SIU Trustees were unable to meet today, a day after the Illinois Senate rejected three new appointees to the Board. But the lack of an official meeting didn’t stop one Board member from clashing with the University’s President over ongoing conflicts and problems.
SIU President Glenn Poshard says Governor Pat Quinn’s office tried to influence the newly appointed Trustees, encouraging them to make Roger Herrin the Board Chairman.
“We all know what happened here. There’s no sense in trying to spin the truth. That’s exactly what happened, and then the Governor comes out for the third time, with his spokesman, and says, ‘We weren’t involved in this.’ They certainly were involved with it, and that’s the problem.”
Trustee Roger Herrin was selected yesterday as temporary Chair of the Board, until new officers can be elected. He flatly denies any influence – and says he’s had no conversations with the Governor’s office.
“I do not believe that they were given any instructions at all to support me for Chairman. Do not believe that.”
Herrin and Poshard agree that there is conflict on the board, and they both point fingers at each other when it comes to blame. Further, Poshard says representatives in the Metro East are furious with the way John Simmons, Ed Hightower and Mark Hinrichs were dismissed from their positions, and are making their displeasure known in Springfield and elsewhere.
