Some wise person posted this comment at the end of the Hattiesburg American story. I think its fair to say that SFT's entire career has been an excercise in rent seeking.
Well, well - the veil is lifted on all of the so-called "research" funding that Thames has brought in. Non-competitive pork-barrel-spending. That ain't a research grant, that's sucking off the public teat. If Polymer Science has done so well on its own in creating businesses and making money, why does it need earmark funding (our taxpayer money) to keep going? Perhaps it ain't so hot after all?
Thames had two objectives for his presidency -- increase enrollment to 20,000 and increase research grants. In spite of his efforts to achieve both with smoke and mirrors, he has failed miserably.
At the University of Southern Mississippi, officials hope they will succeed in persuading federal agencies to continue to finance earmarked projects included in prior years' appropriations bills.
The university, which obtained $102-million from all sources for research in 2006, was promised about $30-million in set-asides in all of the 2007 appropriations bills, and has been one of the top recipients of such funds in past years. Most of the 2007 money was for equipment to help researchers develop better polymers and to improve the aquaculture of shrimp, and only about 10 percent was slated for salaries.
Truth in journalistic liscence - Emphasis added by poster on "better polymers" OM