Monday, September 26, 2011

Deo volente



This story reached me via a reliable little bird.

So President Poshard is sitting at a table with some other Important People, and behind him there is a SIU seal. The seal, pictured above, includes (in addition to what in hindsight looks like a bit of smoke behind a burning Old Main), a Latin expression you may be familiar with:

D E O  V O L E N T E 

President Poshard apparently read the seal for the first time in his life. "So that's where they got that from!" says our President, who thereby showed that he had no clue what the motto of SIU was. Also that he was a reader of this blog, which we may want to count in his favor.

Perhaps, perhaps, as a Latin teacher, I am a bit sensitive here. But in my view if someone asks you why so many faculty here at SIUC are disgruntled, this little anecdote is one pretty efficient way to tell them. We have a university president who is too intellectually lazy to recognize the Latin motto of his university, a motto on a seal he has stood in front of dozens upon dozens of times.

If he asks you what the motto means, by the way, tell him "shared governance". God willing, he'll fall for it.

6 comments:

  1. Glenn Poshard is a disgrace to this university. No wonder enrollments have been steadily dropping since 2005. When he leaves Senate should introduce a resolution mandating that no ex-politician ever hold a position of power here again.

    ReplyDelete
  2. While I generally agree with your sentiment, enrollment was dropping before Poshard became our president.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, but it accelerated afterwards.

    ReplyDelete
  4. From the Data Book on Illinois Higher Education

    Year Fall Undergrad Change from
    Enrollment previous year
    (Headcount)
    1993 23881
    1994 23162 -719
    1995 22418 -744
    1996 21863 -555
    1997 21908 45
    1998 22251 343
    1999 22323 72
    2000 22552 229
    2001 21598 -954
    2002 21873 275
    2003 21387 -486
    2004 21589 202
    2005 21441 -148
    2006 21003 -438
    2007 20983 -20
    2008 20673 -310
    2009 20350 -323

    ReplyDelete
  5. The data speaks for itself. Also we should not think that Cheng acts alone. Poshard appointed her and publicity should also be directed against this ignorant plagiarist. The longer he stays in office, the more damage he will cause to SIUC and the local community.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Speaking of seals, here's a time filler: visit Lipman Hearne's website Educational Client link, randomly cut 'n paste some of the listed university names in a google search to find their websites, notice the logos that appear, and how many are either their seal or a structure/building-related. http://www.lipmanhearne.com/home/clients/educationalInstitutions.aspx
    And, as per President Poshard, the University has had 21 logos in the last several years.?.?.?.?

    ReplyDelete

I will review and post comments as quickly as I can. Comments that are substantive and not vicious will be posted promptly, including critical ones. "Substantive" here means that your comment needs to be more than a simple expression of approval or disapproval. "Vicious" refers to personal attacks, vile rhetoric, and anything else I end up deeming too nasty to post.