Former BU President John Silber Dies At 86

September 27, 2012

John Silber on the Boston University Bridge in July 1976 (Courtesy of Boston University)

John Silber, a controversial and critical figure in Massachusetts politics and academia who ran Boston University for 25 years, died Thursday. He was 86.

During Silber’s tenure, BU began the Huntington Theatre Company, brought Nobel Prize winner Elie Weisel to the faculty, and increased its endowment by over 23 times.

But it was Silber’s frank manner, provocative views and what some called “autocratic rule” at the university that earned him the most renown. Many believe that his famous “Silber shockers” cost Silber the governship in 1990.

Guests:

John Westling, president of Boston University, 1996-2002
Marjorie Clapprood, Silber’s running mate during the 1990 gubernatorial race

More:

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65noname

This was a horrible, horrible white wash of history. Instead of declaiming about how “honest” silber was you could have actually discussed some of his views, such as his incredible homphobia. Silber actually attempted to ban a Gay And straight student at BU’s high school academy. He also advocated that colleges have the right to discriminateagainst gay people and claaimed that gay people were gay by choice or because they had been “seduced” by gay people and gay organizations were existed for the purpose of recriuting straight people into being gay.

He also was a virulent union buster and couldn’t tolerate anyone who disagreed with him, attempting to fire people such Howard Zinn for supporting clerical workers. His idea of “reforming academia was to purge the academy of anyone who disagred with him.

He opposed the democratization of south africa and Mandela. He supported military juntas in latin america. He gave an honoray degree to the dictator of Salvador, durate, decribed by the US ambassadorto salvador as a “CIA asset” while the dictator of salvador.

Typically, you didn’t bother to give voice to opinions that differed from your sentimentlized, dishonest piece. That is espically ironic because when government radio did a piece on Howard Zinn’s death (silber dedicated his career to firing Zinn because of his political views) it went out of its way to present the racist right wing extremist, David Horowitz’s vile smears of Zinn.

You go, govenrment radio!!!! Where you hear stuff that you can’t hear anywhere else.
- http://twitter.com/aragusea Adam Ragusea
  
  There are things you talk about on the day someone dies, and there are things you talk about a few days later. Grow up.
  - 65noname
    
    +I am grown up. These guys attempted to sentimentalize a morally corrupt person who used his power against others in a vicous manner. And it is the radio network that did far worse to Howard Zinn, a far worthier person, when he died.
    - Crozes999
      
      Yeah, Howard Zinn was worthy. Worthy of seducing many of his undergrad TAs. He was a scumbag.
  - J__o__h__n
    
    I disagree. His homophobia is a permanent stain on his character and should have been a part of the discussion. It shouldn’t have dominated the discussion or negated his accomplishments, but it should have been noted. (I didn’t post anything that day but thought is should have been mentioned on air.)
  - Anthony
    
    couldn’t have said it better, Adam.
    
    – Anthony
- Crozes999
  
  Howard Zinn was a piece of Marxist trash. Did you ever actually take any of the so-called classes that he conducted? Just an awful joke. The easiest “A” at BU in the early 80s, which is why everybody took him. He made a mockery of academia and Silber called him out.
John

Jon Westling was probably the only university president with just a bachelors degree at the time. Only John Silber would hand-pick a man so unqualified to lead the fourth largest private university in the nation.
Kathy

Provocative views is soft pedaling someone who was a rampant homophobe.
- Crozes999
  
  Before John Silber came to BU it was a joke, a commuter school. That’s a simple fact.
Crozes999

My dad went to Harvard. When I told hin that I wanted to go to BU in 1979 he laughed at me and asked why I wanted to go to a secretarys’ night school. Then he called one of his classmates who lived in Boston and the guy told him what Silber was doing. If Silber hadn’t pulled BU out of the dumpster (which was created by trash like Murray Levin, Zinn and Piven) I would have gone someplace else. The BU eduaction and diploma is valuable now because of John Silber. Without him you might as well have gone to UMAss Boston or Fisher.
- Tom
  
  UMass Boston gives more value for the money than the value you get from the $55,000 per year you have to spend at BU–Silber or no Silber.
- J__o__h__n
  
  Perhaps at secretarys’ [sic] night school you could have learned spelling and typing. Good thing you didn’t go to UMAss [sic].

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Former BU President John Silber Dies At 86