University President Resigns after Plagiarizing Part of a Speech by the Former Head of U.S. Special Operations Command

The University of South Carolina president, Bob Caslen, accepted his resignation Wednesday after admitting to plagiarism.

Caslen admitted he plagiarized a well-known quote by Admiral William McRaven who oversaw the successful raid of Osama bin Laden. Caslen wrote Monday that he was, “truly sorry.”

Caslen said:

“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.”

However, Caslen’s speech was nearly identical.

CNN reported:

“Caslen’s speech was nearly identical to McRaven’s, yet he was not given credit. That wasn’t the only blunder made during the ceremony. At one point Caslen congratulated the graduates of the University of California, instead of South Carolina. He tried to recover over the audible gasps from the crowd and said, ‘Sorry about that, I owe you push ups.'”

CNN