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You’ll recall that we’ve offered some, um, perspective on IVC President Glenn Roquemore’s curious approach to choosing commencement speakers. (See Too political and That’s some leadership!)
This year, as usual, the Commencement Speaker Committee, comprising wide representation, selected three speaker candidates from a master list that they had assembled. They sent those names forward to the President for consideration.
Well, whatever. Process Schmocess, I guess.
Rhodes was entertaining, if manifestly unoriginal. (I barely listened to him, occupied as I was by my photographic efforts. I do remember his bit about marrying somebody smarter.) But, immediately after the ceremony, I started hearing from faculty who found Mr. Rhodes’ address—oh, kinda familiar.
Since that day, several faculty have sent us a link to a recent article in which NPR lists advice from the book The 10 Things You Won't Hear At Commencement by Charles Wheelan.
Gosh, that advice does seem awfully familiar.
Oh my.
Draw your own conclusions.
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28 comments:
We don't need a decent president, just one that follows process and respects the work of others. Oops, i guess that is decency.
No comment on the speaker. I heard people liked him a lot though, that he spoke well. But yeah, plagiarism, sort of hard to defend for a college.
As usual though, there's no defense or explanation, just silence. Just like when Glen announced the choice. No explanation as to why the other candidates weren't chosen.
Yes, exactly. Typical Roquemorian leadership. And he plans to be the next Chancellor!
To recap, this speaker was all over the place. He first spoke of his upbringing in Alaska, and made a few black/"Eskimo" jokes. OK.
He then commended us IVC grads on the fine achievement of.... not being prison inmates? Thanks.
After this, he went into the mildly amusing, cliched advice which is now apparently (but not surprisingly) far from original. I believe he also mentioned that this day was the first day of the rest of our lives.
If I'm missing the finer points of his speech, perhaps I was just a little dazed by the sun in my eyes.
Oh my. This is really disappointing. One reason we have tried to move away from motivational speakers and professional speakers wanting to earn a buck on the lecture circuit is this kind of thing. I bet the defense from Glen and others will be "But everybody liked him so who cares?"
At some point someone has to care about the college's integrity and if the president of the college can't see this for a problem and publicly address it - well, dang.
We should try and get speakers who know who we are and have a connection to the college.
The committee did not use the process developed in previous years - there was no discussion of the merits of each candidate, no discussion about the problems with forwarding candidates unlikely to say yes, no discussion period.
Process is important - especially in a committee where membership often changes yearly.
Despite that, even though a thoughtful process was NOT used, event the results of this problematic process were ignored without any consult from the president's office. Of perhaps he just consulted the members of the committee who shared his own views.
Does the speaker get paid for the speech?
As I understand it, the speaker gets a stipend, a few hundred dollars.
Obviously Glenn was pressed for time in choosing a speaker and chose this guy because he knew him. I think that is what probably happened: the top 3 bowed out and he had to do something. I agree he should have said something then, at least to the committee and he should say something now. Don't our students get reprimanded for plagiarism? Fail classes and such? Isn't there some kind of code?
So your Gustavo bowed-out? Why then all the fuss about not selecting him this year? Perhaps he took the offer that paid him the most? That damn capitalist!
Er, Anon at 4:02, as I understand it, Gustavo was not among the finalists this year though he has been for the last 2 or 3 years...He also is by no means, "ours."
4:02, are you really this stupid? Read it again. He did not "bow-out." He was never asked. He wrote about his rejection (two years ago) over on the OC Weekly online.
I've been led to understand that plagiarism is required in SOCCCD. See Reeve, Derek.
That guy on the left looks like Roy, face all torqued and all...
When students plagiarize, they are held accountable - as they should be.
I don't know what can be done in this case - and it DOES look like a case of plagiarism. It would have been different - of course - had the speaker credited the source. But he didn't. Very unfortunate, embarrassing, etc.
I think having the commencement speaker turn out to be a plagiarizer is just a perfect metaphor for so much. And the official silence about is even more telling. Just perfect.
If this is indeed plagiarism--and it does seem to be--then I don't think anything should be done.
Something should be done about a system that allows a knucklehead to run a college.
(I'm being nice. "Knucklehead" isn't so bad.)
But wouldn't a president of integrity be out in front of something like this?
I don't think Glen really "runs" the college as much as he watches it be run by others...periodically he steps in and mucks stuff up like this and the Classified Employee of the Year Award. Trying to be some kind of player. Usually he is too passive to do much - so he lets it be done by others.
I agree with the last comment. I think Glenn shows a consistent lack of leadership. He doesn't provide enough oversite of the VPs, especially the VPI who is running amuck.
Don't expect real communication from the office of the president.
It's just an endless chirpy PR campaign to paint him and the college in a bright celebratory light.
Because Glen doesn't see fit to visit the department or school meetings or even cruise the hall ways to say good morning or hello, it could be that he doesn't really know the extent of people's concerns...except of course for the dissenting views expressed on the blog, which of course we know he reads (most people do) - but does he comment? - NO. He can't even do that.
It's almost like Glen is afraid of faculty and staff.
I pointed out to someone that lately people have had a hard time spelling Glenn's name.
More and more often they spell it "Glen" instead of "Glenn."
The person informed me that Craig had stolen Glenn's second "n" and is refusing to give it back, hence the proliferation of "Glen."
Some people, many people perhaps, believe it is bad form or impolitic to point out this kind of thing and it's best to be quiet about it. No harm, no foul kind of thing. I suspect that is why the admin has said nothing and never will.
Its interesting how neither Glenn nor his hand-picked Classified Employee of the Year were even present for the Classified Staff Development Day event. I don't understand, Poertner and Burnett were there, Where was Glenn?
In fact, as long as he's been at IVC, the winner has never participated is any kind of staff development whatsoever. Makes it all more suspect.
Addition to 10:44. The annual Classified Staff Development Day event is where the winner of the Classified Employee of the Year is announced by the President of each respective College. Again, where was Glenn?
Glen was looking for his "n."
There was a university where a dean plagiarized a commencement speech and he had to resign.
Would it have been too much trouble for the guy to simply give credit where credit was due? It would have added only 20 seconds to his speech. How embarrassing.
"Wear sunscreen." -NOT Kurt Vonnegut
http://www.wesselenyi.com/Vonnegutstory.htm
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/06/29/principal-accused-of-plagiarism-at-esteemed-manhattan-school-for-writers-and-artists/
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