Education Dean - USM Forum -- Message Board

Obviousman · Status: Offline

RE: Education Dean

Lily · Status: Offline

If Thames is having cognitive difficulties, would Meredith be able to step in asap, remove him, and name an interim?

Meredith needs to come down on the Dome crew like a ton 'o bricks and soon.

Incredulous · Status: Offline

Lily wrote:

If Thames is having cognitive difficulties, would Meredith be able to step in asap, remove him, and name an interim?
Meredith needs to come down on the Dome crew like a ton 'o bricks and soon.

....when pigs fly.

Southern Belle · Status: Offline

Here is what I have heard via the grapevine. Take it for it's worth...

It seems that the Deans Council's regularly scheduled meeting was the Thursday morning after Dr. Pood's death. Apparently several of the Deans contacted SFT asking that the meeting be rescheduled in respect for Dr. Pood. Apparently, Dr. Pierce was the most out-spoken on this request. The meeting was not postponed but was to meet as scheduled.

According to the grapevine, none of the deans showed for the meeting. (?)

The day after Dr. Pood's Remembrance Ceremony where Dr. Pierce gave a heart-touching speech, he resigns as dean effective in one week.

Something is fishy on campus!!

Also heard through the grapevine: IHL has told SFT not to make any personnel changes or major decisions. (ha ha ha)

Like most of you, hang on folks - things are just now getting started!!

May 20th is not too far away. Unfortunately, it's far enough that changes will be made.

Incredulous · Status: Offline

Southern Belle:

"Also heard through the grapevine: IHL has told SFT not to make any personnel changes or major decisions. (ha ha ha)"

Yes, time and again. It's like water off a duck's back.

Southern Belle · Status: Offline

I am asking all of you to stop and remember when your parents would tell you not to do something.

Most of us (me included) would do it anyway!!

I was told more than two years ago that there was a list of individuals who would be removed from their position if not from campus before May 20, 2007, ended. Seems like things have gotten started.

It will be interesting to see how the mass exodus totals this year...

Ghost of Carl Sagan · Status: Offline

There are so many disturbing questions about how and why the Thames administration forced Dean Pierce out.

1. Might this send the wrong signal to potential presidential candidates? It appears that a new president might be coming into a university where the outgoing administration is not inclined to work to effectively transition. This is disturbing.

2. Where was the fire, anyway? After the passing of Dean Pood, might it have been wiser to let deans, who must work together to divide scarce resources for the benefit of all USM students, learn to work with von Hermann? This is disturbing.

3. Isn't is wrong that the entire college is now represented by two individuals from the same department (ELR)? How might this affect the distribution of resources in other departments, such as psychology? Split colleges (EdPsych and Arts and Letters) really need representation from all sides to best serve the interests of the students. This is disturbing.

4. Where was the fire anyway? Why couldn't this change have included discussion from faculty in the college? While an emergency appointment in CoAL was necessary and there was little time for input, why couldn't this be discussed by faculty and chairs throughout the college of EdPsych? So much for shared governance. This is disturbing.

Do disturbing questions have disturbing answers?

Carl

Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence.

Alias · Status: Offline

Looks like these females from the Gulf Coast Campus, Maulding and Denise VH, have moved right into our administration? Can it be, with all of her political connections, that Pat Joachim will be the one that gets the presidency? She has done well with the situation that she was dealt on the coast.

-- Edited by Alias at 18:41, 2007-01-29

qwerty · Status: Offline

I must object to the misogyny in this thread. Keep your sexism to yourself.

As for the slam against the coast campus, all I can say is that in my decade at USM, the only t&P problem cases in my PhD-granting department have been among Hattiesburg faculty; the coast faculty have sailed through with flying colors.

I can't speak to Maulding and Joachim's qualifications--I don't know them, but I've worked with D V-H , and I know she is going to be a fine dean. Much better than her predecessor, may he rest in peace.

