A Message from the President

October 25, 2004

Dear Colleagues:

It is my intent that these letters keep you informed about the day-to-day affairs of Southern Miss. I hope you are reading my correspondence and will feel free to follow up with questions or comments if you desire.

On Monday, October 4, I traveled to Washington, DC, for a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige and other presidents of institutions of higher learning from across the nation to discuss the critical issue of shortages in mathematics and science majors in America. The meeting was very informative yet troubling. It is clear that our nation must increase the number of math and science majors if we are to meet the current and future needs of our country and remain a world power. I appreciate the work of Dr. Sharon Walker, Dr. Dana Thames, and Dr. Rex Gandy, who assisted in collecting educational data to share with this group. Other discussions will be scheduled with the organizers of this meeting, and I would appreciate suggestions and ideas as to how we can deal with and resolve this major shortage of math and science majors in the United States.

On Wednesday morning, October 6, we started the day early with a President's Council meeting. Russ Willis presented data showing the number of lawsuits filed per year on affirmative action issues. He once again assured the council that while his recommendation was to change the EEOC officer position from a full-time to a half-time position and move its reporting responsibility to the Office of Human Resources, services would be neither reduced nor changed. Some members of the council objected to this streamlining proposal. On the afternoon of the same day, I met with the executive officers of the Faculty Senate who also wished to keep the EEOC officer position as a full-time position. Discussion ensued, during which time I explained that it is my responsibility as president to continually seek ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness while reducing operational costs.

Clearly, if I am to advocate such a philosophy, I must also adhere to these principles. Therefore, I asked Dr. Clyde Ginn and Russ Willis to evaluate the workload of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and make recommendations for improving this important and thus necessary service function. Dr. Ginn was asked to be a part of the evaluation team given his many prior years as Southern Miss' affirmative action officer, which at the time constituted only a part of his job duties. It was their recommendation that the office could be more efficient as a part-time position within the Office of Human Resources; yet it would continue to offer the same services to faculty and staff. By accepting their recommendation, approximately $65,000 could be redirected to other needs of the university. I proposed to the Faculty Senate officers that the "saved" monies would go to hire an additional faculty member or could be added to a "raise pool" for future faculty and staff raises. However, the Faculty Senate executive officers continued to state their interest in maintaining the status quo.

At that point I told them that I would agree to whatever their membership voted regarding this office; however, I once again made it very clear why the recommendation was promulgated and the amount of monies that would become available for other needs should the Ginn-Willis recommendation be adopted. Subsequently, the Faculty Senate voted 35 - 2 to maintain the EEOC office in its current operational state. We must seek an alternative location for the office in the near future, as the building in which it currently resides is scheduled for demolition. The entire university community will be apprised of the new EEOC office location when that decision is made.

Dr. Myron Henry requested an organizational chart of the university to include positions that report directly to my office. That information has been supplied.

Dr. Ray Folse raised questions about the quality of the economic development program and the qualifications of some admitted students, citing discussions and comments with others about this topic. He asked that a representative of the program visit the President's Council and answer questions that might be asked by President's Council members. As a result of this request, I discussed this matter with the administrative cabinet and it was unanimously agreed that academic program review is not the mission of the President's Council. Instead, program review, evaluation and assessment are the responsibility of the provost, deans, departments and appropriate academic entities such as the academic and graduate councils.

Gregg Lassen discussed campuswide outsourcing efforts. It is a part of Gregg's responsibilities to review all business processes throughout the university. This work is proceeding well as he and/or his colleagues review other segments of our business processes where efficiency and effectiveness can likely be achieved with significant benefits to Southern Miss. Such procedures require extended periods of time to ensure input from all segments of the university family.

During the President's Council, I discussed the board requirement of reporting our post-tenure review findings. I shared with the council that I was not made aware of information delivered to the IHL Board office by Dr. Tim Hudson on post-tenure review.

A meeting with all university chief academic officers and commissioner of the IHL Board, Dr. David Potter, resulted in our being told that we were not in compliance with the board-mandated policy on post-tenure review. Specifically, we are not in compliance in two areas: defining consequences and clearly defining an appeals mechanism for faculty.

The IHL policy on post-tenure review follows.

403.0103 Post-Tenure Review

1. Each institution shall have a post-tenure review process for all tenured faculty. Post-tenure review criteria shall be consistent with the institution's mission and priorities.

