(Source: University of Richmond)What not to say, as president, during your "state of the university" address:



"The entering quality of our student body needs to be much higher if we are going to transform bright minds into great achievers instead of transforming mush into mush, and I mean it."Those were the words of University of Richmond President William E. Cooper, whose comments, not surprisingly, offended just about everyone who heard them. He apologized, saying his comments were misinterpreted. Still, students don't like being called mush, regardless of the context. Now Cooper is stepping down, but will return to the faculty after a sabbatical.

Too bad. I interviewed Cooper for a New York Times piece I wrote. He seemed genuinely enthusiastic about his school and its students. I wish him well.