Alma Mater: Infra Dignitatem

I hold my degrees from Eastern Illinois University (EIU), a small liberal arts college in Charleston, Illinois. To quantify small, the school got a fair amount of local press last year when enrollment swelled by 365 students pushing campus to over 11,000.

When I graduated from EIU the realization hit me that my degree and 50 cents would likely get me a Coke. I’m not sure that degrees from other schools would have amounted to a lot more. Actually, retrospectively EIU was a great school for me, not large enough to make me a Pez head in a giant lecture room but no so small that it felt like home schooling.

The thing that amazed me at the time, and does to this day, is the quality of the instructors in various departments. Academic jobs virtually disappeared in the early 80’s, a trend that continues to this day. That means if you scratch the surface at a number of smaller Universities you will find strongly credentialed instructors.

I have a love/hate relationship with the University. I must admit, at times, I find the need to mock it. Not for what it was, or what it is, but its own self-image.

As a case in point, the University has consistently taken pride in their ranking in the US News and World Report Best Colleges. Now, if EIU was in the top 50 public universities I’d say strike up the band. But…EIU ranks 31st out of 143 public and private Midwest/regional institutions granting Master’s degrees. See http://www.eiu.edu/%7Epubaff/headlines/usnews.htm for further details on this tortured distinction.

The important thing is however EIU is my alma mater. For good or bad, or with 31st out of 143 inspired pride, it is my school. I’m not ashamed of this, and have always been straight with anyone who asks where I received my degrees.

A year ago I was back on campus in the EIU union and made it up stairs to see the photographs of distinguished alumni of the University. There aren’t tons of these individuals…but a few worthy of note (Burl Ives, Governor Edgar, Joan Embery). I’d love to say the list goes on and on…but that just isn’t the truth. My eyes came to a dead stand still when I saw a photograph on of John Malcovich on the alumni wall.

Here is the story with Malcovich, he attended EIU for a few semesters and did not graduate from the school transferring instead to Illinois State University. For a more detailed background see http://eiuhalloffame.tripod.com/malkovich/malkovich.html
To make matters worse, Malcovich never talks about his days at Eastern…it is as if those were not really part of the “being of John Malcovich.”

I don’t really care one way or the other about Malcovich, if he is embarrassed of his early days I’m sure someone can help him out in therapy. But, what does it say when a University embraces someone as an alumni who never graduated from the school and doesn’t speak of the place?

It’s like Eastern Illinois University is the awkward girl who wants to hang out with the cool kids so she will do whatever they want. In the end, it just ends up being pathetic. The fact that Malcovich’s picture hangs on the wall with others who really did attend and graduate from EIU demeans the institution and its alumni. He didn’t want to be part of the place, please let him go.

This is my Internet call to action, is it possible to get Malcovich’s picture removed? We could always try writing to the President Lou Hencken (lvhencken@eiu.edu) or perhaps the student representative on the Board of Trustees Bill Davidson (wadavidson@eiu.edu) for kicks.

Leaving Malcovich’s picture on the wall is beneath the dignity (infra dignitatem) of even EIU.