In this week’s flashback, we take a look at Sarah Schmidt’s piece on the University of Toronto’s 1997 decision to award George Bush Sr. an honorary Degree. Schmidt rightly skewers the university for choosing to honour a man who played a decisive role in classic American misadventures such as the 1987 Iran-Contra scandal and whose greed and ruthlessness was the driving force behind the first Gulf War (for which he was found guilty of war crimes). The piece also highlights the cosy relationship between our “institutions of higher learning” and corporate and political power by painting a succinct picture of the relationship between Barrick Gold chief Peter Munk, Bush Senior, and U of T. Depressing, if not surprising, Schmidt provides a persuasive rational for the cynics among us.

Sarah Schmidt, "The Graduate," This Magazine, 1997.