congratulations!
By JustKidding on 3/24/2007 10:08:14 PM , Rating: 2
Dear Bill,

Congratulations on finally getting your degree! Now you can go out into the real world and start to earn some big bucks. You never know, that Harvard degree might help you become rich and famous someday.




Claims
By bobsmith1492 on 3/25/2007 10:49:36 AM , Rating: 2
Sounds to me like Harvard is just trying to claim Bill as their own. I'd say he shouldn't take it; he is a self-made man, and Harvard did not get him there.




It paid off to Little Billy
By thartist on 3/29/2007 11:20:21 AM , Rating: 2
Don't leave school children!

...unless it's Harvard ;)




Title
By ghost101 on 3/23/07, Rating: -1
RE: Title
By shaw on 3/23/2007 6:55:27 PM , Rating: 2
Bill Gates to Finally Get "a" College Degree is indeed a correct sentence, but does not fall under the guideliness of an ideal news article headline. Bill Gates to Finall Get College Degree is correct.


RE: Title
By ghost101 on 3/23/2007 6:59:42 PM , Rating: 2
Fair enough. Actually going through the headlines of major newspapers, very few of them are correct sentences.


RE: Title
By KristopherKubicki (blog) on 3/23/2007 7:03:09 PM , Rating: 2
It's appropriate to drop articles in headlines.


RE: Title
By shaw on 3/23/2007 7:00:41 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Bill Gates to Finally Get "a" College Degree is indeed a correct sentence, but does not fall under the ideal guideliness of a news article headline. Bill Gates to Finally Get College Degree is correct in this case.


RE: Title
By Zoomer on 3/23/2007 8:22:38 PM , Rating: 2
I don't really think it is correct; they just butcher it because of space constrains.


Gates = SCUM
By Beenthere on 3/24/07, Rating: -1
I would...
By Zandros on 3/23/07, Rating: -1
RE: I would...
By outsider on 3/23/2007 11:40:32 PM , Rating: 5
I don't think anyone has worked harder than Bill Gates.

I don't think anyone will feel offended because Bill Gates has the same degree he has.

I do think this makes great honor to Harvard because it shows it as an old university with a remarkable history and tradition and at the same time with great focus on human values.


RE: I would...
By Polynikes on 3/24/2007 1:18:55 PM , Rating: 5
Although I'm sure there are a lot of people who've worked much harder than Bill Gates, that's not the first poster's point. He hasn't worked *for a degree* as hard as people who got them the normal way.

It doesn't bother you that universities use famous people to bolster their image by giving them honorary degrees? I don't know about you, but if I didn't get a job because I wasn't a woman or black, but I was the most qualified candidate, I'd be pretty pissed. It's the same idea here. Watching someone get something they don't deserve is not pleasant.

Mind you, Bill Gates deserves a lot of respect for his contributions to PCs, I just don't think an honorary degree is a fitting way to show it.


RE: I would...
By outsider on 3/24/2007 2:42:57 PM , Rating: 5
The name says it all: "honorary degree". Its purpose is only to show respect, not proof of skills. People who are given honorary degrees have already proved themselves in their life.

IMO, Harvard doesn't need Bill Gates to bolster its image, because it doesn't need to bolster its image in first place. I see this as an act of stating:

"You dropped out of school. You didn't earn your degree back then. But through your hard work and exceptional achievements in these 30 years, you have proven yourself worthy to be an Harvard ex-student. We are proud of you.


RE: I would...
By h0kiez on 3/26/2007 3:41:35 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
I don't know about you, but if I didn't get a job because I wasn't a woman or black, but I was the most qualified candidate, I'd be pretty pissed.


Funny...where I work, you're much more likely to get a job (or promotion) if you ARE a woman or black.


RE: I would...
By Den on 3/29/2007 6:27:16 PM , Rating: 2
Hehe, you two are saying the same thing, he lost you in the double negative.
quote:
I don't know about you, but if I didn't get a job because I wasn't a woman or black, but I was the most qualified candidate, I'd be pretty pissed.

So, removing the negatives, "If only women and minorities could get jobs and my white male self could not, I'd be mad."


RE: I would...
By timmiser on 3/24/2007 2:12:51 AM , Rating: 2
Well, it might make you feel just a tiny bit better that Bill Gates' Harvard degree will always have that famous little*.

*Honorary degree.


RE: I would...
By mircea on 3/24/2007 3:14:36 AM , Rating: 2
Really? Your logic escapes me.

