I don't know Genovese well, only having met him a few times, so I can't testify to his personality. But I can assure you, those who were most ardent and forceful in denying him an honorary degree did not know him at all. Their motivation, as expressed in their speeches opposing him, was based purely on their understanding of his association with the NAS, which some people have reminded me, is largely made up of former 1960s radicals, like Genovese, liberals, and some long time conservatives, all of whom are hardly the right wingers Genovese's detractors viewed them as.
And as far as "office politics" is concerned, such politics, as practiced in the universities in which I've taught, often reflected the same political divisions one finds outside academia, though there were and are always exceptions to the rule.
by Jerry Sternstein on October 15, 2002 at 11:36 AM