Stop Me Before I Vote Again

Sam Johnson once observed of some noble literary gent, "I had thought to find him a lord among wits; but found, he was only a wit among Lords."

This line came to mind this afternoon when the following item crossed my desk, er, screen:

http://www1.cuny.edu/forum/?p=1582

CUNY Board Names Alterman Distinguished Prof at Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, NY — Called "the most honest and incisive media critic writing today" in the National Catholic Reporter, and author of "the smartest and funniest political journal out there" in the San Francisco Chronicle, Eric Alterman, professor of English at Brooklyn College has been elevated to "Distinguished Professor" by the Board of Trustees at City University of New York (CUNY).

National Catholic Reporter! The San Fran Chronicle! Poor Eric -- what a pawky little portfolio.

Then there's that bit about the Board of Trustees. Now I used to work at CUNY, and the Board of Trustees there are (as most Boards are) a rubberstamp for management. And senior management at CUNY is for all practical purposes a parking lot for former Giuliani cronies, and pilotless drones remote-controlled by the Israel lobby. Some samples:

• Matthew Goldstein was appointed Chancellor of The City University of New York (CUNY), effective September 1, 1999. ... [he] has served in senior academic and administrative positions for more than 30 years, including as President of Baruch College... Prior to being named Chancellor, he was President of Adelphi University....

  Currently, Dr. Goldstein is a member of the Board of Trustees of the JP Morgan Funds, the Albert Einstein School of Medicine and of the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center. ... Among his honors are ... the 2003 Max Rowe Educational Leadership Award of the American Friends of The Open University of Israel, the 2002 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the 2000 Townsend Harris Medal, and the Jewish National Fund Tree of Life Award.

• In September 2001 Allan H. Dobrin joined The City University of New York as Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer.

  ... From 1998 to 2001 Mr. Dobrin served as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT), and Chief Information Officer for the City of New York. Mr. Dobrin simultaneously served as Executive Director of the Mayor's Task Force on Special Education....

  Mr. Dobrin served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Education and Human Services from 1994 to 1996 ....

• Dr. Selma Botman is Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost at The City University of New York. ... Dr. Botman earned her bachelor's degree, cum laude, from Brandeis University; holds a B.Phil in Middle Eastern Studies from Oxford University; and a master's in Middle Eastern Studies and doctorate in History and Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University.

• Jay Hershenson is Senior Vice Chancellor for University Relations and Secretary of the Board....

  His national and state-wide public service has included: appointment by former President Jimmy Carter to the National Advisory Committee on Education; appointment by former Governor Hugh L. Carey as one of five Commissioners on the Temporary State Commission on the Future of Postsecondary Education and the Task Force on State Aid to Education; appointments by Senator Kenneth P. LaValle and former Assembly Speaker Stanley Fink to the State Consumer Advisory Committee....

  Senior Vice Chanellor Hershenson is a former Vice Chairperson of the Anti-Defamation League Regional New York Board and current Board member. ....

• Frederick P. Schaffer is General Counsel and Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs of The City University of New York.... Earlier in his career, Mr. Schaffer served as Counsel to Mayor Koch, Chief of Litigation in the Office of the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York and Assistant U.S. Attorney in Manhattan. He also was an Associate Professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

And so on, and so forth. The latest new arrival on the management team is one Iris Weinshall, who was appointed commissioner of the New York City department of transportation, back in '98 or '99, by Giuliani -- and who was then and, as far as I know, is now, married to Senator Chuck Schumer.

O Eric! Well done, thou good and faithful servant.