Yeah, you might have worked hard for your degree, but just think a bit how much of that work was done on Bill's software? So you think he shouldn't get a degree because he didn't study hard enough at some school on how to create software that now is being teached in schools? Well he shouldn't, he should get something more, on line with his true accievement.


RE: I would...
By Clienthes on 3/24/07, Rating: 0
RE: I would...
By nunya on 3/24/2007 2:41:55 PM , Rating: 2
Stupidest....post....evar....

So I write a best-selling book, and I'm supposed to add him to the credits because I used Word? Guess I should add the people who made the paper it's printed on too. Dumbass.


RE: I would...
By sviola on 3/26/07, Rating: 0
RE: I would...
By Micronite on 3/26/2007 6:30:26 PM , Rating: 2
Dude, I learned to program on BASIC.
Confucius say: Don't discredit a stepping stone, you may need it to reach your goal.


RE: I would...
By Nekrik on 3/27/2007 1:46:26 AM , Rating: 2
sounds like you're talking about a certain only slightly accurate movie I saw once


RE: I would...
By BMFPitt on 3/24/2007 3:26:53 AM , Rating: 2
You do realize that basically every speaker at every graduation of every college gets one, right?


RE: I would...
By GhandiInstinct on 3/24/2007 3:29:04 AM , Rating: 2
That degree was probably made and printed using Microsoft software...

Oh the irony........

/sarcasm.


RE: I would...
By Nekrik on 3/24/2007 5:30:49 AM , Rating: 2
you make some pathetic comments.

he's more than earned the degree. None of the other 'legitimate' degree recipients have contribute 1/800 of what Bill Gates has contributed to the world, especially in the field of technology. If we were all judged by the standards that Bill was judged by we would fail miserably.


RE: I would...
By poohbear on 3/24/2007 5:46:46 AM , Rating: 2
this is more an honor to harvard than it is an honor to bill gates. It's just one more famous person it can associate itself with increase its reputation compared to the competition they're using him, all the power to em for being so pragmatic.


RE: I would...
By Polynikes on 3/24/2007 1:14:34 PM , Rating: 2
Yeah, and that's all the more reason he shouldn't accept the degree, if you ask me. Harvard's merely using him.


RE: I would...
By peternelson on 3/25/2007 2:50:40 AM , Rating: 2
If Bill really wanted a degree I'm sure he could have got one ages ago with the amount of money he has.

Every couple of days in my inbox is the invitation to buy diplomas, degrees, masters, PhD and not so expensive. Money talks ;-)

There are other schemes where you can just sit exams if you have the knowledge without taking a long course. eg Regents.

There are other universities who will assess your life experiences or eg IT certifications and take that into consideration as credit exemption.

Bill's success was not all down to his own hard work, eg he had help from his mum's influence in circles including IBM. Oh and his parents were rich which can help.

Dropping out of Harvard does not deserve applause, but it shows you can succeed in life without bits of paper from uni.

In Bills case he has a stack of paper - dollar bills and share certificates ;-) And most people I know would gladly have a few million of those than their degree.

Some people who achieve a degree still can't find a job, or one they want to do, and if they get one are lacking workplace skills like getting on with colleagues.

I suppose Harvard's place as a leading business school for MBA programmes should mean that they recognise business achievement. So it's not entirely unfitting to award one in this case.


RE: I would...
By Gannon on 3/24/07, Rating: -1
RE: I would...
By Larso on 3/24/2007 11:12:45 AM , Rating: 3
I don't know if Bill was lucky or not, but I know this: If he have had your attitude and way with words, Bill Gates would be flipping burgers today.


RE: I would...
By ksherman on 3/24/2007 2:15:04 PM , Rating: 3
Damn right


RE: I would...
By deeznuts on 3/24/2007 9:48:12 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
he's more than earned the degree. None of the other 'legitimate' degree recipients have contribute 1/800 of what Bill Gates has contributed to the world, especially in the field of technology.

None of which is relevant to a harvard degree. Nobody is discounting his contributions to the world through his philantropic measures (of which if anyone remembers he was pressured into early because of public opinion, but still great). He should get a nobel peace prize.

But again it's an honorary degree, honorary being the key word. These usually go to people who dont' really need the degree anymore, and those who earned it the hard way dont' associate it as being the same.

Mountain out of a molehill I tell ya.


RE: I would...
By kalak on 3/27/2007 9:14:24 AM , Rating: 2
I agree that Bill contribute a LOT to world (not only the IT world), but he really NOT needs that degree. I'm in the same position (work in IT for 17 years without a school degree) and they will give that to me ? Noway ! Because I'm not famous, I'm not rich.... It's a Political title, anyway... So, Harvard could say "-He study and earned a degree in Harvard !"


