A Lesson for The University of Iowa?

From the Chronicle of Higher Ed Italian Official Bans Honorary Degrees, Saying Celebrity Recipients Bring Dishonor Rome — Citing the need to protect the “prestige” of Italy’s university system, the country’s higher-education minister, Fabio Mussi, ordered its 66 public universities on Wednesday to stop granting honorary degrees for the rest of the year. The move followed last week’s controversy over the University of Turin’s decision to award an honorary bachelor’s degree in economics to Jonella Ligresti, 40, who is chairwoman of one of Italy’s largest insurance companies, a family business, but who was previously known as a medal winner in equestrian events. The university acted over the objections of Mr. Mussi, who by law must sign off on all such degrees before they can be granted.