CSU Faculty Voice: Another reader responds to Ms Iherjirika's Sun Times article

Friday, February 6, 2015

Another reader responds to Ms Iherjirika's Sun Times article

This email was forwarded to me and I am sharing it here. Not everyone buys the p.r. account of the Watson administration's travails that Ms Iherjirika parroted from the Tom Wogan playbook in the Sun Times today. Perhaps the Sun Times needs to hear from a few more of its readers.

Ms. Iherjirika:

You are wrong about Chicago State University being the only public university in Chicago that serves a predominantly minority population.

The majority of the Northeastern Illinois University student body is African American, Latino or Asian American.

Chicago State University is the only predominantly black institution (PBI) in the Chicagoland area, and the only PBI in the state of Illinois. But it is not the only predominantly minority-serving public university in Chicago.

This lack of knowledge about higher education in Chicago and unwillingness to do even the most rudimentary bit of research is reflected in the rest of your disappointing article.

Dr. Watson's tenure at CSU has been a failure from the beginning. Enrollment has plummeted by over 30% in five years. He has been sued multiple times for wrongful dismissal. Mr. Crowley's victory in court is only the first loss for Dr. Watson, and, considering his testimony was impeached and shown to be deceitful, it is very likely the university will lose the other pending law suits resulting in several multi-million dollar verdicts.

Your article is full of language that was obviously written for you by the CSU Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Tom Wogan. The writing style and vocabulary is unmistakably his. You did not even bother to alter the style to match your previously published articles.

Also, Dr. Henderson committed plagiarism. Suing to prevent someone from doing the right thing does not absolve Dr. Henderson of plagiarism. A junior high school student could understand the regulations of the UIC School of Nursing and the violations in Dr. Henderson's dissertation.

After Jodi Cohen scooped you and the rest of the Sun-Times on the story and quoted three national experts on plagiarism in her story after providing them with copies of the dissertation, your pathetic defense of her misconduct speaks to true lack of journalistic integrity on your part.[sic]

I previously respected you as a reporter and your writing as a trustworthy news source. Now, I know that my trust in you was seriously in error.

-- A former reader from the South Side

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Thanks to Haki Madhabuti

"1. He/she must be a scholar of national note, with significant peer review publications and books in his or her field. There must be no doubt as to his/her standing in the community of scholars. This would also include a history of the candidate’s participation in the appropriate professional organizations.

2. He/she must have served with distinction as the administrative head of a major unit within an institution of higher learning or at the important position of Provost and/or Dean. Of course, prior service at the presidential level is preferred.

3. He/she must have a documented history of raising significant monies from the private and public sectors. At most major and research one universities it is not unusual to expect the president to come with a plan to raise in excess of half a billion dollars or more in the first few years.

4. The prospective president must have a consensus buy-in from the faculty, students, administration and staff, therefore, arriving with a unity mandate to lead by joining a University community that has bought into his or her vision for the future."

From an open letter to the CSU Community, 2009.