That Kurt Vonnegut commencement speech (you know, the one he never actually delivered) has got nothing on the brief--though incredibly embarrassing--remarks a New York University dean made at the school's May 13 graduation ceremony. In front of a huge crowd gathered in Washington Square Park, Jo Ivey Boufford, head of the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, attempted to refer to the university by its common acronym. But what came out was: "N-Y-Jew is a private university in the public service." With the crowd murmuring, Boufford realized her mistake and repeated the line, this time saying "NYU. "Days later, she circulated this letter apologizing for her "verbal gaffe," which was not further described in the missive. While Boufford promised that, "Next time I will take a sip of water and slow down when I speak," it is unclear how some H2O would have turned that "Jew" into a "U." (1 page)
Listen to the "verbal gaffe" here:
