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Post Info TOPIC: From FS Listserv
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The FS Listserv had a report on yesterday's PC meeting. I will post interesting parts of this long report in separate post.

To: Faculty Senate Colleagues
From: Ray Folse and Myron Henry, Faculty Senate PC representatives
Topic: September 2, 2004 PC meeting

Hello Faculty Senate Colleagues:

The President's Council (PC) met from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. September 2. The agenda and our collective report on particular agenda items now follow.
* President's Update – Dr. Shelby Thames
* Enrollment – Dr. Joe Paul
Dr. Joe Paul gave a very upbeat report on enrollments for both the Hattiesburg and Gulf Coast campuses. Dr. Paul predicted that duplicated enrollment would increase by about 6.5% with head count increases of 900 (all campuses). According to Dr. Paul, unduplicated enrollment appears to be up about 4% (all campuses). Myron asked Dr. Paul when the university would report full-time equivalent students (15 credit hours is one FTES), and did Dr. Paul expect the FTES count to be up about the same? Dr. Paul thought the percentage increases in FTES would be similar to those for unduplicated head count, Dr. Paul acknowledged that the sharpest head count enrollment increases occurred at Gulf Coast campuses where students generally take fewer credit hours.
* Honors College – Dr. Ken Panton
Dr. Ken Panton gave a positive report on enrollments and ACT averages for the Honors College. For example, the number of students with ACT scores of 31 or better nearly double from last year to the current one.
* Classroom Furniture Upgrades – Dr. Cynthia Moore
Dr. Cynthia Moore reported on the progress of obtaining new furniture for classrooms in need.
* Faculty Handbook – Dr. Cynthia Moore
Dr. Cynthia Moore also reported on the status of the draft Faculty Handbook (FH). Recall that Dr. Thames was ready to sign the draft HB and then asked the standing faculty handbook committee to look just at "four issues" referenced in Dr. Bill Taylor's draft Faculty Handbook transmittal letter to Dr. Thames. Myron reported on the conversation from the August 11 PC meeting in an earlier email:

"Dr. Thames asserted publicly at the August 11 meeting of the President's Council (PC) that he wanted to approve the draft Faculty Handbook (FHB) that was submitted to him last February and then have the duly constituted Faculty Handbook Committee (FHC) look at the four issues outlined in Bill Taylor's February transmittal letter. Dr. Thames also asked that PC members pass that message along to you (David Beckett) and ask you to phone him so that he would know what your position was before he acted."

However, the draft Faculty Handbook was not signed, and instead, a new Faculty Handbook Committee met on the four issues. As president of the Faculty Senate, Dr. Beckett was a member of the new Faculty Handbook Committee since the Handbook in force is still the 2001 version. As with last year's committee, all other members to the new committee were appointed by Dr. Thames. The new committee addressed several issues in the draft Faculty Handbook. In response to a question from Myron at the September 2 PC meeting, Dr. Moore told the PC that the focus of the new Faculty Handbook was still on the "four issues," and that all other changes were minor. She said that Dr. Thames would sign the revised draft Faculty Handbook later on September 2. Myron ask Dr. Moore to provide a written summary of all changes, and she said she would.


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* The U.S. News and World Report's Ranking and Southern Miss’ Response - Lisa Mader

Ray was courageous and articulate in expressing his dismay at how USM Marketing and Public Relations had responded to the USM drop from tier three to tier four in the U.S. News and World Reports rankings. (Myron's statement). Ray stated that for USM to compare itself with the University of Michigan and the University of Alabama is disingenuous and embarrassing to USM. He mentioned that people have raised questions about the believability of USM press releases, and this USM Marketing and Public Relations response had caught the attention of many in a negative way. Dr. Thames blamed past provost Tim Hudson for the USM drop to tier four in the ratings.

Chief Fiscal Officer Gregg Lassen suggested that this was an example as to why USM should further centralize activities. Myron took strong exception to Mr. Lassen's conclusion and noted that the best universities are more de-centralized (e.g., Michigan and Harvard) than they are centralized. Thanks to Ray, there was much spirited conversation on this topic and about the credibility of the USM response.


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* Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Learning and the Southern Regional Educational Board's (SREB) Institutional – Dr. Shelby Thames

Dr. Thames discussed the Carnegie Classifications and the SREB's Institutional Categories. The current Carnegie classifications are an interim replacement for the former Carnegie Research I and Carnegie Research II classifications, as well as other Carnegie classifications such as Carnegie Doctoral I. Under the interim Carnegie classification system, USM is a Doctoral/Research Extensive university (this classification was granted to USM on appeal in fall 2000). Doctoral/Research Extensive is the "top" Carnegie classification at the moment, but that will change when a new Carnegie classification system appears in 2006.

* Plans for Affirmative Action – Russ Willis

Mr. Russ Willis spoke on behalf of the decision by the administration to eliminate the USM Affirmative Action Office. Savings would be about $113,000 annually. Mr. Willis claimed that all services would continue with someone being assigned affirmative action responsibilities on a part-time basis. Myron stated that he was very uncomfortable with this decision and mentioned that the affirmative action Office was created during the Fleming administration because of the need for sound advice on affirmative searches and personnel issues. In response to a question, Mr. Willis said affirmative action issues are handled in a variety of ways at other universities. Myron stated that his experiences at other institutions where has served made clear the need for a high profile affirmative action officer and office. Tammy Greer also raised concerns about the administration's plan to eliminate the USM Affirmative Action Office. At the conclusion of this discussion, Myron ask Dr. Thames to provide to PC members an organization chart of the Thames administration: who reports to the President and Vice Presidents and what they do. Dr. Thames said that he would provide the chart.

A good deal of time was expended in discussing the USM response to the U.S. News and World Report rankings. Time ran out before all agenda items could be discussed, so the two below were deferred until the next PC meeting.
* Outsourcing Decision Criteria and Plans – Gregg Lassen
* Reallocation of Funds – Gregg Lassen
The remaining fall meetings of the PC (Wednesday, October 6; Thursday, November 4; and Thursday, December 2) are at 7:00 AM in Commons A.




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truth4usm/AH

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Dr. Thames blamed past provost Tim Hudson for the USM drop to tier four in the ratings.
This is an outrage, and just goes to show you how low SFT will sink to save his own hide.  Shame on you, SFT, for not taking responsibility where it counts.  Regardless of who you blame for the tier drop, what do you plan to do to make USM better?  We're waiting....

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New Adjunct

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The price of power is responsibility.  Ask any manager, CEO, governor of a state, or almost any President of the United States.  You have the power, you take the blame.  I think Fearless Leader has finally showed his true colors for all the world.  I suspect a few more "business leaders" have his number now.

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Angeline

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quote:
Originally posted by: New Adjunct
"The price of power is responsibility.  Ask any manager, CEO, governor of a state, or almost any President of the United States.  You have the power, you take the blame.  I think Fearless Leader has finally showed his true colors for all the world.  I suspect a few more "business leaders" have his number now."
Well said.  A real leader of USM, even if he/she believed what SFT is saying about Hudson re: the USNWR ranking, would publicly say that mistakes were apparently made and that plans are underway to correct the problem and then move on.  Because SFT must always blame someone else for his shortcomings he demonstrates that he is no leader and will never have the trust of those around him.  He also is once again, as he did with the Glamser/Stringer debacle, making a mountain out of a mole hill and thus bringing additional attention on himself and making himself and the university look bad.  SFT is his own worst enemy, and, thus, in a weird way our best friend.

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