Governor names Glenn Poshard to SIU Board of Trustees
"I received a call from the governor's chief of staff Lon Monk on Wednesday, Jan. 14, and he asked me if I would consider a possible appointment," said Poshard, who retired from SIUC in July. "Then I spoke with the governor two days later on Friday morning. He was very gracious and asked me if I would take the position. I agreed."
Poshard will be the first three-degree graduate of SIUC to serve on the Board and says he appreciates the opportunity to continue to help the University system move forward. Poshard, a respected Democrat, will fill a vacancy created by Mark Repking's resignation in 2003. Poshard's term expires in 2005.
"I'm really thankful for the opportunity and will work hard to do the best job I can as a trustee," Poshard said. "I really feel there is a corner being turned, and the next few years will be a great time to be associated with SIU. The University is progressing, and things are in place for the University's campuses to take off."
Poshard says he hopes to be an active advocate for the University. " I'm not coming to be a critic, but to make things work better."
Poshard recognizes the potential of SIU's component parts. "SIUE sits in such a unique position to appeal to the needs of the entire urban area," Poshard said. He pointed out that the campus has a history of responding to the community's needs and will continue to reach out as the area grows. "We have a new pharmacy school coming on line, and it will only complement SIUE's dental school," he said. "SIUE holds a very important position, and it makes a difference."
On the Carbondale campus, Poshard recognizes the importance of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment. "I want to be very supportive in terms of making the plan work," he said. "It will continue to improve the quality of the University in so many ways. I want to make it come alive." The plan, crafted while Poshard served as SIUC's vice chancellor for administration, charts a course for the SIUC through 2019 when the institution celebrates its 150th anniversary. By then, SIUC aspires to be one of the top 75 public research institutions in the country.
He is also interested in the research and activities at SIUC's School of Medicine. "The medical school is just a great gem we have. I want to meet with Dean Kevin Dorsey and others to get a sense of their vision." He added that the school's continued service to medically underserved areas in rural downstate communities is vital to Illinois at large.
While Poshard is officially retired, he's busier than ever. Much of his day is devoted to the Poshard Foundation that he founded to help abused children across Southern Illinois.
"I get up at 5 a.m. every day, and I love it, but look what I'm doing," he said, smiling. "I'm running the foundation, and last year we had our best year ever. I'm chairing the Egyptian Boy Scout Council, and that's a place where our youth learn leadership and other important values. And as a board member on the Illinois Hospital Association, I can continue to help communities with medical issues."
"Now I'm going to serve on the SIU Board of Trustees. I'm really putting in more hours than when I was working, but I'm having a great time."
Blagojevich's appointment won kudos from pundits statewide. The Champaign News-Gazette's editorial dated Jan. 28 summed it up this way: "We agree, and support Poshard's appointment to the SIU board, not for any single reason, but for more than 30 years of reasons, and for his service as a teacher, a legislator, a volunteer and an advocate for the vulnerable."
Poshard, a native of White County, says the appointment brings his life with the University full circle. A man who has always valued education, Poshard arrived on campus as an undergraduate after serving in the U.S. Army. He would go on to complete three degrees at SIU Carbondale, a bachelor's in secondary education (1970), a master's in educational administration (1974) and a doctorate in administration of higher education (1984). He went on to teach at high schools in Thompsonville and Galatia.
He served as director of the Southern Illinois Educational Service Center in Benton from 1975 to 1982. That year he ran and lost in the Democratic primary for state senate. Two years later he was appointed to fill the same 59th District senate seat after his primary opponent, Sen. Gene Johns, died while in office. Three months later he was elected to the seat and was re-elected in 1986. He was elected to Congress in 1988 and served in Washington for 10 years. Poshard made headlines in his earliest days in Congress when he decided he would not accept money from political action committees.
Poshard's reputation for honesty and ethical government became an integral part of the Illinois governor's race in 1988. Poshard and his wife, Jo, live in rural Carbondale. -- Sue Davis
-- Sue Davis
Glenn Poshard, a veteran public servant with longstanding ties to SIU, is the newest person appointed to the SIU Board of Trustees. Gov. Rod Blagojevich asked Poshard to join the Board in January, and Poshard says he couldn't be happier.
February 11, 2004