2008 Woodie Awards
UPDATED: Faculty Senate calls for Poshard's resignation
Catherine Klene
Issue date: 10/18/07 Section: News
The SIUE Faculty Senate voted Friday to call for Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard's resignation.?The vote comes after nearly two months of debate over instances of plagiarism in Poshard's 1984 doctoral dissertation.
A plagiarism review committee made up of seven SIUC faculty members determined Oct. 11 that the instances were considered "inadvertent plagiarism." The committee recommended to the SIU Board of Trustees that Poshard correct the errors and that no further action be taken. The BOT passed a resolution endorsing the recommendations.
In response, the Faculty Senate to move their scheduled November meeting to Friday, with the results of the review committee and a petition to call for the SIUE's separation from the SIU system as the only items on the agenda.
University archivist Steve Kerber submitted historical information to the Faculty Senate, including plagiarism policies from the time when Poshard was working on his dissertation.
"I think what I did was provide some additional information to inform the discussion," Kerber said. "What I found, and what others found, is that the concept of plagiarism was very well known in the 1980s at American universities, and that graduate students were then, as they are now, very well informed about what constitutes plagiarism, the need to avoid plagiarism and the need to pay a great deal of attention to the form of the dissertation."
Kerber said the call for resignation accurately reflected the disappointment of students and faculty at SIUE.
Faculty and students attended the meeting to voice their opinions and to await the Faculty Senate's response.?Philosophy professor Robert Ware addressed the senate, calling for SIUE to take a stand against the review committee's decision by maintaining scrutiny and media attention on the matter.
"(The vote) was preceded by a very well-informed and well-rounded, thoughtful and careful discussion," Ware said. "I was relieved that the Faculty Senate recognized the need to take quick action."
A plagiarism review committee made up of seven SIUC faculty members determined Oct. 11 that the instances were considered "inadvertent plagiarism." The committee recommended to the SIU Board of Trustees that Poshard correct the errors and that no further action be taken. The BOT passed a resolution endorsing the recommendations.
In response, the Faculty Senate to move their scheduled November meeting to Friday, with the results of the review committee and a petition to call for the SIUE's separation from the SIU system as the only items on the agenda.
University archivist Steve Kerber submitted historical information to the Faculty Senate, including plagiarism policies from the time when Poshard was working on his dissertation.
"I think what I did was provide some additional information to inform the discussion," Kerber said. "What I found, and what others found, is that the concept of plagiarism was very well known in the 1980s at American universities, and that graduate students were then, as they are now, very well informed about what constitutes plagiarism, the need to avoid plagiarism and the need to pay a great deal of attention to the form of the dissertation."
Kerber said the call for resignation accurately reflected the disappointment of students and faculty at SIUE.
Faculty and students attended the meeting to voice their opinions and to await the Faculty Senate's response.?Philosophy professor Robert Ware addressed the senate, calling for SIUE to take a stand against the review committee's decision by maintaining scrutiny and media attention on the matter.
"(The vote) was preceded by a very well-informed and well-rounded, thoughtful and careful discussion," Ware said. "I was relieved that the Faculty Senate recognized the need to take quick action."
Viewing Comments 1 - 8 of 10
Andrew B.
posted 10/19/07 @ 9:21 AM CST
I completely agree with the Faculty Senate. If I were to plagiarize any of my papers like he did I would be kicked out of the University in a heartbeat, with no questions asked. (Continued…)
Pam
posted 10/19/07 @ 10:47 AM CST
It seems a shame that the faculty voted to ask for Poshard's resignation. Can every faculty member role out their theses and projects and pass the same litmus test?
pdonahu
Pam
posted 10/19/07 @ 11:19 AM CST
How many faculty would like to pull out their dissertations, theses and projects and have them subjected to the same litmus test?
Do you really want to have this man resign over errors that should have been caught by his committee?
By the way, are any of his committee members still teaching. (Continued…)
Pam
posted 10/19/07 @ 2:55 PM CST
Thanks, Erik
I'm sure someone will see Dr. Swinburne's name and hunt him down to get him to give his pension monies back.
Students do not realize all the advantages they have in writing papers today. (Continued…)
Jill
posted 10/19/07 @ 3:02 PM CST
Please check out my English 101 classes blog about the plagiarism scandal!! http://plagiarismscandalatsiu.blogspot.com
Frances12BDB
Frances
posted 10/20/07 @ 6:26 AM CST
What a crock! Let's look at everybody's dissertation--assuming everyone actually did one.
Frances12BDB
frances
posted 10/20/07 @ 6:28 AM CST
Oh, Eric--give it a rest! The DE, which did the famed 'hoax' (hey was the Alestle advisor advising the DE then?) story is the 'source' of your claims against Poshard? If you're citing to the DE's 'study', then also cite to the very cogent criticism which followed. (Continued…)
The wisdom of children?
posted 10/21/07 @ 6:28 PM CST
Jill Jill Jill. Maybe you never got a ph.d. and don't understand the process. But that does not excuse unleasing carping students in a Hitler-youth style putsch. (Continued…)
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