First it was Clyda Rent at MUW, and then it was Thames at USM, and now it's the president at Valley. All of this is in a state that never had votes of no confidence for decades. What it shows is years of casual presidential selection and oversight by an out of touch IHL board. Now that some of the worst IHL offenders have left and the Board has been reorganized with an experienced Commissioner to oversee the presidents, we can hope for a brighter future. This assumes that the Board will do the right thing in its selection of the USM president. We don't need anyone who has been involved with the current administration or some kind of political appointment.

Greenwood Commonwealth


http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18035395&BRD=1838&PAG=461&dept_id=104621&rfi=6

Meredith is asked to look into MVSU
By: Amy McCullough, Staff Writer 03/04/2007

The Mississippi Valley State University Faculty Senate has sent a letter to the state's higher education commissioner asking him to look into conditions at the school and report his findings.

The letter, signed by Faculty Senate president Dr. Francis Showi, was mailed Friday to Dr. Thomas C. Meredith. It said that a vote had determined that the faculty "lacks confidence in the leadership" at MVSU....

...Earlier in the week, he said complaints of allowing students late registration, lack of professional courtesy, disregard for the academic calendar, inconsistency in faculty pay, and disregard for the chain of command in communications with departments were academic issues outside his direct purview.

New complaints stated in the letter to the College Board are:

# "Instability at the executive level of the university."

# "Acting chairs are allowed to serve five years or more."

# "No one is left in charge when the President is away from the campus; thus classes cannot be cancelled during inclement weather and important documents are not signed in a timely manner."

# "Academic programs are started with inadequate staffing, funding and equipment."

# "Department are allowed to function without established/acknowledged Chairs."...

...In a letter sent to university faculty and staff Thursday, Newman attempted to refute some of 32 anonymous allegations that have been distributed widely around the campus.

The president did not respond to allegations that he is having affairs with two employees. He said he would limit his responses to items of relevance to university operations and not those of a personal nature....

... Newman denied accusations of a transcript tampering scandal as well as embezzlement from the MVSU Foundation.

He also sent a letter to university faculty on Friday outlining three new initiatives he has established to "bring the faculty to the table and rectify their concerns," Montgomery said.

One initiative is the formation of a committee to address faculty issues. The committee includes the interim vice president for academic affairs, the provost and 10 faculty members.

Newman also has created a President's Council to meet monthly with him and the executive staff to discuss issues and policies. Additionally, he will initiate a series of roundtable discussions with faculty from across campus, he said.

CL, 3/6/07

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070306/NEWS/70306050

Higher ed leader will look at MVSU faculty concerns

Higher Education Commissioner Tom Meredith said today he will need more time to study a Mississippi Valley State University Faculty Senate resolution critical of the leadership of President Lester Newman.

Meredith, who received the letter hours ago, is reviewing the letter before he determines the next step in the process, said state College Board spokeswoman Annie Mitchell.

A week after slamming Newman with a no-confidence resolution, the Faculty Senate met again on the Itta Bena campus this morning....

No, but we had a different commissioner (David Potter) and Board structure at that time.

If it is true that Meredith is looking at this, then that bodes well. It also means that in the future senates must be careful about votes of no confidence -- if the commissioner gets one every time there is a controversy, it will have the effect of the boy crying wolf.

On the other hand, the fact that the commissioner takes an public interest in these things may put presidents on notice that they can't run roughshod over their faculties. That itself would have a salutory effect on governance. If, in effect, the commissioner is the thumb that tilts the scale a bit more in favor of faculty then that is not only a good thing, but completely necessary. Currently, administrations seem to have a licence to run rampant -- as this administration is continuing to do in a transparent effort to etch the Thames legacy into the cornerstone of the Lucas building, protect its friends and secure long lasting sinecures for those who it favors.

Greenwood Commonwealth, 3/16/2007

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18089480&BRD=1838&PAG=461&dept_id=104621&rfi=6

Faculty committee to meet at MVSU Monday

A special committee will meet Monday to discuss campus issues given as reasons for a Feb. 27 no-confidence vote in university President Lester C. Newman....


...Higher Education Commissioner Thomas C. Meredith is still assessing the Faculty Senate's letter regarding the no-confidence vote, said Annie Mitchell, director of media relations for the College Board.

