Yale U. Wastes No Time in Acclaiming This President Bush

You don’t need an Ivy League degree to figure out that Yale University is intent on not making the same mistake twice.

Back in 1991, more than two years after George Bush had moved into the White House, Yale University awarded him an honorary doctorate. The then-president’s son, George W. Bush, lashed out at Yale for taking so long to make the gesture.

In January, Yale wasted no time in displaying its pride in seeing the once-critical son ascend to the presidency. On the day after President Bush (Class of 1968) was inaugurated, Yale ran a full-page advertisement in The Washington Post and the International Herald Tribune congratulating him.

A Yale spokesman refused to comment on whether Mr. Bush’s past statements about the university played any role in the advertisement. The ad also mentioned the new president’s father (Class of 1948) and two presidents who graduated from Yale Law School -- Gerald Ford (1941) and Bill Clinton (1973).

“The genesis of the ad was that the new president is an alumnus of Yale, and that fact means that four of the last six U.S. presidents have had Yale degrees,” said Thomas P. Conroy, a Yale spokesman.

Mr. Conroy said the ad was paid for by two alumni who wanted to remain anonymous.

It’s not clear how President Bush felt about the advertisement. Calls to the White House were not returned last week.

http://chronicle.com Section: Government & Politics Page: A21