NOEL POLK fired??? - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Sep 8, 2004

NOEL POLK fired???

Date: Sep 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: what's going on?
"i hear dean pood fired noel polk. is there anything to this? "

As I understand it, Noel Polk has (for quite some time now) been in discussions with Mississippi State University about the possibility of him taking a position up in Starkville. As I am sure that you know, Prof. Polk has been very outspoken about his dissatisfaction (to put it mildly) with the direction that USM has taken in the past two years, the university administration in general, and Shelby Thames in particular. According to my information, Prof. Polk was either in the final stages of these discussions, or had reached an agreement for a position with MSU, possibly to start in January of 2005.

I have not heard anything about Prof. Polk being 'fired' by Dean Pood or anyone else, but it would not surprise me in the least, for the following reasons:

1) For over a year now, the USM Administration has been in a 'Cover Our A**' mode of operation, furiously attempting to paste some sort of positive spin on each new crisis that erupts. The Glamser-Stringer Affair, The Handbook Debacle, The Devork Conspiracy, the list is nearly endless. Lisa Mader is undoubtedly the busiest administrator out of them all, and most likely lies awake at night dreading what may pop up each week.

2) Although I do not know him personally, I have read enough of his material, as well as read some of the things that have been said to him or about him on this very board, to come to the conclusion that Prof. Polk has a formidable intellect, as well as no small amount of cunning when he needs it. He is not someone with whom I would look forward to crossing brains, or barbs, or even editorials, and he is certainly not someone I would want to make an enemy of. Knowing this, it would not surprise me to learn that Noel probably has (had?) a little going away surprise waiting for SFT & Crew, to be unveiled right before or the day of his leaving the university. Exactly what if may be, I don't know (Perhaps some embaressing info on SFT or his Hench Crew), but I believe that Prof. Polk is the type of guy who would come right out and say it, either at a press conference or as an interview with a reporter, rather that leaving it as something to be 'discovered' after he left. However, even without this type of 'surprise', Noel Polk is a very well know professor throughout the adademic community, and his leaving could only be seen as a loss for USM.

But, we need to remember that Shelby Thames has also been around the block a time or two in his career, and that he has known or known of Noel Polk for quite a few years now. He didn't get to where he is now by being a complete idiot, and he is probably paranoid enough to think of the above scenario. How best to side-step this potential land-mine?

2) The last thing that SFT & Company can afford to have is another embaressment, especially one that comes so close on the heels of The Tier-4 Entrapment. How best to head off such a tragedy? "No, No, No! He didn't leave us - We fired him!" A few trumped-up charges here and there, backed up with some stealthily monitored e-mail messages as 'proof', a Darth Mader news 'leak' to the Varsity Voice, and Laa - Tee - Daa! We have the Noel Polk Scandel!!! God only knows what they may try to 'charge' him with, but whatever it is, they will bite into it and hold on like bull terriers, never letting go no matter what the evidence is. They have no other choice. Anything else make the administration look bad and they can't have that, can they?

Date: Sep 8, 2004

i understand polk didn't not sign his contract for the '04-'05 year.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

Noel Polk was NOT fired. He left because he couldn't stand it here anymore.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: what's going on?
"i hear dean pood fired noel polk. is there anything to this? "

Pood does not have the authority to simply "fire" a tenured professor. Even the provost or president cannot do so unless the professor has committed a chargeable crime (that's why Frank and Gary got their hearings and the final decision was to be made by the IHL Board). Pood is probably blissfully unaware that he is helping to run the best of the old Liberal Arts professors away from USM, but I bet that Pood is a bigger reason for Polk leaving than SFT. I say, go Noel! There is absolutely no reason that accomplished faculty should stay here and put up with these amateurs who are trying to run this university - go to a real school (at least Tier 3) where your work is appreciated!

Date: Sep 8, 2004

Since we're all semi-anonymous here, I suppose it doesn't really matter, but I've posted several times to this message board, most recently to the Press Release thread last weekend, as "Tiers On My Pillow," but did not author the post on this thread concerning Noel Polk which appears under that name. To whomever has adopted my nomme de plume, I'd appreciate your modifying your board name so as to avoid future confusion. Thanks.

