PC & Economic Development - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Sep 5, 2004

RE: RE: PC & Economic Development

Date: Sep 5, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: sleepy in sebastopool
"we would have to hire a full-time spin artist. "

Thought we had one!

Date: Sep 5, 2004

and then there's the University of North Texas:

http://www.unt.edu/cedr/

(the ed in cedr) means economic development - a graduate degree is offered there.

Date: Sep 5, 2004

From the website of Southern New Hampshire University:

"The School of Community Economic Development at Southern New Hampshire University is the nation’s first accredited academic program to confer Masters and doctoral degrees in community economic development (CED). The School is accredited by the New England Association for Schools and Colleges and the New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission."

Maybe it's just 4th tier and unranked schools that need to spin this "first and only" stuff...or maybe it's true...if it is true, then USM???

Date: Sep 5, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: sleepy in sebastapool
"Investigator, I agree that it is important that De Taler's assertions be either confirmed or denied. Specific and accurate data are essential. Maybe De Taler will come forth and indicate the source. Maybe somebody in CBED knows. At least LVN tried. Maybe economic development qua econonic development is not really an established academic discipline in which case those data may not available in one location. If there is no national "association" bringing such programs together (if there are such programs), it may not be possible to answer the above questions. In any case, no message board participant should make definitive statements which can not be supported. Good luck in your search. Let's hope that help is on the way.
"

I don't have the time to put together a comprehensive report for you. There has been some good information on the board today. I absolutely hold to my assertions made last week before the PC meeting. As I have time, I will be happy to document inconsistencies for you.

In addition to whatever twist comes out of the PR machine, there have been direct statements made to the press by Shelby Thames and by Ken Malone that the Economic Development Program at the University of Southern Mississippi is comprehensive (defined by Shelby as bachelors, masters, doctoral - defined by Malone as masters and doctoral) and unique ("only university in the nation" is pretty unambiguous wording). Statements about the Trent Lott Center, even by friends of the university, say it will be the first or the only. I contend that Bobby Chain, Trent Lott, a slate of donors, the legislature, the IHL, the faculty, the media, and the public have been duped. To believe otherwise is to argue that there are many outside the dome (and outside the university) complicit in the big lie.

The following truncated list includes University Centers for Economic Development. This is not a comprehensive list nor is it a list of academic programs of stand-alone community, state, or regional centers. These University Centers for Economic Development, by their very existence, negate the big lie.

Georgia Tech

University of Minnesota-Duluth

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

University of Illinois at Chicago

Carnegie Mellon

Jacksonville State

University of South Florida

University of Nevada at Reno

University of New Orleans

Harvard

Cleveland State

University of North Texas

Date: Sep 5, 2004

vanderbilt has a graduate program in economic development (masters level i think). Hudson was very much into depts and faculty being entrepreneurs. the economic development program was developed in that spirit. i think what we got was more entremanurial than entrepreneurial.

Date: Sep 5, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: soonereagle
"and then there's the University of North Texas:
http://www.unt.edu/cedr/
(the ed in cedr) means economic development - a graduate degree is offered there."

The North Texas Center of Applied Economics is at least 25-30 years old. Former Texas congressman Dick Armey (economics Ph.D.) was a faculty member there in the 70's.

Date: Sep 5, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: De Taler
"The following truncated list includes University Centers for Economic Development. "

You are right, De Taler. And there are others. Try Penn State for instance.

Date: Sep 5, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: stinky cheese man
"vanderbilt has a graduate program in economic development (masters level i think). Hudson was very much into depts and faculty being entrepreneurs. the economic development program was developed in that spirit. i think what we got was more entremanurial than entrepreneurial. "

There's an interesting catch-22 implied in your post. If the economic development spin were truly one of Hudson's making, then Shelby blew his opportunity to lay the blame on Tim by calling him responsible for the rankings drop last week. Certainly the media is not going to let him play that card twice.

Date: Sep 5, 2004

except that there is a better paper trail showing Hudson's involvement in the economic development graduate program. he could play the blame card again. probably could stick better than the USNWR card.

Date: Sep 5, 2004

Many thanks to everyone for all of your assistance. I hope to repay your efforts through the activities of the PC members who will use this information. We wanted to get this early so that faculty senate and PC faculty will have enough time to digest the data. You came through with flying colors.

Date: Sep 5, 2004

He got away with:

College reorganization...in the name of efficiency

Enrollment fiasco...there was a fall gal

Handbook and alcohol policy...internal university issues; who cares

Mid-year raises...day's work for a day's pay

Glamser/Stringer suspensions...meddlesome faculty overstepped their bounds

Faculty vote of no-confidence...heat of the moment; spin the %ages

Glamser/Stringer settlement...proof of guilt; one-sided gag order

Dean Memo...cut loose the Risk Manager

Senate vote of no-confidence...replace FS with President's Council

Dvorak situation...a business resume and a job transfer

Faculty/Staff raises...divide and conquer

Trent Lott Center controversies and cost increases...pull the money from other projects

Elimination of the EEOC/AA officer...we don't need that bureaucracy

USN&WR rankings drop...a PR nightmare blamed on the departing provost

Carnegie status...it's still what matters

He's managed to skirt every issue because he has kept the backing of the people who believed in his economic development program. They could explain away (even with decreasing fervor) all his past actions. What is going to happen when these supporters realize that they have been LIED TO about economic development? Is this THE issue that will determine his presidency? If he can spin this one and keep his constituents happy, then he's going to get his second term. If his support base crumbles with outrage over the current deceipt, then his house of cards may finally fall down.

