(Photo by Paul Atkinson - KJZZ)

Barack Obama spoke at ASU's commencement ceremony in 2009.

Colleges and universities often attract attention, and sometimes even donations, for their graduation speakers. A lot of those speakers are given honorary degrees or doctorates.

Bill Cosby’s recent scandal and subsequent legal problems have led to several universities, including Marquette and Brown, to rescind his honorary degrees. But, in the changing world of higher education, why are the honorary degrees still passed out?

Scott Jaschik, who leads editorial operations for Inside Higher Ed, spoke about the topic.