Word: 350th
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...Ronald W. Reagan, a graduate of Eureka College and a lifetime opponent of Eastern liberal power, decided not to accept Harvard's longstanding offer to attend the 350th, citing scheduling difficulties. His staff announced the decision this March after Harvard, which has lobbied vigorously against the education-related policies of the president since he took office in 1980, chose not to award an honorary degree to Reagan or any other invited guest...
Meanwhile the president and Mrs. Reagan are scheduled to celebrate the 350th by riding horses, chopping wood and sunning in the California mountains, where they have been since August 16. Usually one of the deadest times in Washington, the late summer is generally vacation period for the Congress and the White House...
...seems that although the University spent five years and millions of dollars to organize and finance the 350th celebration, for a variety of reasons it just couldn't match the chemistry between this ivory tower and the White House in the 1930s...
Harvard students and faculty, and at times the administration as well, have exhibited more than a little antipathy toward the conservative California Republican. When Harvard invited Reagan more than 18 months ago to attend the 350th, protesters called the president "the enemy of higher education" and lambasted President Derek C. Bok for asking his indulgence. Protesters were especially disturbed by the strong possibility that the president, if he accepted the invitation, would receive an honorary degree, as tradition dictates...
Responding to the pressure, the seven-man governing Corporation early last October broke with the tradition and decided it would not confer honorary degrees, Harvard's highest honor, at the 350th as they had at the 300th and the 250th anniversary celebrations. One administrator called the decision "the only graceful way out" of a confrontation with the Harvard community...