Thursday, May 13, 2021

University president resigns after plagiarizing part of a speech by the former head of US Special Operations Command

USC President Bob Caslen at the commencement ceremony on Friday.

 (CNN)The University of South Carolina accepted the resignation Wednesday of President Bob Caslen, who admitted he plagiarized part of a speech by the former head of US Special Operations Command during a weekend commencement speech.

In a letter on Monday, Caslen said he was "truly sorry" for having shared a well-known quote by Admiral William McRaven, who oversaw the successful raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
"I was searching for words about resilience in adversity and when they were transcribed into the speech, I failed to ensure its attribution. I take full responsibility for this oversight," he wrote.
      Caslen's advice to the class of 2021 echoed a famous speech by McCraven to the graduates at University of Texas in 2014. McCraven's commencement speech has been viewed over 13 million times on YouTube and years later is still an inspiration to viewers. McCraven, a retired four-star admiral, is a former chancellor at the University of Texas.

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