Alias · Status: Offline

Querty,
You have misinterpreted my comments. My intent was to indicate that these ladies from the Gulf Coast are very qualified and if we had had them in power earlier, many of us would be better off.

alias

Obviousman · Status: Offline

"meeting was not postponed but was to meet as scheduled."

If the Gnome uses his increasing personal repulsiveness to drive away all but the true believers would he be complying with the IHL edict to "not to make any personnel changes or major decisions"?

qwerty · Status: Offline

Alias wrote:
Querty,
You have misinterpreted my comments. My intent was to indicate that these ladies from the Gulf Coast are very qualified and if we had had them in power earlier, many of us would be better off.

alias

Whoops! Sorry about that.

Lily · Status: Offline

I am hearing good reactions to D V-H, not good to WM.

Godless Liberal · Status: Offline

Alias wrote:

Querty,
You have misinterpreted my comments. My intent was to indicate that these ladies from the Gulf Coast are very qualified and if we had had them in power earlier, many of us would be better off.

alias

Wanda Maulding is qualified for a Deanship? You may want to examine her credentials and history more closely. If her CV was included in the last two search pools without identifying information, she would not have made the initial cut (she is a relatively new associate professor to begin with). But she has found an alternate route to a Deanship, bless her heart. As a poster noted above, her hand chosen associate dean, Ron Styron, is a good friend of hers and they have published together. Ron "retired" from a K-12 principalship in 2002 after creating quite a stir in his former school district by banning a student produced independent newspaper from his campus (as well as a propensity for "editing" the official student paper). He soon found a home in higher education at USM, went from assistant to associate and chair, and on to associate dean, in a very short time indeed. Dana Thames has been a good patron for both Wanda and Ron, and both are closely tied to other powerful people in the Dome and Jackson.

Psychology is in a bit of trouble at the moment, and, unfortunately, there is little that can, or will, be done about it. Psychology will have to take its licks for the next few months, and I don't at all believe that the next President will care much for repairing the damage done to Psychology by the current folks--there will be too many other pressing issues to deal with. A bruised psychology department will be moved out of the College of Education, and that will be that. Mission accomplished. I was told by someone who should know that Shelby Thames "had it in for psychology from day one." In the fullness of time, this appears to be an accuarate appraisal. Why this is so is a mystery to me. Well, wish us luck and godspeed, and may our computers be on our desks and untampered with in the morn.

Emma · Status: Offline

Lil'Thames always has had a problem with people who are smarter than her. The Psychology Dept. remains a formidable force. Here's to their speedy departure out of the Wreck of theThamesian Reign.

Sorry4All · Status: Offline

This is in response to Joe's post. Some of you may not have realized it but Dean Pierce was stripped of many of his duties in early '06 when Maulding was brought in as the assistant dean. He was left with only the face of running the Dept. of Ed & Psych. She was given the responsiblities of everything that affected anyone or anything in E & P. As the best friend of Baby Girl, W has taken the ball and dribbled hard on lots of folks who had any diagreement at all with her. So the process to remove WP and introduce someone who was asked to be relieved of her chair position and then returns as Asst Dean and now Dean, was in the works long ago. Did you ever go to the PEC and watch how Baby Girl and her interacted? All this is really sad. Especially for rewarding someone who couldn't get her SPA's completed before NCATE came for a visit. God bless you all that decided to stay and ride out the mess. Thank God I don't have to deal with any of the CRAP any more.

Reporter · Status: Offline

H.A.--Faculty surprised by dean's resignation
By Rachel Leifer

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070201/NEWS01/702010327/1002

"Faculty described the announcement as "a small shock."

"I was extraordinarily surprised," psychology professor Mitch Berman said Wednesday.

"The department of psychology in general has been saddened and disappointed that Dr. Pierce was offered the opportunity to step down from his deanship at this point in our transition to a new president," he said. "His presence will be sorely missed."
...

