B.U. picks a chick
Well, I don’t think it’s a big a deal that the new president of Bradley University is going to be a woman. But the J.S. seems to think so, judging by this headline: “:Woman may be Bradley’s next president.”
And commenter SPAZ is more concerned she’s from Kentucky:
She is from Kentucky how smart can she be? I bet a person in the back of the room can count all of her teeth. Did she acually wear shoes or was she barefoot? Her husband is probably her brother too! WHAT where they thinking?
Because, as you know, Peoria is the classiest town in Illinois.
Welcome to the Paris the Midwest, Dr. Joanne Glasser.
Update: I did a Google search for “Eastern Kentucky University scandal” and found nothing. So much for investigative journalism. 
Update 2: PJStar.com has deleted the offending comment.
Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates 
It’s nice to see that JS commenters have taken a break from their usual racist remarks to throw in a few misogynistic comments. It’s good to have a little variety.
At least she doesn’t have a hyphenated last name. PCU
A chick! A chick! Is that all we are to you, Billy?
Diane: Not at all! Sometimes I think of them as “dames” and “broads.” The gals at the office don’t seem to mind.
Sounds like she’ll make a great president if some of my reading is representative. Interesting note — I don’t believe that she is “Dr. Joanne Glasser” but rather President Glasser or Joanne Glasser, Esq. It doesn’t appear that she has a doctorate.
She has a Juris Doctorate (law degree), but they do not go by the name Dr.
RomanII: If true, that will make her the first university president in the universe who didn’t slap the title “Dr.” in front of his/her name whenever possible. Hell, that would make her the first academic to do so.
Peo Proud, re: Interesting note — I don’t believe that she is “Dr. Joanne Glasser†but rather President Glasser or Joanne Glasser, Esq. It doesn’t appear that she has a doctorate.
Her bio: “a Juris Doctorate Degree from The University of Maryland School of Law”
A law degree IS a doctoral degree, though it is rare in the U.S. for lawyers even in academia to be called “doctor.” However, if you take your JD to Europe, where most law degrees are bachelors (LLB or similar) rather than advanced degrees, it’s far more common for JDs to be called doctor. And “Esq.” has no formal meaning in the United States, never has, and I think it’s frankly a little pretentious.
Is that why so many lawyers use it?
Eyebrows – a good distinction (i should have clarified my point). While the ABA appears to support the use of Dr. by attorneys, it doesn’t appear to be widely used in practice. My point was, and is, that that a juris doctorate is more of a professional degree than the traditional research PhD. Again, not anything against her qualifications and experience (which appear to be extremely diverse and well-suited for a university presidency).
“My point was, and is, that that a juris doctorate is more of a professional degree than the traditional research PhD.”
Ask Ms. PH because she does hardcore appellate stuff, but lawyers do dissertation-style research on a 12-week deadline and people can gain or lose their freedom based on our research and analysis. Most people defending their dissertations don’t have a directly-opposed hostile dissertation in the room bickering with them in addition to the judges!
I get tired of being told that JDs aren’t “academic” degrees and that we don’t do “academic” work. Some lawyers don’t, it’s true, but many do. But apparently if you do it on deadline and in a courtroom where it concretely affects the fates of actual individual people, that’s not academic enough.
(And yes, I wrote an academic masters’ thesis. People say, “It’s not the same kind of research.” It’s EXACTLY the same kind of research, lawyers just get paid better for it and much more of the source material is computerized and indexed.)
“My point was, and is, that that a juris doctorate is more of a professional degree than the traditional research PhD.â€
What exactly do you think law school is all about? It is, in fact, 90% research and review and analysis and study. Very few courses actually deal with the “practice” of law, and usually not until the final year of schooling. I have attended graduate level courses in “traditional research PhD” programs and nothing compares to the work I did in law school every day and continue to do every day in my practice.
Before you critize a profession, you should try and learn a little about the people who practice such profession. On average, I write three appellate briefs a month. Doesn’t sound like much to you, I’m sure, but each appellate brief is usually between 40 and 50 pages of written research and analysis. Each brief is a completely different and totally complex issue. And I don’t spend all my time writing and researching. I have to meet with clients, appear in court, teach other attorneys, write motions and other documents, and keep abreast of the DAILY opinions handed down by state supreme courts, federal courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court. Being a GOOD lawyer is all about research. If I don’t do enough research, or I miss something during my research, my clients suffer. They lose their freedom if I screw up.
