SC Senator, former Congressman call for Caslen’s resignation after plagiarism fiasco

A powerful state senator publicly called for the resignation of University of South Carolina President Robert Caslen following plagiarism and a slip of the tongue during his commencement speech.

On the Senate floor Tuesday, S.C. Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Richland, called on Caslen to resign.

Harpootlian, whose district includes the University of South Carolina, said his phone and email were filled over the weekend by professors, staff and students who were concerned about the Saturday commencement speech.

“If he is the military man of honor that I think he is, he will resign,” Harpootlian said.

During his Friday graduation speech, Caslen accidentally referred to USC graduates as being from the “University of California” and shortly after plagiarized a quote from retired Navy Adm. William McRaven.

In an interview with WIS, Caslen acknowledged his unattributed use of McRaven’s quote was plagiarism and apologized to those who lost their trust in him.

The flap drew so much blowback Caslen offered to resign over the weekend, USC spokesman Jeff Stensland confirmed. Caslen told WIS he still had the support of Gov. Henry McMaster and the board of trustees.

McMaster spokesman Brian Symmes confirmed in a text message to The State that the governor spoke with Caslen but did not elaborate on what was said.

Former U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham, who announced last month he is running for governor, called on the board to accept Caslen’s resignation.

“By rejecting his resignation, the Board of Trustees has set a double standard for the president and its students,” the Charleston Democrat said in a statement. “There exists, and it is enforced on students, a code of honor at UofSC. Plagiarism is a serious violation which has seen students suspended and/or expelled. To hold the employed face of this cherished institution to a different, lesser standard is a slap in the face to anyone who holds a degree from Carolina.”

“The board should be ashamed by its inaction on holding President Caslen accountable,” he added.

Cunningham said the Board of Trustees’ “political loyalty to Governor McMaster demonstrates the need for serious reform to our state’s higher education system.”

“South Carolina should transition away from Boards of Trustees and instead move toward more independent oversight and accountability through a Board of Regents system like our neighboring states have successfully implemented for decades,” Cunningham said.

Charles Williams, a board of trustees member who was initially critical of the process by which Caslen was hired, said the university has to hold its president to at least the same standards as it does its students.

“It’s just hard to have a policy that you can get expelled from the university for plagiarism and you have a lesser standard for your president,” Williams said.

“It’s very serious,” Williams said. “To act like it’s not serious, that it’s just okay, is not just not right.”

While Caslen has faced widespread blowback for the speech over the weekend, many still support him.

Eddie Floyd, USC’s longest serving board of trustees member, said USC should not jump to conclusions on how to move forward following the commencement speech fiasco.

“I just think we need to sit back and think about things a little bit. I don’t think we should make a rash decision,” Floyd told The State. “We had a president who came in and it was real tough circumstances. During the pandemic he did an unbelievably good job.”

USC women’s basketball Coach Dawn Staley tweeted support for Caslen.

“I just came up from air after losing a sibling,” Staley tweeted. “I just want to say to @Bob_Caslen thank you for your commitment to @UofSC. It is when we are in the midst of our hardest day true leadership rise. Win the war Prez!”

USC’s student body president, Alex Harrell, also expressed support for Caslen on Twitter Monday evening.

“Character is a virtue President Caslen speaks about often. He has exemplified it his entire life, from saving countless lives during 9/11 to his leadership during COVID-19. His commitment to and care for our student body is incredible and a growing rarity in higher education,” Harrell tweeted. “It speaks volumes about his character that he could admit he made a mistake and furthermore commit to fixing his mistake. I am honored to work with and serve with such an incredible public servant.”

Caslen has been no stranger to controversy since arriving in South Carolina. When he was announced as a finalist to replace then- President Harris Pastides, students protested his candidacy because of his connection to the Iraq war, his military service in South America and his lack of doctorate degree, The State previously reported.

USC’s board, which was also divided on Caslen’s candidacy, reopened the presidential search in 2019. But then McMaster forced a yes-or-no vote on Caslen, resulting in Caslen being named president. The influence of McMaster, who is an ex-officio chair of USC’s board but does not attend board meetings, drew a formal inquiry from USC’s accrediting body, which found “undue political influence” — something that could have compromised the university’s accreditation. While USC’s accreditation is no longer threatened, the school is still dealing with the aftershocks of the accreditation inquiry.

Harpootlian criticized Caslen’s hiring as president.

“He was the wrong choice,” Harpootlian said. “Clearly, this is the last demonstration of evidence of that.”

S.C. Sen. Mia McLeod, D-Richland, agreed.

“It’s called ‘plagiarism,’ (and) any student who does the same will be kicked out faster than he/she can say, ‘Univ. of California!,’” McLeod said in a tweet sent Tuesday afternoon. “Thanks @henrymcmaster⁩ for strong-arming the ⁦@UofSC⁩ board to hire Caslen over more diverse, qualified candidates.”

S.C. Sen. Brad Hutto, the minority leader, said he was “disappointed and embarrassed.”

“If a student plagiarized a piece in my class, he would have been reported,” Hutto, who has taught classes at USC said. Hutto is an Orangeburg Democrat.

Harpootlian and a number of other Democrats expressed concerns with USC’s Board of Trustees, whose members are confirmed by the legislature. The Richland Democrat said the board has historic, institutional issues, adding that the General Assembly “needs to address a systematic problem at the University of South Carolina.”

“The board is more concerned about the politics than institution running,” Harpootlian said.

“This is a problem we need to address before we give them the millions of dollars we intend to give them,” he added.

One Republican member of the Senate, Sen. Ronnie Cromer, stood up for Caslen, saying he had a hard time listening to Harpootlian’s comments.

“I hate to see a person of his stature be mischaracterized as such,” Cromer said.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.