'Alumni wonder if their degrees have been tarnished. Faculty question the intellectual commitment of campus leaders. The student newspaper calls the circumstances "ludicrous.'' A well-read higher education blog [ahem!] calls the school a "laughingstock.'' [Blush. Guilty as charged.] [And does the writer mean well-read? Or does he mean much-read?] These are among reactions to allegations that Southern Illinois University president Glenn Poshard plagiarized some portions of the doctoral dissertation he wrote while a student at the school 23 years ago.

That comes after other top officials on campus were also accused of plagiarism.

Will three years of accusations of plagiarism have a long-term impact on the school's reputation? Can Poshard effectively lead the university if the allegations hold up?

The school has undoubtedly been harmed, said experts [UD and Mr. UD often have the 'experts' conversation....

Are you an expert? he'll ask....

Me? In what?... No!... UD will respond. Are you an expert? she'll ask Mr. UD.

No! he'll shout.

But you know more about the Iraqi constitution than almost anyone... Doesn't that make you an... expert?

No! I might know more than almost anyone about that, yes, but that doesn't make me an expert...

Thank God. If I'd known I were marrying an expert, I'd have never gone through with it...

What does this conversation mean? Why do UD and Mr. UD think it's funny? ... I don't know...] interviewed recently. The atmosphere could make it harder for the school to be considered among the top 75 research institutions in the nation, the school's stated goal by the time it celebrates its 150th birthday in 2019.

What's more, Poshard could have a difficult time restoring his credibility at an institution where the very premise is doing your own work, they said.

"This is very damaging to his status as a person on campus who all the students can look up to as an example of integrity in academic and personal life,'' said Charles Lipson, a University of Chicago political science professor and author of Doing Honest Work in College, a guidebook used at hundreds of schools nationwide. "I don't see how he can survive this as a leader of a university.''

Margaret Soltan, an English professor at George Washington University who earned her Ph.D. at the U. of C. [Not quite sure how this is relevant -- like Lipson, another local? -- but UD never minds having her name linked with the University of Chicago.], called SIU a "laughingstock'' on her University Diaries blog.

"Things were looking up for that university, but now, with the Poshard case and all the others, I think they've suffered a serious setback,'' she said in an interview.

Terry Clark, a member of the executive council of the faculty senate and chairman of the marketing department, admits the school has to "address some image issues. It's not good.''

The school's response hasn't helped, some said. The SIU board of trustees has known about the allegations for months; chair Roger Tedrick has publicly defended Poshard. Although the chancellors at the school's Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses were accused of using previously published work without proper attribution, neither faced significant repercussions. A school committee said former Carbondale chancellor Walter Wendler committed "intellectual dishonesty,'' but Poshard specifically said the findings were not the reason Wendler was asked to later step down.

Further, even some SIU faculty have questioned whether an internal committee -- appointed to investigate the plagiarism claims -- can objectively judge Poshard.

"Their judgment will be colored by their thoughts on the future of the school,'' said Ron Robin, a New York University associate dean and author of Scandals and Scoundrels, about wrongdoing in academia.

But SIU Carbondale interim Provost Don Rice said the school is conducting an internal review because it is crucial the school follow its student procedures.

Plus, he says the school has faculty with expertise in the area.

The ongoing issues could affect the school's ability to attract top faculty or researchers, said Stephen Satris, director of the Center for Academic Integrity at Clemson University. "At least part of the identity of SIU or any university is constituted by intangible things,'' he said, ". . . things like values'' and integrity. [Tell it to your football team, Satris.]

Lipson -- who is using Poshard's case as an example to his freshman students -- believes Poshard needs to step down.

"While SIU's reputation may have strong foundations, this would be a body blow to it if nothing were done about what appears to be a serious violation of the rules of academic integrity,'' he said.

Still, not everyone agrees the situation is insurmountable for the university as a whole.

Rice believes the school can maintain its reputation. He said the school's myriad faculty will continue to earn grants, publish research and attract top students.

"We will overcome this,'' he said. "The university is just too good.'''