Making a name for yourself can be a tricky business when you share that name with someone powerful. Maddie Poshard learned that the hard way when questions arose about her full-ride scholarship to Southern Illinois University, where her grandfather, Glenn Poshard, is president.
The $80,000 taxpayer-funded scholarship is based on merit: Grades, ACT scores and extracurricular achievements all are taken into account. But it’s a subjective competition, and there’s just no getting around the fact that Maddie was chosen by people who work for her grandfather.
The relationship puts the university in an awkward and implausible position. School officials say yes, they knew one of the candidates was Poshard’s granddaughter, but no, it wasn’t a factor. We’ll take them at their word that they made every effort to exclude it from consideration. But it’s there. It shouldn’t be. Remember, these are tax dollars.
The university would be wise to revise its eligibility rules for the scholarships, to spare itself, and future applicants, from such scrutiny. Unfortunately it fell to Maddie to make the call this time. On Monday, she declined the award.
For an 18-year-old who has worked hard toward her dream to be a third-generation Saluki, this whole experience can’t help but feel terribly unfair, and her decision is one of remarkable maturity. She’ll attend SIU anyway, with financial help from her grandfather and others. We expect big things from her. Remember the name.