Date: Sep 5, 2004

The Southern Miss Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED) http://www.usm.edu/cced/pages/main.htm was established in 1989 and is funded primarily by a federal grant from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The EDA also funds the ED center at Memphis.

You will not find the above link on the CBED website, which will come as no surprise to most. (I know, HD is working on it.)

The Department of Economic Development at Southern Miss was established some 9-10 years after the establishment of the CCED. Prior to its establishment, the undergraduate planning program and the master's degree in economic development were housed in the geography department. The IDV doctoral program was started soon after the ED department was created.

Date: Sep 5, 2004

quote: K

Originally posted by: Googler
"The Southern Miss Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED) http://www.usm.edu/cced/pages/main.htm."

Ohhhhh! So it's "Community and Econonomic Development" rather than just "Economic Development." That one word makes a BIG, BIG difference. Programs by that title are about as numerous as 7-11 stores. Enter that exact term, with the quotes, in Google. Gosh!

Date: Sep 5, 2004

Community and Economic Development Program

Michigan State University is the nation’s premier land-grant university, and in that tradition, the MSU Community and Economic Development Program (CEDP) is committed to developing and applying knowledge to address the needs of society – primarily urban communities. Our mission is “to advance MSU's Research Intensive Land-Grant Mission by engaging in responsive and innovative scholarship designed to improve the quality of life in distressed urban and regional communities."

Date: Sep 5, 2004

The center at Michigan State seems to be a service/outreach/applied research center and not an academic program in economic development. I suspect they receive federal funding from the DOC like many of these other community and economic development centers.

Date: Sep 5, 2004

It seems to me that a legitimate community and economic development program would by necessity have to be interdisciplinary - sociologists, economists, statisticians, geographers, etc. Does anyone know which of those discipines are represented in USM's ED program?

Date: Sep 5, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Interdisciplinary Interface
"It seems to me that a legitimate community and economic development program would by necessity have to be interdisciplinary - sociologists, economists, statisticians, geographers, etc. Does anyone know which of those discipines are represented in USM's ED program?"

Geography is the predominant discipline represented in the ED program at Southern Miss. The doctoral program in international development has had a more interdisciplinary structure, with faculty from sociology and marketing, in addition to the geographers.

To complete the interdisciplinary interface, the ED department chair has a Ph.D. in polymer science.

Date: Sep 5, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Googler
" Geography is the predominant discipline represented in the ED program at Southern Miss. The doctoral program in international development has had a more interdisciplinary structure, with faculty from sociology and marketing, in addition to the geographers. To complete the interdisciplinary interface, the ED department chair has a Ph.D. in polymer science. "

I thought I saw somewhere on this board that ED had only two faculty members. That is not correct?

Date: Sep 5, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Interdisciplinary Interface
"I thought I saw somewhere on this board that ED had only two faculty members. That is not correct?"

That is correct. Two faculty members, both with doctorates in geography.

This does not include the department chair, who does not have the academic credentials to teach in the department he chairs.

Date: Sep 5, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Googler
" That is correct. Two faculty members, both with doctorates in geography. This does not include the department chair, who does not have the academic credentials to teach in the department he chairs. "

Thanks, Googler. Sounds as if they might not yet be ready to offer graduate degree programs.

Date: Sep 5, 2004

Pardon me, Googler, but I have one more question. Did the EC graduate programs go through the Graduate Council or whatever campus body endorses new programs? Were there extramural reviews before the program proposal was submitted to IHL?

Date: Sep 5, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Interdisciplinary Interface
"Pardon me, Googler, but I have one more question. Did the EC graduate programs go through the Graduate Council or whatever campus body endorses new programs? Were there extramural reviews before the program proposal was submitted to IHL?"

I do not know. If they did, it would be reflected in the Graduate Council and IHL minutes from 1998 or 1999, because that is when the ED department was created. Keep in mind that a master's degree in ED has been offered at Southern Miss since the early 80s, so the graduate curriculum in ED would have been approved at that time. The international development doctoral program, which I think is an entirely different curriculum from the ED master's program, would have been approved about the time the department was created in 98 or 99.

Date: Sep 5, 2004

external reviews of new doctoral programs are almost never done, if ever done. at USM, if you can convince the "powers that be" you've got yourself a new doctoral program. this was true well before Thames.