Meredith was in meetings Thursday for final interviews for a new president of the University of Southern Mississippi, Mitchell said.

USM President Shelby Thames' contract expires in May.

Thames received a no-confidence vote from the USM faculty in March 2004.

CL, 3/24/07

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070324/NEWS/703240343/1001

Valley president unfazed despite criticism
Instability, lack of common courtesy cited as faculty concerns

Rapid turnover in key administrative posts at Mississippi Valley State University, poorly supported academic programs and a lack of professional courtesy to employees are some of the major complaints voiced recently by the school's faculty leaders.

Their concerns are outlined in a March 2 letter...

...Instability at the executive level of the university, with eight persons serving as vice president for academic affairs in the past nine years....

...Acting department chairs are allowed to serve five years or more....

...Faculty contracts contain the wrong start dates, positions, salary and tenure data.

The academic calendar is ignored or changed on a whim.

Lack of common courtesy shown to faculty and staff. In some cases, faculty members have been told to "shut up and sit down" when asking a question at an open faculty meeting. Newman was using that type of language at a meeting, professors say....

This sounds like deja vu all over again. Sure, it's just a small minority that are causing the trouble, just like during the civil rights era. I remember that just after the 40-0 Faculty Senate no confidence vote and the 93% faculty wide no confidence vote Thames was saying the same thing.

CL, 4/1/07

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070401/OPINION/704010319/1166

2 university presidents keep ears, eyes open

...Valley professors voted 33-1 in favor of a no-confidence resolution on Newman's leadership, a document that has been sent to Higher Education Commissioner Thomas Meredith amid calls for Newman's resignation. Meredith could not be reached for comment.

There are questions, however, about whether the resolution is an accurate reflection of the faculty's sentiment....

...Only 34 of Valley's 150 faculty members participated in the no confidence vote, which is less than one fourth of the faculty. That's a long way from a majority....

...Newman, who has led Valley for nine years, admits that his style is to do whatever it takes to get the job done....

CD, 4/18/07

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18226471&BRD=1838&PAG=461&dept_id=104621&rfi=6

MVSU Facuty Senate tries to oust veep

Members of the Mississippi Valley State University Faculty Senate want to expel that body's vice president after he spoke out against its no-confidence vote in President Lester C. Newman.

Dr. Jess Brookhart, an associate professor of accounting, received a letter Tuesday notifying him of his expulsion.

Brookhart, however, said he considers the action invalid and plans to continue to attend Faculty Senate meetings until his term ends next month....

CL, 4/21/07

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070421/NEWS/704210374/1001/news


MVSU's chief called on to resign
'Serious void in leadership,' committee says in report

A new Mississippi Valley State faculty committee that President Lester Newman created is calling for his dismissal.

Newman launched the panel to take an in-depth look at concerns on the Itta Bena campus. The establishment of the 10-member committee was one of the moves by the president after the Faculty Senate in late February passed a "no-confidence" resolution slamming his leadership.

By a 9-1 vote, the new panel is calling for the immediate removal of Newman as president, according to a copy of the report released Friday.

Based on input from 94 Valley faculty members, "it is clear that the current president is seen as unprofessional, poorly organized administratively, inefficient, and, in general, unfit for the job."...

CL, 4/23/07

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070423/NEWS/70423023

MVSU president said he hasn't looked at report calling for him to be fired

Embattled Mississippi Valley State University President Lester Newman said today he's not had the chance to study a new faculty committee report calling for his firing.

Newman, who attended a Founders' Day breakfast on the Itta Bena campus with key lawmakers this morning, indicated he's "not had a chance to delve through it," said MVSU public relations director Debbie Montgomery....

...Endorsed by a 9-1 vote,the report Friday by a special panel that Newman created slammed his leadership after looking into a large number of complaints, from personnel issues to contracts to the president's "micromanagement" style. It mirrored concerns of a Faculty Senate resolution that endorsed a "no-confidence" resolution in late February....

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070423/NEWS/70423041

Head of higher education to meet Wednesday with embattled MVSU president

Higher Education Commissioner Tom Meredith will have meetings on the Mississippi Valley State University campus Wednesday regarding faculty concerns about the leadership of President Lester Newman....