Observations from Tier 1 - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Sep 6, 2004

Observations from Tier 1

Date: Sep 7, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by: Lost in Tiernation
"Dazed and confused, the ex-USM faculty member suddenly finds himself at a Tier 1 university. It's like one of those time-travel movies where the 18th-century count finds himself walking the streets of New York, or a movie in which Jane takes a disoriented Tarzan back to civilization."

Your new movie, Lost in Tiernation, sounds as if it must be a wonderful love story. I know it will be a box office hit. Now let me tell you about the sequel: Lost in Tiernation II: "Dazed and confused, a faculty member from a Tier 1 university suddenly finds himself walking down the streets of Hattiesburg, Mississippi when, after passing a lovely duck pond and a beautiful rose garden, he makes the tragic mistake of wandering onto a university campus. It's a time-travel horror movie where the 21st century professor finds himself accosted by feral cats, a university administrator, and no due process."

Date: Sep 7, 2004

Lost in Tiernation II will be consided for an award in the documentary as well as in the horror movie category.

Date: Sep 7, 2004

Lost in Tiernation, are you sure you are on planet earth? This sounds like heaven to me. Or is it Iowa?

Date: Sep 7, 2004

You very clever people (including the infamous Dr.

Goebbels--sp?) have made it possible for my name change to

become somewhat permanent. By the way, anyone hear the

report this morning on NPR that a new "economic development"

model shows that areas should begin not by attracting companies

but by attracting creative people--artists, pure scientists,

teachers. It is the presence of those people that make an area

attractive to companies.

Date: Sep 7, 2004

Originally posted by: Not so sad
" By the way, anyone hear the report this morning on NPR that a new "economic development" model shows that areas should begin not by attracting companies but by attracting creative people--artists, pure scientists, teachers. It is the presence of those people that make an area attractive to companies. "

http://www.npr.org/rundowns/segment.php?wfId=3893159

Date: Sep 7, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Newgirl
"Lost in Tiernation, are you sure you are on planet earth? This sounds like heaven to me. Or is it Iowa?"

Build a good school and . . .

People will come, Roy. People will most definitely come.

Date: Sep 7, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: James Earl Jones
" Build a good school and . . . People will come, Roy. People will most definitely come."

Mr. Wonderful, I know that it's early but this is my nomination for the week. Of course it doesn't matter what JEJ says...best voice in the country!

Date: Sep 7, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Not so sad
"anyone hear the report this morning on NPR that a new "economic development" model shows that areas should begin not by attracting companies but by attracting creative people--artists, pure scientists, teachers. It is the presence of those people that make an area attractive to companies."

Good point, Not so sad. If one thinks about it, The great universities in California (e.g., Stanford) did not grow up around high tech industry. High tech industry gravitated to those areas because of the cultural, social, and technical benefits afforded by Stanford and other great instituions of higher education out there. Similarly, the high-tech industrial corridor in the Northeast was built around Harvard and MIT - not the other way around. Also, it was not by chance that North Carolina's "Research Triangle" is located in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill. The industry in the Research Triangle was attracted to the cultural, social, and technical resources of UNC and N.C. State - not the other way around. USM seems to have it bassackward.

Date: Sep 7, 2004

The fastest and surest route to economic development in South Mississippi would be to drop a 1st tier university there. Industry would, over time, beat a path to our door. It has happened elsewhere and it could happen here. But it will not happen as long as higher education is given the short end of the stick.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Lost in Tiernation
" . . . the ex-USM faculty member suddenly finds himself at a Tier 1 university first observations: 1) There seem to be hordes of staff people to assist you, at least three times what you're used to. 2) There is a computer expert in your building. If you call him, he comes down the hall right away and fixes your problem. 3) The facilities are clean and well-maintained. 4) The books in the library you want to put on reserve for your class are also on reserve for someone else's class. 5) The books you want to read are in the library, and they look like they've been read before, by numerous people. 6) Instead of waiting until October 1 for your first paycheck, you get two months paycheck on September 1. 7) They spell your name right. 8) Your name is on your mailbox and your office door when you arrive, a month before school starts. 9) You don't have to ask for bookshelves. 10) You are sent a user name and password for the university computer system a couple of weeks after you accept the job in the spring. The name and password work for everything online in the university: class lists, grades, library databases, human resources self-service web page. 11) Your class lists are easily accessible online. Instead of taking half an hour to figure out the meaningless vocabulary of SOAR, you can get what you need in 30 seconds. Another click gets you complete information about your class, including addresses, phone nos., and e-mail addresses. 12) The food at the reception for new faculty is very good. 13) The first week, the department chair sends out three or four e-mails reminding faculty to apply for available money: travel money, computer money, guest speaker money, etc. 14) By week two, without you asking, the office of research and sponsored programs has started sending you e-mails about grants that are actually related to your discipline. 15) A student comes to ask you about a missing article that you've assigned, approximately three weeks before she needs to read it. 16) People are reading and studying and working on laptops, not just in the coffee shops near campus, but in coffee shops and restaurants all over town. In one coffee shop there are only two people not studying, but talking very quietly, so as not to disturb everyone else. 17) The AAUP is listed on the new faculty orientation website. 18) In his welcome to new faculty, the president utters the phrase, "shared governance." 19) In your first department meeting, they talk about how bad the budget cuts have been. Then they serve refreshments. 20) Your new colleagues tell war stories of personality clashes and departmental infighting.

Lost in tiernation, you may have all of the above at your new tier 1 university, but look what USM has: USM Classrooms Becoming 'Smart' As you saw in that hotlink, we now have slide projectors and DVD's. And there's even more: the cars at motorpool have rear-view mirrors, the bookstore sells Eagle coffee mugs, we serve fried chicken on Sundays, and there's so many books in our library that we don't have room for more (and will not purchse more for next year). That's why they call us wur'l class.