RE: I would...
By kalak on 3/27/2007 9:23:44 AM , Rating: 2
I agree that Bill contribute a LOT to world (not only the IT world), but he really NOT needs that degree. I'm in the same position (work in IT for 17 years without a school degree) and they will give that to me ? Noway ! Because I'm not famous, I'm not rich.... It's a Political title, anyway... So, Harvard could say "-He study and earned a degree in Harvard !"


RE: I would...
By Locutus465 on 3/24/2007 9:37:56 AM , Rating: 2
What was the point in the Queen of England Knighting the Beatles? Anyone really expect John, Paul, George and Ringo to mount white horses wearing shiny armor and defend england from invading bararian hords?

Nope, it's just a way of honoring someone and showing your respect for their accomplishments... I beleive in the years since Bill leaft harvard yard he has more than demonstrated that he could have earned that degree if it was important for him to persue it.


RE: I would...
By msva124 on 3/25/2007 6:16:34 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
What was the point in the Queen of England Knighting the Beatles? Anyone really expect John, Paul, George and Ringo to mount white horses wearing shiny armor and defend england from invading bararian hords?
Yes.


RE: I would...
By rudy on 3/25/2007 11:47:54 AM , Rating: 2
Actually you are wrong he is increasing the value of the degree. Now Harvard can say the richest man in the world has a Harvard degree. This is pretty much the point of honorary degrees. There is no doubt that Bill Gates knows more then a degrees worth about business and computers so I would not worry about it. I think you have a valid point in that he did not go through the risk and time investment and does not deserve a degree. But it certainly will not degrade the value of the Harvard degree. Harvard hands out hundreds of undeserving degrees to rich kids every year who half assed it through the system.

Gates may see this as the ultimate victory against anyone who may have scorned him for dropping out of college.


RE: I would...
By otispunkmeyer on 3/26/2007 4:21:09 AM , Rating: 2
hence why its called an honorary degree.

its not the same as a degree you studied for, its a degree to award/respect certain achievements which relate to a specific field. i'd imagine gates and MS have done alot for the computer software field, hence being rewarded.

Jeremy Clarkson, useless at pretty much everything bar driving and giving his opinion actually has 2 honorary degrees for engineering.

they were awarded to him by a top engineering university here in the UK for his services to engineering. he is a big media name over here, and his passion for engineering, which comes through on all his shows, is basically one huge advertisement, boosting the publics image and perception of engineering in the UK. the UK really needs that at the moment, most people think an engineer is the man who fixes your car, or installs cable tv. real and proper engineering needs to be promoted and seperated.

for those services, (advertising, boosting public image) they saw fit to award him. twice.

i'd imagine he might even get one for history because he does alot of stuff highlighting great history...WWII especially


RE: I would...
By 91TTZ on 3/26/2007 12:56:51 PM , Rating: 2
Come on, stop crying. This is an *honorary* degree. It's meaningless, other than to show honor.

You're acting like they're giving him a real degree.


RE: I would...
By Lampbrain on 3/26/2007 6:06:52 PM , Rating: 2
Well this helps the Harvard Economics professors not look like morons. Bill could laugh in their face, but he's accepting it so all is good.


Kim Jong-Bill
By somegeek on 3/24/07, Rating: -1
RE: Kim Jong-Bill
By BMFPitt on 3/24/2007 11:32:10 AM , Rating: 4
People look up to him because otherwise them and their entire family ill be thrown into gulags? I wasn't aware that that was the reason.

If Macs are better, why do their own commercials assume all Mac users (or potential ones) are morons?


RE: Kim Jong-Bill
By HibyPrime on 3/27/2007 1:56:41 AM , Rating: 2
Save for IBM, Apple, Samsung, Intel, AMD, ATi, Nvidia, Sony, Nintendo, what big companies in the tech industry actually innovate? /Sarcasm off

Besides, most of the "people on these PC tech sites" dislike Bill Gates.


By The Boston Dangler on 3/23/2007 7:33:13 PM , Rating: 3
let me guess, you use macs?

anyway, gates hasn't done anything that hasn't been done by people with power, since the dawn of time. and i give him props for being better at it than steve jobs. if you want to bitch about government corruption, there are plenty of more worthy targets.

is the US (or any) govt corrupt to the core?
yes, of course.

is bill gates the second coming of hitler?
no.


