2008 Woodie Awards
'Inadvertent plagiarism'
Committee findings recommend Poshard revise dissertation; BOT endorses review results
Catherine Klene
Issue date: 10/16/07 Section: News
The Southern Illinois University Carbondale faculty committee charged with reviewing SIU President Glenn Poshard's 1984 doctoral dissertation for evidence of plagiarism announced Thursday that it found instances of "inadvertent plagiarism" and recommended he correct the errors. Additionally, the committee recommended no further action be taken regarding the matter.
The SIU board of trustees passed a resolution endorsing the committee's findings and recommendations.
After a special meeting of the BOT Friday, the majority of which was held in closed session, BOT chair Roger Tedrick said the board was satisfied with the committee's findings.
"The board does not feel that (Poshard) committed plagiarism, as we understand it," Tedrick said.
The committee said in the report Poshard used an informal style consistent with many other graduate students' works at the time. The committee defined the instances of inadvertent plagiarism as plagiarism "which may result from carelessness, misremembering … or inadequate understanding of the citation required of authorship within a particular community."
This definition was based on a working definition of plagiarism from the Blue Ribbon Panel, established a year ago by the university to better define plagiarism.
Chair of the review committee Ramanarayanan Viswanathan said because there was no willful intent to steal another's work, the instances were not labeled "deliberate."
An emotional Poshard stood by his previous statements that he had not committed plagiarism, saying he had simply made errors.
"I believe that what I did was make honest mistakes," Poshard said. "Nevertheless mistakes are mistakes, and I have to accept my responsibility and correct them."
Poshard said everyone involved worried about the effect this issue would have on the university, but he was not worried about his own image.
"I'm not worried about my image. My image is okay," Poshard said. "I believe anybody with a measure of fairness will understand that I'm trying to do the right thing here."
The SIU board of trustees passed a resolution endorsing the committee's findings and recommendations.
After a special meeting of the BOT Friday, the majority of which was held in closed session, BOT chair Roger Tedrick said the board was satisfied with the committee's findings.
"The board does not feel that (Poshard) committed plagiarism, as we understand it," Tedrick said.
The committee said in the report Poshard used an informal style consistent with many other graduate students' works at the time. The committee defined the instances of inadvertent plagiarism as plagiarism "which may result from carelessness, misremembering … or inadequate understanding of the citation required of authorship within a particular community."
This definition was based on a working definition of plagiarism from the Blue Ribbon Panel, established a year ago by the university to better define plagiarism.
Chair of the review committee Ramanarayanan Viswanathan said because there was no willful intent to steal another's work, the instances were not labeled "deliberate."
An emotional Poshard stood by his previous statements that he had not committed plagiarism, saying he had simply made errors.
"I believe that what I did was make honest mistakes," Poshard said. "Nevertheless mistakes are mistakes, and I have to accept my responsibility and correct them."
Poshard said everyone involved worried about the effect this issue would have on the university, but he was not worried about his own image.
"I'm not worried about my image. My image is okay," Poshard said. "I believe anybody with a measure of fairness will understand that I'm trying to do the right thing here."
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 6
Megan
posted 10/16/07 @ 10:30 AM CST
This is so annoying! If I would have done what he did, I would have been kicked out of my program. In his very own university he should follow the rules and suffer the consequencees. (Continued…)
Bill Jamison
posted 10/16/07 @ 6:55 PM CST
Tha INADVERTENT thing sure seems hard to comprehend!
Why not give him the death penalty?
Frances12BDB
Frances
posted 10/20/07 @ 6:34 AM CST
HMMM, is that AFAC I smell? So, you didn't win in Carbondale, now you've taken the fight to Edwardsville. Any players in common? Like a newspaper supervisor who didn't make it in Cdale? Let's investigate him and his 'degrees'. (Continued…)
Mean People well, you know
posted 10/21/07 @ 9:16 PM CST
Students at the Alestle--you need to ask faculty members (even if it's your own advisor)--are you a member of AFAC? You there? Are you charged with doling out negative headline after negative headline--wghich was precisely the thret leveled at Poshard 2 years ago in the Dussold case. (Continued…)
Erik
posted 10/22/07 @ 8:44 AM CST
The DE has censured the students.
In response to all of negative comments the paper has recieved for their coverage of the Poshard story, the paper has elected to suspend all comment postings online. (Continued…)
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