Star figure skater Michelle Kwan wanted to be seen as just another University of Denver student during her stint at her school. But, of course, just another University of Denver student wouldn't have been featured in her own DU press release at sheepskin-collection time. Following her graduation this weekend, DU posted a piece headlined, "Figure skater Michelle Kwan Adds DU Diploma to List of Accomplishments," in which she says, "It was a turning point in my life when I came to DU." That's the kind of celebrity endorsement every institution of higher learning covets, and it's already paid off in a tangible way: Yesterday, People magazine published pairing Kwan's berobed walk with that of fellow skater Sarah Hughes, who earned a Bachelor's degree at Yale.
For admissions officers, those are blades of glory.