2. Institutional post-tenure review policies and procedures shall be linked to annual review policies and procedures. Institutional post-tenure review policies and procedures may require a periodic review of all tenured faculty, a review of individual faculty triggered by one or more unsatisfactory annual reviews, or a combination of periodic and triggered reviews.

3. Institutional post-tenure review policies and procedures shall provide for systematic and comprehensive assessments of performance, peer-involvement in the post-tenure review process, and opportunities for faculty development. The policies and procedures shall specify the consequences of unsatisfactory performance, including termination of service as provided in Section 403.0104. The policies and procedures shall provide for appeals by aggrieved faculty.

4. Institutional post-tenure review policies and procedures shall be filed with the commissioner. The commissioner shall review the policies and procedures for consistency with board policy and recommend modifications as appropriate.

5. Each institution shall prepare an annual report of post-tenure reviews. The report shall be in a format specified by the commissioner and shall be submitted to the board by August 1 for the preceding academic year.

After attending the chief academic officers' meeting, Dr. Hudson directed the Southern Miss deans to provide him the number of individuals in each college whose annual review showed unsatisfactory performance in any one of the three categories of teaching, research and service. The collection of this data nor its use was not discussed with me. Dr. Hudson unilaterally made the decision to include faculty on the post-tenure board report without discussion with the administrative team or me. I have discussed this matter with the Board of Trustees and consequently, at the October 20-21 board meeting, Southern Miss was given the opportunity to submit a revised post-tenure review list to the IHL Board office, and this will be done in the next several days.

I am reviewing the implementation of a broad-based committee to study the post-tenure review process and policies at Southern Miss. We must have a final document to the IHL Board office for the February 2005 board meeting. The document submitted must be consistent with the IHL Board's post-tenure review policies, and thus must contain all elements of the board policy.

I will look to this committee to make recommendations to the administrative team in order to comply with the requirements of the IHL Board office.

Wednesday evening, October 6, I enjoyed one of the most beautiful musical performances one could possibly experience. Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway, along with The University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, captivated the near-capacity audience at Bennett Auditorium. Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Mike Randolph and his wife, Kathy, were present. Justice Randolph was invited to provide opening remarks at the concert and to introduce Sir James Galway. I congratulate Dr. Jay Dean for his remarkable and successful efforts.

Driving onto campus Thursday morning, October 7, made me smile. Students were up late Wednesday night decorating trees, buildings, fountains and bike racks for the Houston game. I know it means more cleanup for our physical plant, but I like to see the school spirit. I appreciate everyone's cooperation in Thursday game days. I know the change in class schedule and parking can be confusing, but I am convinced that the resulting national exposure is very valuable and clearly makes for enhanced student recruitment. The game was terrific, and the stands were a sight to behold as they were truly a sea of gold.

I again congratulate Coach Bower and his fine coaching staff, as well as our student-athletes for a remarkable performance. Moreover, the directors and the members of The Pride, the Dixie Darlings, and cheerleaders were absolutely outstanding. They contributed so much to the festive atmosphere of the event and I am very grateful to each and every one of these individuals. Please keep up the wonderful work you do for Southern Miss. I know you will. There is no question that the students who participated in the game experience worked hard and it paid off! We continue to have a few challenges in the area of sportsmanship in our student section, and I will be meeting with the officers of the Student Government Association for discussion. I want all our fans to have such a great time that they will want to return again and again. However, if fans or opposing teams are met with unsportsmanlike conduct, their view of our university is diminished and they might not want to return. In either event, no one gains. Let's not let that happen. Let's show our warm and caring attitude by our actions each and every day, including game day.

On Friday morning, October 8, I met with the following individuals:

•Bob Pierce, director of the Alumni Association,
• Rex Kelly, president of the Alumni Association
•Tim Ryan, director of The University of Southern Mississippi Foundation
•Toy McLaughlin, president of The University of Southern Mississippi Foundation
• Richard Giannini, director of Athletics
•Mickey Hudson, president of the Southern Miss Athletic Foundation

Rex Kelly, Toy McLaughlin and Mickey Hudson are volunteers for our university who take time out from their full-time jobs to lend us their expertise. I greatly appreciate the time and counsel they give to our university.