By Matrinix on 3/23/2007 7:42:21 PM , Rating: 2
I agree. Bill Gates has done a lot of underhanded things but either way, he was one of the main contributors that paved the path to where we are today, technology wise. Almost everyone has done something that isn't honest but just because he was the founder of Microsoft does not make him a more deserving target for flames.


By somegeek on 3/24/2007 7:19:50 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
...he was one of the main contributors that paved the path to where we are today, technology wise.


The same can be said about Henry Ford who was openly antisemitic. He even received a medal from the Nazis.


By bubbacub616 on 3/23/2007 7:49:13 PM , Rating: 2
cornfedone, you have a lot of anger dude, let it out, stop trolling.


By Xenoid on 3/23/2007 9:34:28 PM , Rating: 2
Where do you think we would be today business and technology-wise without Windows? We'd be years behind where we are now.


By KaiserCSS on 3/23/2007 8:41:45 PM , Rating: 4
cornfedone, I want you to read this carefully.

http://www.apa.org/topics/controlanger.html


By Gatt on 3/23/2007 11:15:33 PM , Rating: 5
I think you need to understand two very simple concepts.

1. Economics. Do what promotes your product. Every company in a free market economy does exactly the same things MS does.

2. If it weren't for MS and Windows, there'd be no PC market. I'm sorry, alot of people seriously need to learn that command line computing would mean computers never met mass-market acceptance. The entire computing market would be relegated to the scientific and industrial markets. No web, no games, no Nvidia, no Ati, no Creative Labs, No MMORPGs, No online economy. Nada, zip. No office computing, hundreds of thousands of jobs wouldn't exist. Vast amounts of forest would be gone due to the continuing escalating use of paper products.

People seriously need to quit with the "MS are teh evil cause some Linux/Mac addict said so!" crap and realize that without MS and a single OS, computing wouldn't be anywhere near what it is today.

It would also help a great deal if everyone under the age of 25 would do us all a favor and not talk about the subject. Those of us over the age of 25 should remember very well what it was like trying to find a specific piece of software for a specific computer/OS out of a dozen possibilities, if you were even lucky enough for someone to have developed for your system. I promise you, there is absolutely nothing good about having a dozen different computers/OS's with a dozen different ways a program has to be written. Bought the wrong computer? $2000 paperweight.(Mac users should be able to understand this one.)

Competition is only good when consumers understand how to use the product intuitively. A computer is not a Toaster, not everyone can profficiently use command line computing. Nor is there any positive to having a dozen different OS's, because then it results in less software available, as has been historically proven.


By jsshah1 on 3/24/2007 2:56:23 PM , Rating: 2
exactly, some other os would have dominated the market, some other company exec would have been given a degree and some other toll would be looking to flame him/her on some other tech blog. i.e same story, different name.

The fact is, we needed a unified platform, we say it would be soo much better without microsoft, but there always will be some company looking to make money which would have taken its place.

To think, we all could be flaming steve jobs. well one can dream.


By SleepNoMore on 3/24/2007 5:17:21 PM , Rating: 2
I think Gatt is right on. I'm fairly certain Bill Gates - definitely had the IQ to get a real bonafide degree. There's that saying "those that can do and those that do teach." While I'm quite aware of the zillion Microsoft shortcomings and predatory practices so what? He had the vision to get it done and price a GUI based system correctly. Yeah somebody else could have done it BUT THEY DIDN'T. So what? Had Apple taken it's head out of it's ass and priced the Lisa correctly they could have owned the market. Vision and the balls to see something through coupled with common sense is the epitome of any successful project. Paraphrasing Frank Herbert "..or your (gene) stock itself would have been self-evident." Another paraphased quote I remember from a Bill Gates interview talking about when he was 19 and working with some older seasoned software types: "The thing that I liked about mathematics was...it's a great equalizer - you either knew the answer or you don't." BG has shown a lot of maturity with his money and given a f*ck of a lot of it back to worthy causes.

Steven Speilberg actually went back through film school a couple years back to get a non-honorary degree. While I find many Spielberg films schmaltzy and contrived in places, I think it must have been embarassing to even attempt to be his "professor" in one of those classes. I mean..what is someone going to teach him about film production, directing and editing? Sheesh.


"So if you want to save the planet, feel free to drive your Hummer. Just avoid the drive thru line at McDonalds." -- Michael Asher














botimage
Copyright 2009 DailyTech LLC. - RSS Feed | Advertise | About Us | Ethics | FAQ | Terms, Conditions & Privacy Information | Kristopher Kubicki