I have no idea what the new president’s legal background is. However, suggesting she doesn’t meet the same level as a “research PhD” is ridiculous. I’ve seen the educational qualifications of some “research PhDs” and, frankly, the difference between having three letters behind your name and two is non-existent.
By the way, I do not use Dr. or Esq. and never will. I don’t need a label. All I need is my reputation and my name. That wins me more cases than most.
“Each brief is a completely different and totally complex issue.”
I think so many people don’t understand this about lawyers. Trial work requires you become an absolute master of all the information about an entire topic AS WELL AS all the law. Medical malpractice lawyers, for example, need to know as much about procedure X as the finest procedure X surgeon in the country and they have to learn it in weeks.
As you said, PH, law school doesn’t teach you the law per se … it’s just the framework on which the classes are hung. What law school teaches is rigorous thinking and rigorous argumentation. One of my professors called it the last true generalist’s doctorate (as most areas become more and more specialized all the time).
Ms. HP (and to a lesser extent EM) — I think you misunderstood me (probably my lack of verbal acumen). I wasn’t criticizing her background at all. I was making an observation (let me try to be a little more precise this time) that she doesn’t have a PhD — the traditional route to academia especially President positions….with the notable exception of Law School professors who typically have a J.D. as background.
In fact wiki states: “The Juris Doctor (J.D.), like the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), is a professional doctorate. The Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.S.D.), Doctor of Judicial Science (S.J.D.), and Doctor of Comparative Law (D.C.L.), are research and academic-based doctorate level degrees. In the U.S. the Legum Doctor (LL.D.) is only awarded as an honorary degree.”
I would note that a medical degree is as untraditional a route to a campus Presidency as a law degree — not bad — just untraditional for positions other than in law or medical schools. I’ve done some additional research and continue to maintain that I think she is a great choice.
As someone married to an individual who has written more than a few briefs for both the local and appellate federal court, I fully understand the amount of research, time and effort that goes into that work. Sorry if I hit your nerve — but wasn’t trying to disparage the legal profession (they do that well enough on their own).
And yet, if you listen to those ads that run on the radio, all you need is a computer program to create stunning legal documents that will hold up in court.
Billy – when did you start listen to conservative talk radio? That’s where I always hear those ads!
I always cringe when those ads come on and hope that no one with a real legal need puts their fate in their own hands and computer ability. While I know they can be suitable for a minor issue – when it comes to issues like wills, power of attorney, end of life issues, etc. I want to KNOW that my attorney knows what she’s talking about…..
The ones from more reputable companies (that typically don’t sell via late-night TV or talk radio!) often aren’t bad. The trouble is that if your situation deviates from the norm, the forms won’t fit your deviation and that could get you into trouble. (And, more to the point in estate/end-of-life planning, most people aren’t real clear on what they actually need and may do a living will when they actually wanted or needed a health care power of attorney. And those “avoid probate with a living trust” packages are just a bare step shy of a scam.)
But some of the other ones … ! Saw a client with a DIY home sale contract from some shady company that apparently came from someone living in 1962 (outdated law) who had very bad grammar and no ability to organize paragraphs in a logical order.
I guess I am running a little on the grouchy side this week but I take offense to the line B.U. hires a chick. Would you say that B.U. hires a cock if it was a man? I think this conotation was very inappropriate. You may think that the ladies in the office don’t mind being called broads or other names when in fact they probably do but just pass it off to your unmannerly name calling. We ladies really don’t appreciate these names.
I guess I needed to spell it out more clearly.
I used that headline as a sarcastic response to the Journal Star’s own headline: “Woman may be Bradley’s next president.” I would have hoped we were beyond the point where being a college president AND a woman was a freak occurrence.
Sorry you misunderstood my attempt at irony.
Apology accepted. Like I said I’m a little on the grouchy side this week. Been dealing with the government and that raises my temperature a whole lot and other things tend to get noticed then.