On Monday, October 11, 2004, I attended a dinner hosted by Duncan McKenzie, executive vice president and general manager of Grand Casino-Biloxi, launching the Frances A. Karnes Endowed Chair at The University of Southern Mississippi. Dr. Karnes has worked with hundreds of children throughout the years and has left a positive, lasting memory in the minds and hearts of those children and their families. Their experiences with the Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies have also given them a positive impression of Southern Miss. We are proud that Dr. Karnes is an advocate for our university as she continues to work in Mississippi and across the nation.

Our very own Richard Giannini was honored at the All-American Football Foundation Banquet of Champions in Jackson on Tuesday evening. Pat Ferlise, a former football player at Southern Miss and a major financial contributor to our athletic programs, was also recognized at the event. It is an honor for both of these men and for Southern Miss, and I hope you will join me in extending congratulations to both of them.

Last week, many individuals who are involved in student recruitment listened to a presentation by the GodwinGroup, an advertising and marketing company in Jackson, Mississippi. The GodwinGroup performed a study to determine the factors that influence high school students and their parents when making decisions about college. As a result, the first follow-up meeting was held Thursday, October 14, to discuss the importance of university Web sites to potential students and their parents. We will continue follow-up sessions as we develop a strategic plan for recruitment of students in Hattiesburg, along the Gulf Coast, throughout Mississippi and elsewhere. If any of you would like to join us in these work sessions, please contact Dr. Joe Paul at 266-5020.

Also on October 14, Dr. Robert Moore, a polymer science faculty member, invited me to join him for a meeting with and presentation to Tsuyoshi Todoriki, manager for the Nissan Research Center in Japan; Kazuo Nagashima, assistant manager for the Nissan Research Center in Japan; Atsushi Ohma, senior researcher for the Nissan Research Center in Japan; and Eloi Taha, engineering researcher for the Nissan Technical Center North America's EV and FCV Department. The potential for Bob is very exciting because of the opportunities for his work to find use in fuel cells.

The week of October 18 was not only Homecoming week and the week of Fall Break at Southern Miss, but it was also the week of the monthly College Board meeting. The College Board considered a number of important issues for Southern Miss and all were approved.

Dr. Jay Grimes, provost, Gregg Lassen, chief financial officer, and I were joined by two of our deans, Dr. Rex Gandy and Dr. Elliott Pood, who had several programmatic changes before the board for approval. As I noted, all requests made to the College Board by The University of Southern Mississippi were approved.

The College Board also approved some new academic programs at Southern Miss and they are

• a bachelor of arts/science in entertainment industry, and
• a bachelor of science in forensics and a master of science in forensics.

Administrative changes included renaming the Center for Child and Family Studies to the Department of Child and Family Studies within the College of Education and Psychology; renaming the Department of Criminal Justice to the Department of Administration of Justice in the College of Science and Technology; relocating the Department of Economic Development and Planning from the College of Business and Economic Development to the College of Science and Technology; relocating the Ph.D. program in International Development from the Department of Economic Development and Planning to the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts and Letters; renaming the Department of Political Science to the Department of Political Science, International Development and International Affairs in the College of Arts and Letters; and renaming the College of Business and Economic Development to the College of Business.

Also on Thursday, October 21, we announced the largest grant ever received at Southern Miss. A $17.5 million federal grant was awarded by the National Institutes of Health to fund the work of the Mississippi Functional Genomics Network. The grant allows the university to take the lead in enhancing biomedical research in a state historically underrepresented in the area of public health. My congratulations to Drs. George Santangelo, Glen Shearer and Mohamed Elasri for their hard work and my thanks to Connie Wyldmon and the SPA staff who work diligently to process and administer the grants our faculty and staff are awarded. I am very proud of these investigators because I know the many hours of work required to write proposals. I can only imagine the work involved in securing such a sum or money for one single grant.

On Friday, October 22, our university was buzzing with activity--not only from Homecoming festivities but also because more than 250 high school seniors and their parents attended Honors Day. The students possess high ACT scores and many are National Merit semifinalists. I was impressed with the young men and women with whom I spoke, and from the feedback I received from them, they were equally impressed with Southern Miss. Thanks to all of you who helped these great student candidates as well as their parents and/or relatives.

We had a busy weekend once again with our Homecoming game against East Carolina. I will report on those activities in my next president's letter.

Very truly yours,

shelby f thames

Shelby F. Thames