Commencement Address Was University President's Downfall

[Demovictory9]

The embattled president of the University of South Carolina resigned on Wednesday, days after he delivered a commencement address marred by allegations of plagiarism and a misidentification of the school itself. In a news release, the school announced that the chairman of its board of trustees had accepted Bob Caslen's resignation, thanking him for his service.

The board last weekend refused Caslen's verbal resignation offer. It came as Caslen acknowledged taking two paragraphs without attribution from a speech by Adm. William McRaven, the Navy SEAL in charge of the mission to take out terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, the AP reports. Caslen, who delivered the address to graduates on Friday, had called that an oversight.

Caslen also referred to the school as the “University of California” during his remarks. After gasps from the crowd, he said, "Sorry about that, I owe you push-ups," per CNN. He apologized Wednesday in a note to the school’s faculty, staff, and students, saying that "when trust is lost, one is unable to lead."

Caslen’s rise to the presidency in 2019 had been met with criticism. Student and faculty leaders opposed the retired general and US Military Academy superintendent, arguing he lacked qualifications, such as a doctoral degree or university research experience, and knew little about the school. Harris Pastides, Caslen's immediate predecessor who led the system for 11 years, will now serve on an interim basis during a search for a permanent replacement, officials said.

https://www.newser.com/story/306105/university-president-quits-after-plagiarism-allegations.html

[dalton99a]

1. "When you are a general in South Carolina, they let you do anything"

Just don't fuck up the name of the university you are presiding

[Demovictory9]

2. lol... yeah

[brush]

3. Damn! Talking about a bad hire. Who hired him needs to go too.

[spooky3]

4. Take a look at this description of the screwed up process:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_L._Caslen

"On July 19, 2019, Caslen was selected as the 29th president of the University of South Carolina. He was initially among a group of four finalists for the position. While Caslen was reported to be the front-runner,[20] there was significant controversy about his nomination, given that he does not possess an earned doctorate and because of alleged comments made during open campus sessions regarding binge drinking and sexual assault;[21][22] among faculty and students, 82% opposed Caslen's candidacy.[22] It was later discovered by the Post and Courier that Mr. Caslen's name was added to the finalist list only after the intervention of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees as Caslen was not originally a finalist or an agreed upon alternate nominated by the presidential search committee.[23] On April 26, the university Board of Trustees decided to reopen the search. However, it was revealed on July 8, that South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster was urging members of the board to meet by the end of the week to vote on Caslen's candidacy for president.[22] This caused more controversy, with the university's faculty senate unanimously passing motions to formally criticize the lack of transparency in the search process and to issue a vote of no confidence in Caslen to lead the university.[24] Several alumni and donors also opposed the intervention of the governor in the presidential search; notably businesswoman Darla Moore, writing as "the largest donor to the university and the namesake of one of the largest schools," urged the board to abide by the April 26 decision to continue the search.[25] and the SACS Commission on Colleges opening an inquiry into the search to determine if there was undue outside influence.[26] One trustee, Egerton Burroughs, believed that the opposition to Caslen was entirely political, stating, without evidence, "A lot of the people that are demonstrating are from out of town. I heard some of that Kamala Harris crowd is there … got this thing all tied into the Democratic primary," though Burroughs was unaware his comments were being broadcast.[27] Despite the opposition of faculty and students, on July 19, Caslen was elected as the 29th president of the University by the Board of Trustees by a vote of 11–8, with one member voting "present".[28]"


Wiki also reported he had another ethical lapse previously:

"According to a report by the Office of Inspector General, Caslen, fellow Army General Vincent K. Brooks, and Air Force generals Peter U. Sutton and Jack J. Catton Jr "violated the ethical guidelines of the military that forbid officers to promote private organizations" when they appeared in a video for an evangelical organization Christian Embassy.[12] At the time, he was Commandant of Cadets at West Point. In a letter, he said he would be more vigilant about such improprieties going forward.[13]"

Great guy, with lots of great guy connections. The students and faculty had it right.

[brush]

5. Yeah. What a bungled process. Almost makes one think money changed hands.