Note to Vanity Fair…
…if you’re still looking for irony, you might soon be able to major in it at the University of Missouri. According to this article over at Time, the school’s most recently convicted alumnus has been trying to take back a $1 million donation he made to the business school to endow an Economics chair in his name, claiming he wanted to donate the funds to Katrina relief instead.
For various reason, including fears that Lay was trying to improve his standing in the potential jury pool, the university flatly stated “no backsies.”
Meanwhile, other alumni are still a bit standoffish about the idea of listing the Kenneth Lay Chair in Economics among the institution’s assets.
One possible solution, however, deserves some kudos and perhaps the attention of the magazine that some time ago wondered where the irony had gone in these troubled times. The suggestion is to rename the position and hope that whoever fills the “Kenneth Lay Chair of Economics and Business Ethics” has a sense of humor. A conscience wouldn’t hurt either.