"Provost Jay Grimes said the leadership change came after talks with Pierce about "recent happenings in the college," including the successful completion of an accreditation cycle, an increase in external research grants and contracts and the recent ranking of Southern Miss' doctoral teacher education program in the top 10 nationally in scholarly output.

Still, Grimes said there were "certain indicators (the administration) wanted to see go up" and that both top administrators and Pierce "felt it was time for him to return to scholarship."

"We felt some things needed to be improved in the college," Grimes said.

The Faculty Senate may call a special meeting this month to discuss Pierce's resignation and attendant issues, that body's president Myron Henry said."

LeftASAP · Status: Offline

From the article:

"Obviously, the university's business needs to go on and it doesn't stop because we're about to have a change in president, but we've been clear ... about minimizing the changes that probably should belong to the next president," Faculty Senate President-elect Stephen Judd said.

"There is a fear that the shoe has not dropped and that there are other shoes that are going to drop."

I hope Faculty Senate is prepared for the "End Game".

Reporter · Status: Offline

H.A. Letter--USM resignation sends bad signal
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070201/OPINION03/702010352/1014/OPINION

Southern Belle · Status: Offline

Two thumbs up to Dr. Amy Young for speaking out and expressing her views which are shared by faculty and staff on campus!!

Interested onlooker · Status: Offline

Amy--a terrific letter.

Curmudgeon · Status: Offline

Amy is my hero.

Southern Belle · Status: Offline

Dr. Young would make a GREAT Southern Miss President!

Can someone nominate her to the advisory committee??

Incredulous · Status: Offline

It's time for other faculty members to step up. Perhaps the chair of psychology has an opinion.

Obviousman · Status: Offline

Fairly depressing when looks back on the first month of what was supposed to be a good year, one that should be seeing this place ready for rebirth. Especially so, given the dreary weather.

Overall, the events clearly demonstrate that the bitter old man in the Dome, with his manipulating sycophants, is drifting further into his make-believe world. One in which a Provost can in one day express surprise that Pierce resigned and then later tell the paper that a Dean is pushed out because of positive indicators. A place where nepotism doesn’t’ count cause daddy’s little girl is the bestest in da whole wide wurl. A kingdom where merit is earned by telling the king how fine his robes are and how good his bestest little girl is. Clearly, he intends not to leave us until USM has morphed into The University of Shelby’s Mississippi.

Interested onlooker · Status: Offline

Reporter wrote:

H.A. Letter--USM resignation sends bad signal
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070201/OPINION03/702010352/1014/OPINION

In a tribute to the late Molly Ivins (New York Times 2/2/07), Paul Krugman commented that "Molly never lost sight of two eternal truths..." One of these is that "the times when people are afraid to challenge authority are also the times when it's most important to do just that."

There have been so many heroes at USM. Thanks to all of you.

lochopoka · Status: Offline

Incredulous wrote:

It's time for other faculty members to step up. Perhaps the chair of psychology has an opinion.

Having spent time in Lee County, I really do know how to spell Loachapoka. I chose to not spell my posting name correctly becacuse I never want to disparage those fine people with any comments that I make.

Stepping up is reallly hard to do when we are so close to the end of our ordeal. There were those that stepped up in 2002 to oppose SFT's selection and they got steamrolled. Many of those fine people moved on and some went underground at USM to ride out the storm.

So, it is up to each individual to determine whether or not to stand up.

The clock is ticking and we are near the end of our "great depression" that has a "new deal" or "new frontier" coming before long.

Standing up for five years is hard to do. We have many people to thank for standing up. Some have been knocked down, only to get up and try again. I know that we would miss someone if we started recognizing people that have been strong in their convictions, vocal, and real stalwarts in our cause. But, people need to be recognized. I am sure that the SFT forces will soon announce plans to recognize and honor SFT for all of his contributions.

Invictus · Status: Offline

lochopoka wrote:

I am sure that the SFT forces will soon announce plans to recognize and honor SFT for all of his contributions.

You can take that to the bank.