Economic Development Malapropism - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Oct 7, 2004

Economic Development Malapropism

Date: Oct 7, 2004

Mal, I saw this, too. The only thing that has crashed with regard to economic development at USM is SFT's thick head and reality. What a myopic, egotistical little man.

Date: Oct 7, 2004

Does that translate to driving a car bomb into the sacred cow???

Let's see how they can scramble to pick up the pieces...

Am reminded of the old polka tune: "Oh I don't want it you can have it, it's too schlock for me..."

Evidently, one of the President's council members called Economic Development a "sham program" in the meeting yesterday and Janet Braswell picked up on it.

Date: Oct 7, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Jacklight
"Evidently, one of the President's council members called Economic Development a "sham program" in the meeting yesterday and Janet Braswell picked up on it. "

Hooray for JB, then! Let's hope for more of this...

And ED *is* a sham program, as constructed by SFT and cronies. Too bad they didn't look at successful models at other universities before slapping together their own program. Oh, wait, I forgot....USM *invented* ED! Those other programs are just a mirage.....

Date: Oct 7, 2004

the economic development program was Hudson's baby. he protected it and now that he's gone it's being reorganized.

Date: Oct 7, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: stinky cheese man
"the economic development program was Hudson's baby. he protected it and now that he's gone it's being reorganized. "

An academic program whose survival depends on only one person? Strange. Bizarre. Wasteful.

Date: Oct 7, 2004

hudson was a real pt barnum when it came to economic development. at the time it was called being entrepreneurial.

Date: Oct 7, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Jacklight
"...
Evidently, one of the President's council members called Economic Development a "sham program" in the meeting yesterday and Janet Braswell picked up on it. "

I heard that a Faculty Senator read a statement about the ED program that sounded like something that appeared on this board. I don't know which thread, but someone pointed out all the quality problems with ED such as: students without credentials being admitted, students having GREs in the lower 25% range, instructors not meeting SACS standards, 60 Ph.D.students and only 2 faculty. etc.

If all of this was mentioned, it must have been an interesting meeting.

Date: Oct 7, 2004

In today's HA article, I think Dr. David Butler was quoted as saying there were 60+ students registered for the spring semester. Luckily, these students are not going to be spread out over just 2 profs anymore. The economic development department just hired 2 new profs - believe that both of them are graduates of the USM's own IDV economic development PhD program.

Date: Oct 7, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: stinky cheese man
"the economic development program was Hudson's baby. he protected it and now that he's gone it's being reorganized. "

I'm not doubting that Hudson played a role in it, but if it was strictly "his baby," where does Ken Malone fit in?

Did Malone ever owe any loyalty to Hudson? I though he was 100% dependent on SFT.

Robert Campbell

Date: Oct 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Robert Campbell
""

RC, you are trying to oversimplify (and as Invictus indicated on another thread, trying to apply normal logic to) an extremely complicated academic insanity. If you read the IHL mission and strategic plan (with or without the jaundiced eye of the conspiracy theorists) you see that it's ALL ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. Shelby Thames' 2002 platform was all about economic development. Angie Dvorak's grant funding initiatives (and external power base) were all about economic development. Tim Hudson's IDV program was all about economic development. Ken Malone was originally hired in an economic development function (to recruit companies to the high technology park) and later moved into the specially created position of chairing the economic development department (in which Hudson's IDV program was housed), Greg Lassen was (and still is) a student in the IDV program in economic development. Very ambitious people who may have cut each other's throats on other issues came together on economic development and in their enmity for its critics.

Date: Oct 8, 2004

SB,

Thank you for the sharp-eyed analysis.

It's not as though economic development rhetoric is unique to USM, or even to the Mississippi state system. We're hearing more of it at Clemson these days, and throughout the South Carolina state system.

But the overpowering convergence of ambition on one academically puny but highly touted graduate program is characteristic of USM, not of any institution in the South Carolina system. For that matter, is either Ole Miss or Miss State doing anything comparable?

A couple of further questions come to mind:

(1) Since leaving Economic Development in the College of Business posed a serious threat to reaccrediting the business programs (I'm sure it did--I recall the last time the business programs in our college went through the AACSB process), why wasn't ED left there? Wouldn't deaccreditation further the agenda of the IHL Board? Or was Thames' motive simply to increase Ken Malone's power over the program and reduce Harold Doty's?

(2) Is Tim Hudson smart enough to realize what the Board really wants out of a President of USM? Or is he like a Thames with slightly greater political skill--foolish enough to damage USM while persuading himself that he is building it up?

Robert Campbell