Daily Egyptian

SIU President Glenn Poshard held a press conference Tuesday to dismiss allegations made against him by some of the members of the Board of Trustees.

After the board elected a new chairman at its annual election Thursday, trustees Roger Herrin and Don Lowery made accusations through area media organizations, stating the administration at SIU had limited the role of the trustees in affairs on campus, among other statements. Poshard began a rebuttal against those statements Wednesday by reading a letter written by newly-elected chairman John Simmons.

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“Dr. Poshard is being crucified by two board members today because he has dared to stand up to their threats of intimidation and bullying which they have perpetrated on the majority of the board as well as staff and other campus officials,” Poshard read.

In spite of allegations that Poshard had been involved in arranging the removal of Herrin as chairman, Poshard said at the conference that each of the Board of Trustee members had received threats from the Governor’s office stating they must reelect Herrin as chairman, or the board would be wiped clean of its trustees next year.

“I said to that person that called me from the governor’s staff: “Fine. You will not intimidate me. I will not run away from you in fear, I’ve never done that in my whole life and I’m not starting it right now,” he said.

For more information on the press conference, see Wednesday’s edition of the Daily Egyptian.