The Original Tiers On My Pillow

Date: Sep 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Angeline
" . . . . put up with these amateurs who are trying to run this university . . . .

Amateurs. For years I've been at a loss for a word to desribe what I have seen here. You finally found it for me. Amateurs. I need look no more.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: The Original Tiers On My Pillow
"Since we're all semi-anonymous here, I suppose it doesn't really matter, but I've posted several times to this message board, most recently to the Press Release thread last weekend, as "Tiers On My Pillow," but did not author the post on this thread concerning Noel Polk which appears under that name. To whomever has adopted my nomme de plume, I'd appreciate your modifying your board name so as to avoid future confusion. Thanks. The Original Tiers On My Pillow"

To the Original Tiers On My Pillow,

I very deeply and sincerely apologize to you for my error in unknowingly adopting your posting name! I have not been able to be a regular reader / poster to this board for the past several weeks, and I was unaware that someone else had come up with this clever little play on words! Again, my deepest and most sincere apologies to both you and the board for my error!

Egg On My Face

Date: Sep 8, 2004

Word on the street is that Pood thought he was firing Polk and wanted to fire Polk but that Polk had already resigned before he (Pood) ever penned the letter.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

Now this is interesting. Since the Dean apparently does not have the authority to fire a tenured professor, what did Dean Pood think he was doing? What grounds?

Date: Sep 8, 2004

And as long as we're swapping rumors re: the dean's office, I heard that some of the adjuncts in English had their files disassembled in the Dean's office, and documents were removed from them, including transcripts. This will delay these people receiving their pitiful salaries in Sept., although I also heard that an English dept person kicked up a fuss and got that dealt with (we hope.)

Date: Sep 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: New Adjunct
"Now this is interesting. Since the Dean apparently does not have the authority to fire a tenured professor, what did Dean Pood think he was doing? What grounds? "

There would be nothing unusual, at even a really outstanding university, for a dean or even a chair to write the termination letter to a tenured faculty. Such a letter does not have to be written by the president. What is unusual, however, is for a major university to have such a poor appeals and due process mechanism in place.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

Rumor swirling all over campus that they tried to fire Polk, story to be on WDAM news tonight.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: repoman
"Rumor swirling all over campus that they tried to fire Polk, story to be on WDAM news tonight."

If there really was a serious attempt to fire Noel Polk for anything he wrote to the newspapers, or posted on this message board, or for expressing his opinion elsewhere, there should be a "Going out of Business" sign at USM's gate tomorrow morning.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: In the know
"There would be nothing unusual, at even a really outstanding university, for a dean or even a chair to write the termination letter to a tenured faculty. Such a letter does not have to be written by the president. What is unusual, however, is for a major university to have such a poor appeals and due process mechanism in place. "

Please let me add to my post. Actually, I can't think of any circusmtance where a university president would be the one to write a termination letter to a tenured faculty member. Such a letter should be written by the department chair. It is at that point the appeals and due process mechanism would kick into place. That's the way it's done at major universities and that's the way it should have been done last Spring at USM. The manner with which USM handled that particular aspect of their misguided termination attempt presented a serious problem insofar as allowing a proper appeals process work it's way from department-level to college-level to university-level to IHL-level. I sat back and watched in amazement while it was happening iin such a bizarre and unorthodox manner.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

As was said a long time ago on the board, SFT and Co. turned the hearing process for the attempted firings into a media circus and a legal nightmare rather than letting academic procedure work.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Around town
"As was said a long time ago on the board, SFT and Co. turned the hearing process for the attempted firings into a media circus and a legal nightmare rather than letting academic procedure work. "

Then tell me one thing, Around town: Did your "middle management" (deans, chairs) vigorously protest the manner with which the attempted firings was handled? If not, then why not? Surely a few of them must have known that the procedure was improper. I assume at least some of your deans and chairs have worked at other universities and knew that things were being handled in an unorthodox manner. And please don't tell me they were protecting their jobs and covering their a**. That's not an acceptable excuse for silence.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

