The Citation de la Semaine selection committee asked that I express the committee's appreciation to Malapropism. Mal, we are grateful to you for helping transform our own #1Groupie from a child of the 60's into a proper young lady. She's not quite there yet, but she's making progress. We were quite alarmed when she took up with those eleven in the chartreuse microbus. We were even more alarmed when she resurrected her 60's name Moonbeam. But when she asked for help, Mal, you were there for her. Your suggestion that until she was ready to make a clean break from the past, she should ease the transition and adopt the alternate but similar name Luna LucEre was nothing short of genius on your part. We are pleased to report that your strategy seems to be working: when Luna LucEre returned from her recent trip she was not wearing her Mood Ring, she did not bring her Lava Lamp to the committee meeting, she has put all of her Woodstock memorabilia up for sale on eBay, and she did not come to the meeting decked out like a Berkeley undergraduate during that era. Thank you, Mal. And now let's get on with what you all came here for:
 
Message board viewers, as we say about academic programs at USM, "You asked for it so we're giving it to you."  Stephen Judd first said it, foot soldier proposed it as a motto for USM, several other posters made reference to it, and Invictus nominated it for one of the awards. Therefore the selection committee yields to popular demand ("You asked for it so we're giving it to you") and hereby awards an HONORABLE MENTION  to Stephen Judd for saying  "We didn't actually know this was happening" and to foot soldier for putting it to good use: "This should make a good new motto for USM."
 
The SECOND PLACE and THIRD PLACE positions go to Invictus and to Black and Gold Standard for this two-way conversation:
 
Black and Gold Standard: "Teacher training is surely more important than economic development." Invictus: "It could be argued that teacher training is economic develpment. The only explanation I can think of for all the econonic development brouhaha is that 'economic development' is a buzz word that plays well with politicians, most of whom work their dead level hardest to ensure that it really doesn't take place. It's smoke & mirrors, pure & simple . . . the stone cold truth is that businesses in a 3rd world economy like Mississippi want minimally literate, trainable workers who are utterly unaware of their rights & are abjectly grateful for whatever job they can get. Regardless of what they say, Mississippi's business 'leaders' & politicians are afraid of what an educated workforce might mean for the status quo." Black and Gold Standard: "Putting our resources into education would not only boost economic development, it would boost cultural and social development as well. It would benefit all Mississippian's regardless of their status. Putting our resources into some nebulous economic development program would benefit largely the factory owners, the stockholders, and maybe a few USM millionaires. The others who would be touched by this so-called 'economic development' thrust would be the minimum wage workers who would work in those places. So why don't we stop trying to develop these fashionable, flash-in-the-pan programs and get on with the business of educating our citizens. Economic development (along with social and cultural develpment) will follow close behind.
 
FIRST PLACE - Invictus. "The 'new, more modern faculty aren't going to have a clue what tier 3 is unless there are some older, more experienced hands around to show them the ropes. I'm not talking about older faculty throwing negative vibes on the newbies. I'm talking about having experienced teachers & researchers around to help when the inevitable questions come up. Without mentoring, the quality of instruction at USM is going to decrease . . . USM is losing 'institutional memory' at an astounding rate & few complex organizations can afford such a loss . . . Older faculty should be leaving the institution as they reach retirement age. They should not be stalking off in disgust before they're ready to hang it up. New faculty should believe that they can make a career at USM & not just view the university as a brief steppping stone en route to a better place."
 
Congratulations to the winners. As #1 Groupie still says: "Peace."