{"id":595,"date":"2019-07-02T20:25:22","date_gmt":"2019-07-02T20:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nyadfactcheck.com\/annex\/2019\/07\/02\/diana-nyads-academic-freedom\/"},"modified":"2024-12-04T17:23:18","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T17:23:18","slug":"diana-nyads-academic-freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nyadfactcheck.com\/annex\/diana-nyads-academic-freedom\/","title":{"rendered":"Diana Nyad\u2019s Academic Freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update, 19 June 2021: Added Nyad\u2019s recent on-camera<\/a> statement that she holds a PhD.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

A FEW WEEKS AGO<\/strong> [ed: as of July 2, 2019], Diana Nyad hit 25K at newspapers.com<\/a>. If you search for \u201cDiana Nyad\u201d (with quotes), you now get over 25,000 matches.<\/p>\n

To commemorate this milestone, the Annex plans to publish a series of lists that will consist of quotations culled from articles and interviews. Each list will focus on a single subject important to Ms. Nyad.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll begin with her academic achievements.
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<\u00b0))\u0302)\u0316)><\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0><((\u0317(\u0302(\u00b0><\/p>\n

DIANA NYAD NEEDS<\/strong> you to know that she is the most special person on earth. So she lies about her Manhattan Island swim, about jellyfish dangers, about the Olympics, about the English Channel. She lies about everything, including her education.<\/p>\n

Nyad received a BA at Lake Forest College in 1973. She then enrolled at NYU for one year. I find no evidence beyond her own statements that she pursued any graduate degree after that<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For Diana, though, not even a swim from Cuba to Florida would make her more worthy of admiration than having \u201cPhD\u201d attached to her name. Nyad\u2019s remarks about her academic credentials betray how hard it was to let go of the dream of a doctorate\u2014just as hard, it turns out, as it was to abandon the dream of swimming the Florida Strait.<\/p>\n

At this point, you may be saying to yourself, \u201cShe never abandoned Cuba-Florida.\u201d Perhaps, but I believe that both<\/em> quests ended the same way: with Diana Nyad claiming an honor she didn’t earn.<\/p>\n

Onward!<\/p>\n

1975 (before swimming around Manhattan): <\/strong>\u201c\u2026I came back to New York City that fall [of 1975], still working on the degree in comparative literature\u2026.\u201d (Find a Way<\/em><\/a>, p. 63)<\/p>\n

I Am Sooo Done<\/h3>\n

1975: <\/strong>\u201cSuddenly, after the Manhattan swim, a PhD in comparative literature seemed irrelevant.\u201d (Find a Way<\/em><\/a>, p. 68)<\/p>\n

Or Not<\/h3>\n

1975: <\/strong>\u201cMs. Nyad, a doctoral candidate<\/strong> in comparative literature at NYU recently swam around Manhattan island in record-breaking time\u201d (NY Daily News<\/a><\/em>, 13 Dec 1975).<\/p>\n

1976: <\/strong>\u201cShe is working on her doctorate<\/strong> at New York University\u201d (Barnard Bulletin<\/em><\/a>, 2 Feb 1976).<\/p>\n

1977: <\/strong>\u201cDiana Nyad\u2026is a pretty 27-year-old woman rated the top marathon swimmer in the world and a soon-to-be Ph.D.<\/strong> in comparative literature at New York University\u201d (Minneapolis Star<\/a>, 19 May 1977).<\/p>\n

Tossing In The Towel<\/h3>\n

1978: <\/strong>\u201c\u2026until recently [she was] working on a doctorate<\/strong> in comparative literature at New York University. No longer\u201d (Cuba to Florida: The Hard, Wet Way<\/a><\/em>, NY Times<\/em>, 21 Mar 1978).<\/p>\n

Psych!<\/h3>\n

1978: <\/strong>\u201cShe speaks five languages fluently, has studied at the Sorbonne, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Lake Forest College\u2026and is just a dissertation (on the Russian writer Turgenev) away from a Ph.D<\/strong>\u201d (A Free Spirit Tries to Plunge Into History<\/em><\/a>, Miami News<\/em>, 16 June 1978).<\/p>\n

1978: <\/strong>\u201cWhy does Diana Nyad, honors graduate of Lake Forest College and doctoral candidate in comparative literature at NYU<\/strong>, want to swim from Havana, Cuba, to Marathon Key in Florida?\u201d (The Daily Pantagraph<\/em><\/a>, 8 July 1978).<\/p>\n

1979: <\/strong>\u201cShe nears completion of a Ph.D. in comparative literature<\/strong>\u201d (Fort Myers News-Press<\/em><\/a>, 26 Aug 1979)<\/p>\n

1980: <\/strong>\u201cThe second-ranked women\u2019s squash player in the New York area, Ms. Nyad attended Lake Forest College where she was named to Phi Beta Kappa, and now is a doctoral candidate in the field of comparative literature<\/strong>\u201d (The Pittsburgh Press<\/em><\/a>, 23 Sep 1980).<\/p>\n

A Master\u2019s Can Be Epic Too<\/h3>\n

1979: <\/strong>\u201cNyad, a Lake Forest (Ill.) College graduate, suspended her pursuit of a Master\u2019s degree in comparative literature<\/strong> at New York University to tackle some swimming challenges and learn to play squash\u201d (Indianapolis Star<\/em><\/a>, 24 Apr 1979).<\/p>\n

Who Knew It Was That Easy?<\/h3>\n

1981: <\/strong>\u201cA master\u2019s degree in comparative literature from New York University<\/strong> hasn\u2019t hurt Diana Nyad\u2019s ability to jump into and command conversation\u201d (Pittsburgh Press<\/em><\/a>, 22 Sep 1981).<\/p>\n

1981: <\/strong>\u201cShe studied at the Sorbonne; has a Phi Beta Kappa key from Lake Forest College \u201973, graduate degree in comparative literatur<\/strong>e\u201d (Ft. Lauderdale News & Sun-Sentinel<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0 21 Jun 1981).<\/p>\n

Still, It Would Be Nice To Marry A Doctorate<\/h3>\n

1981: <\/strong>\u201c[Nyad] is working toward a PhD in comparative literature<\/strong>\u201d (Detroit Free Press<\/em><\/a>, 20 Nov 1981).<\/p>\n

Well I\u2019ll Be, There\u2019s A Dissertation About Turgenev In My Swim Bag<\/h3>\n

1978: <\/strong>\u201cShe is now the 14th-ranked squash player in the country, holds a PhD in comparative literature<\/strong> and can order a meal in four different languages\u201d (Fort Lauderdale News<\/em><\/a>, 4 Jun 1978).<\/p>\n

2021:<\/strong> \u201cAnd on the other hand, who\u2019s gonna tell me I can\u2019t \u2014 I can\u2019t do this, that, this, that. And on the other hand, I\u2019ve had many things in my life: a PhD\u00a0. . .\u201d (Fail it Forward<\/a><\/em> podcast, 26 Apr 2021).<\/p>\n