In the Know, I think two of the adjectives you used in your last post pretty much sum up SFT and his cronies' overall behavior: "bizarre" and "unorthodox". Flying in the face of due process is common behavior for that crowd of clowns.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

Of course its not an acceptable excuse for silence. But that is exactly what they did. SFT has gotten himself a bunch of "yes" lackies who will do exactly what he asks. Thank you, Joseph Goebbels. You've got it right.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

I would not want to work for or with anyone who sat around and said nothing while a colleague or employee was being beaten up like Stringer or Glamser were. From my experience, and at other universities with which I am familiar, a colleague or supervisor who ignored such treatment would lose whatever respect they had.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: In the know
"Then tell me one thing, Around town: Did your "middle management" (deans, chairs) vigorously protest the manner with which the attempted firings was handled? If not, then why not? Surely a few of them must have known that the procedure was improper. I assume at least some of your deans and chairs have worked at other universities and knew that things were being handled in an unorthodox manner. And please don't tell me they were protecting their jobs and covering their a**. That's not an acceptable excuse for silence. "

The Council of Chairs sent a written response critical of the manner of the firings. My dean was dumbfounded, and tried to convince the Dome to take other action (no names please). The Provost contradicted the President publically in the HA (he is gone now). So admin people spoke up. I suppose that in hindsight a mass strike by administrators might have been one means to get the attention of the Dome (as would have been a mass strike by staff and faculty). Chances of that happening in the Magnolia state? (Remember the last teachers strike?)

Date: Sep 8, 2004

It's not legal to say that a strike is not legal.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by: Inside Observer
"The Council of Chairs sent a written response critical of the manner of the firings. My dean was dumbfounded, and tried to convince the Dome to take other action . . . The Provost contradicted the President publically in the HA . . . So admin people spoke up."

Really? Do your administrators have that little influence over the university's welfare and academic integrity? If that is the case, why are they still hanging around?

Date: Sep 8, 2004

They hang around because they were hired after the academic cleansing of the 9 deans in Feb. 2003. They walked into a situation where they were positively certain about the rules of the USM Fight Club. #1 Rule: Follow exactly what SFT says and do not question it.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: educator
"They hang around because they were hired after the academic cleansing of the 9 deans in Feb. 2003. They walked into a situation where they were positively certain about the rules of the USM Fight Club. #1 Rule: Follow exactly what SFT says and do not question it."

Then the next logical question, educator, is why do any of the marketable faculty still hang around?

Date: Sep 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: educator
"They hang around because they were hired after the academic cleansing of the 9 deans in Feb. 2003. They walked into a situation where they were positively certain about the rules of the USM Fight Club. #1 Rule: Follow exactly what SFT says and do not question it."

God bless you each and every one.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

They hang around for family reasons, they hang around because they are close to retirement - they don't hang around if they such stellar faculty members as is one Noel Polk --- MSU, you've stolen one of our best faculty members. Shelby, as ye sow so shall ye reap.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: educator
"They hang around because they were hired after the academic cleansing of the 9 deans in Feb. 2003. They walked into a situation where they were positively certain about the rules of the USM Fight Club. #1 Rule: Follow exactly what SFT says and do not question it."

This proves they are not qualified for their positions--that they were not smart enough to recognize the mess here. Only an idot would accept a deanship at a school where 9 Deans were fired on an hour and a half's notice.

Date: Sep 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Inside Observer
"The Council of Chairs sent a written response critical of the manner of the firings."

If my understanding is correct, Inside Observer, all the Council of Chairs did is request that the two professors who had been removed from the classroom be put back in the classroom until the hearing. If that is correct, I'd judge that to be an embarrasingly low level of support.

Date: Sep 9, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Around town
"Word on the street is that Pood thought he was firing Polk and wanted to fire Polk but that Polk had already resigned before he (Pood) ever penned the letter."

Same word on the street as I've heard.

You can't fire an employee who has already quit.

Robert Campbell