ateneo honors plagiarism, rejects manny pangilinan’s honorable act of resignation
Response of the Board of Trustees on the issues arising from the Commencement Address of MVP
date posted: 2010-04-12 14:59:56
SPECIAL BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
11 April 2010The Board of Trustees met on April 11, 2010 to deliberate on the issues arising from the commencement addresses of its Chairman, Mr. Manuel V. Pangilinan, on March 26 & 27, 2010. The Board reviewed the history of the case, from the writing of the speeches to the posting of the blogs, from the response of Mr. Pangilinan to the reply of Fr. Nebres issued on April 3, 2010. It kept in mind as well the concerned statements from faculty, students, staff, administrators and the public at large.
The Board came to the following conclusions:
1. The Board considers the matter of plagiarism very serious, particularly for an academic institution. It recognizes that Mr. Pangilinan considered this a very serious matter that has caused him deep embarrassment and pain. With him, the Ateneo community has struggled with the issue and engaged in a deep reflection on its own values of honesty and integrity.
2. In its discussion, the Board kept in mind the Catholic moral tradition which for culpability considers not just the seriousness of the matter but also whether there is full awareness and consent. It recognizes that the matter is serious, but that the plagiarism happened without full awareness on the part of Mr. Pangilinan.
3. At the same time, the Board acknowledges with deep respect Mr. Pangilinan’s immediate and full acceptance of responsibility and apology for this mistake. This is particularly admirable, because in acting in this manner, he spared others from this responsibility. This is a rare example of humility, selflessness, and leadership in our midst.
4. The Board accepts Mr. Pangilinan’s apology as the appropriate response to this unfortunate incident.
5. However, the unanimous decision of the Board is not to accept Mr. Pangilinan’s resignation. It expresses full confidence in his leadership as Chairman.
6. On the matter of the honorary degree conferred on Mr. Pangilinan, the reasons for the conferment are articulated in the citation. These are his visionary leadership, his love of country and service and commitment to our people, his generous self-giving to our country, the Ateneo de Manila and many other institutions. These remain unchanged.
In conclusion, the Board of Trustees asks Mr. Pangilinan to please reconsider his resignation from the Ateneo Board of Trustees. There is so much to be done, not just for the Ateneo, but for our country and people. His leadership is needed today more than ever.
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A sad, sad day has come to the Ateneo where the decision and actions by its board of trustees in this case of plagiarism has spoken louder than the words they have crafted on their justifications.
To their young students in the Ateneo, it simply says that the high standards they once held for integrity and truth no longer exists. Plagiarism and other forms of violations of integrity and intellectual property are now permissible acts in the Ateneo blessed from the very top guardians of its moral standards.
It is really sad to see what the Ateneo has now become and for what is now stands for. This was a very poor example to its grade school and high school students from whom they pretend to demand excellence and integrity.
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If only the Ateneo board has accepted MVP’s resignation with regrets, the book will have been closed. As it is, this recent move further fans the fires of controversy by writing another sordid chapter. There are more lessons to be learned, long after the speech has been delivered.
The second to the last sentence sounds like a line from Barrack Obama’s victory speech. =)
The second to the last sentence sounds like a line from Barack Obama’s victory speech. =)