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Blagojevich mum on charges against Poshard
By Kurt Erickson
kurt.erickson@lee.net
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SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich is refusing to weigh in on plagiarism charges facing the president of Southern Illinois University.

Spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch said Monday she would ask the governor for his opinion about the allegations against President Glenn Poshard, a former congressman who served with Blagojevich in the U.S. House.

But Tuesday, in an email exchange, Rausch said the governor would not be commenting on the situation.

’’This issue is between Congressman Poshard and the SIU Board of Trustees and we do not believe it’s appropriate to comment,’’ Rausch said.

Poshard, who visited the Capitol Tuesday, is accused of plagiarizing parts of his master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation.

Six senior SIU faculty members have been named to a committee that will investigate the allegations against Poshard.

Poshard said his visit with the governor Tuesday was related to a statewide construction program, which remains under debate in the House and Senate.

He refused to talk with reporters about the plagiarism allegations.

’’I’m not making any comments,’’ said Poshard as he entered the governor’s office.

The review committee, which is expected to begin meeting Wednesday, will forward their recommendations to the university’s board of trustees for further action.

Blagojevich has no direct power over who serves as president of the state’s public universities but he does appoint the trustees, who hire and fire the presidents.

The governor’s silence on the allegations appears to be a departure from past practice. In 2005, Blagojevich took a more active role in monitoring the status of an environmental lawsuit pending against Illinois State University trustee Jay Bergman’s oil drilling firm.

At the time, Blagojevich said he would wait until the outcome of the case to decide whether to replace Bergman. The case was eventually settled and Bergman remains on ISU’s board.

In addition to naming Poshard to the SIU board of trustees in 2004 and then backing Poshard’s selection as president of the university a year later, Blagojevich tapped the one-time gubernatorial candidate in 2004 to serve as chairmen of the then-embattled Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board.

At the time, the governor said Poshard and two other appointees would bring ’’a high caliber of personal integrity to the board.’’

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Reader comments on this story - 3 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

Poshard Former Democrat Governor Candidate wrote on Sep 19, 2007 7:13 PM:

" Poshard has no class what so ever and when he was the democratic candidate for governnor he kept the press, his own campaign workers, and the voters across the state waiting for hours before he would make his concession speech. That gave me an insight in to his character. Seems I was right about this one as well. "

Par for the course wrote on Sep 19, 2007 1:12 PM:

" SIU's president accused of plagerism! YES. SIU's president trying to get salaries of him and other high ranking admins blocked from public access. YES. I guess you get what you pay for, and if the value of an SIU degree is measured by it's 3 time Alum and current president Poshard, it's not saying a lot. "

GREAT wrote on Sep 19, 2007 9:12 AM:

" Dah what do I do NOW. Will he tell on me if I tell on him. Is he really from CHICAGO?? I am so CONFUSED WHAT SHOULD I DO??? "
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