Date: Sep 6, 2004

Let's try not to get sidetracked on the "Community and Economic Development Centers". There are a great many of these loosely affiliated with universities that do not offer academic programs. They are much like small business development centers - grant funded and only peripherally related to the universities in which they might be housed. It seems that the more important issue is that academic degrees may be being conferred without much more rigor than certificate programs, which are offered at many CED Centers. Couple that with the false claims about being the best, the only, and the most comprehensive and we have another active campaign of spreading falsehoods.

I'm trying to remember my favorite slogan from the on-campus rally last spring. I think it was "Bad decision, lie, cover-up...Repeat the cycle"

Date: Sep 6, 2004

I'm tired of all the negative comments about our unique, one of a kind, unduplicated, unreplicated, state-of-the-art, whirled class economic development program. As the facts stated below indicate, we are THE economic development department in the United States! We have the only VP of Research and Economic Development in the United States. Given these facts, I do not see how you can challenge our statements that we have the first, best, and only comprehensive economic development program in the world! We don't really need economists or business professors involved in the program. Dr. Malone is the world's leading expert in the area. His training in Polymer Science more than qualifies him as an expert in the theory and techniques of economic development.

Released August 29, 2003

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS CONVERGE
ON SOUTHERN MISS FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION

HATTIESBURG - The University of Southern Mississippi's Department of Economic Development is aggressively planning its future and including in its strategic vision the input of economic development professionals from across Mississippi. As the process of expanding the department's offerings continues, there are plans to include professionals from across the nation in the ongoing discussions.

Last week, Southern Miss administrators met with a large group of public and private sector economic development professionals on the Hattiesburg campus for the purpose of mapping out the future of economic development at Southern Miss. The meeting, which alternated between prepared presentations and impromptu exchanges, yielded significant results.

"The economic developers of Mississippi gave their strong support to the growth plans of the department of economic development," said Dr. Ken Malone, the department's chair.

One specific plan that came from the meeting is the idea of "branding" the Southern Miss Department of Economic Development as the economic development department of the United States. This is fitting, as Southern Miss is the only university in the nation to offer a master's and doctorate in economic development.

"Also," Malone said, "we reaffirmed the importance of the internship program, which places our students to work with these economic developers. This incorporates the high synergy of both the practitioner and the academician teaching the student."

The recent conference gave Southern Miss administrators a chance to show economic development professionals what Southern Miss is doing to serve and enhance their field. Evidence of that ongoing and expanding effort is all around at Southern Miss, Malone said.

"We have a president (Dr. Shelby Thames) who has made economic development a mission of the university, and the only vice president of research and economic development (Dr. Angeline Dvorak) of any university in the country," Malone said. "Also, we have a newly formed College of Business and Economic Development, which increases the important synergy of business and economic development curriculum.

And we have a commitment to offer the economic development degree in a distance learning format that will be available across the nation."

Steven Hardin, director of the regional services division of the Mississippi Development Authority, attended last week's meeting, and said that it was a valuable experience for all involved.

"The economic development profession by nature cannot be done by one individual or one organization," Hardin said. "It truly is a partnership. One of the good things about The University of Southern Mississippi's program is that it is so unique, and then, in addition to that, they do a good job of reaching out to their various allies. This meeting is a good example of that."

(emphasis added)

Date: Sep 6, 2004

Economic development is a profession? What do they do? And I'm confused about the "department" thing -- I thought ED was part of "CBED" -- how can you have a unique world class department with only two professors? If there weren't so much at stake, this would be hilarious.

Date: Sep 6, 2004

From: http://www.siteselection.com/features/2004/jan/ms/index.htm

Economic Development 101

Couple these efforts with the higher-education community's unique interest in economic development, and the business landscape in the Magnolia State will likely look very different in 10 years.
"When I came into this role in May 2002, I knew exactly what I needed to do," says Dr. Shelby Thames, president of the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), in Hattiesburg. USM offers bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees in economic development. "It has always been my contention that universities are the most dynamic economic development machines you can have and that for a state not to utilize that resource is very wasteful."
In addition to the traditional areas of teaching, research and service, Thames has added economic development to the university's very mission. That means creating an environment in which idea commercialization is facilitated and encouraged to the betterment of all involved. Thames says he wants 10 millionaires to come out of Southern Miss by the time his presidency is complete, because wealth generation will benefit the entrepreneur, the local economy and the university.

Date: Sep 6, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: New Adjunct
"Economic development is a profession? What do they do? And I'm confused about the "department" thing -- I thought ED was part of "CBED" -- how can you have a unique world class department with only two professors? If there weren't so much at stake, this would be hilarious."

Everyone is forgetting all of the administrators who teach in ED plus the community adjuncts. Then there is Dr. Richard Hadden, MD who has been listed on the IDV website since last fall with a PhD (not!) as a professor (not!)

I guess I shouldn't complain because he did sign off on my dissertation. It's just that it would have been interesting to at least meet the mystery man.

Date: Sep 6, 2004

http://www.pinebeltpacers.org/Members/KMalone.html

It's a bio of Ken Malone. Notice that it states here that USM has the only full fledged economic development program in the nation!!