Academic Probation: The Buck Stops Here - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Dec 9, 2004

Academic Probation: The Buck Stops Here

Date: Dec 10, 2004

I must agree with this post. I cannot help but recall that Academic Council worked so hard to devise a new core curriculum (Dr.Brad Bond was a key here), and the administration (Provost Grimes was the spokesman) cut important elememts because we did not have the resources. Additionally as different units submitted core courses, we understood that the writing requirements would necessitate smaller classes. That core has been in place about a year and now AC is working on an assessment instrument. Ironically, it appears that we need to shift our focus on program reviews for SACS. We have implemented a core curriculum and simply do not have the faculty to cover the classes as designed to meet the critical educational needs of south Mississippi's population. Since that time, departments have literally turned to online courses because they do not have adquate faculty. English, Math, Psychology, and others. I know that all departments and units are doing the very best they can, but without proper resources, we just can't keep it up.

On another level, many of you know that I had no computer for 3.5 weeks. Constant communication with iTech convinces me that they were doing the very best they could but just do not have the resources. Little things mean so much, too and we seemingly do not have the resources to assure adequate supplies. Last year, I went for weeks teaching in Gonzales Auditorium in LAB without a bulb for the projector in a room that absolutely requires that type of presentation (chalk boards just do not work). We couldn't afford spare bulbs! I know they are expensive, but this is just nuts!

This year, I have been forced to carry in a cardboard box because the room I teach in has no lectern for placing notes. I have requested this all semester. No solution. This is just silly.

I suppose it really doesn't surprise me that we are now facing SACS and possibly other accreditation problems. We just have not received the support we need. Academics has simply not appeared on the radar screen. I truly hope we can work to maintain accreditation, and I will do my part. However, I must wonder if an honest assessment is possible given how the administration works? Honest, open assessment with plans to improve, not bandaids (like online sections) and cardboard boxes. We really have a long road ahead of us.

Incidentally, when Dr. Exline was asked to attend an Academic Council meeting earlier this semester, specifically to discuss SACS, there was no indication that there was trouble on the horizon. Is she ONLY supposed to work on the upcoming review? Is there a separation between this process and the preceeding 10 year process? If she only is concern with the upcoming review, the who has been working on the 10 year self assessment since Dr.Bond returned full time to faculty? That is who we need to work with to correct this problem!

Date: Dec 10, 2004

These two above posts are excellent and I'm not sure that my superficial sarcasm should even appear on the same thread but for goodness sake, what about this is world class? A fourth-tier school on academic probation in the state often cited as 50 out of 50 in education?

Professor Young can't get her computer fixed or a bulb replaced, but:

Shelby can find an additional $500,000 to support Joan Exline in her newly created position?

A computer consulting company can get paid $1 million to help monitor faculty e-mails?

The IHL can approve more outside attorney fees for three pending lawsuits?

Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent in settlements?

Angie Dvorak gets paid in a holding position for six months?

Existing buildings can't get necessary upgrades but monuments to a pipe dream are built?

Havoc wreaking administrative positions are created for unqualified individuals?

Due diligence for commercial ventures gets paid out of university funds?

This isn't rocket science. Follow the best practices at good schools. Stop the spin and the hype and the world class bull.... No one has been minding the academic store and this is the price - tier drop and probation. Shelby Thames has been a disaster. He needs to go.

Date: Dec 10, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: World Class, My A..
"These two above posts are excellent and I'm not sure that my superficial sarcasm should even appear on the same thread but for goodness sake, what about this is world class? A fourth-tier school on academic probation in the state often cited as 50 out of 50 in education?
Professor Young can't get her computer fixed or a bulb replaced, but:
Shelby can find an additional $500,000 to support Joan Exline in her newly created position?
A computer consulting company can get paid $1 million to help monitor faculty e-mails?
The IHL can approve more outside attorney fees for three pending lawsuits?
Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent in settlements?
Angie Dvorak gets paid in a holding position for six months?
Existing buildings can't get necessary upgrades but monuments to a pipe dream are built?
Havoc wreaking administrative positions are created for unqualified individuals?
Due diligence for commercial ventures gets paid out of university funds?
This isn't rocket science. Follow the best practices at good schools. Stop the spin and the hype and the world class bull.... No one has been minding the academic store and this is the price - tier drop and probation. Shelby Thames has been a disaster. He needs to go.
"

World Class, My A**, this is an excellent post. That USM has limited resources is a fact. However, that means it need even better administrators, not amateurs to manage them. Your questions point to the factors that were probably the singularly most demoralizing for me. To know that resources were distributed, not in the best interests of the students or the faculty, but only to appease egos, made me angry and miserable. Dana Thames gets a 15% raise, when I am buying my own chalk, printing out my handouts at home with my own paper and own toner cartridges because I'm not allowed to photocopy enough to meet the needs of my classes? (This doesn't even begin to address my research.) But mysteriously money appears from nowhere to pay a Jack Hanbury over $100,000? And Shelby says that everything he does is for the good of the students? The offices and classrooms of USM are the third world of academia. And it is a shame, because USM has a fine faculty. They, and the students of Mississippi, deserve better than some two-bit small town boy who is deluded enough to think he's "world class."

Date: Dec 10, 2004

>World Class, My A**, this is an excellent post. That USM has limited resources is a fact. However, that means it need even better administrators, not amateurs to manage them. Your questions point to the factors that were probably the singularly most demoralizing for me. To know that resources were distributed, not in the best interests of the students or the faculty, but only to appease egos, made me angry and miserable. Dana Thames gets a 15% raise, when I am buying my own chalk, printing out my handouts at home with my own paper and own toner cartridges because I'm not allowed to photocopy enough to meet the needs of my classes? (This doesn't even begin to address my research.) But mysteriously money appears from nowhere to pay a Jack Hanbury over $100,000? And Shelby says that everything he does is for the good of the students? The offices and classrooms of USM are the third world of academia. And it is a shame, because USM has a fine faculty. They, and the students of Mississippi, deserve better than some two-bit small town boy who is deluded enough to think he's "world class."<

This board is filled with fantastic posts! You gotta love Shelby for uniting us all once again. We must slay the dragon first then piece everything back together. If there is one thing that the Auburn experience showed it is that firing the president who got us into this mess and bringing in competent outsiders who know what a university is will show SACS that the state/university IS serious about righting this wrong. To leave these non-academics in power sends the wrong message and the university will be doomed. Shelby may be willing to sink with the ship but are we willing to sink with Shelby?? Hell no! Get rid of the S-O-B!

Date: Dec 10, 2004

Gulf Coast Addendum:

At USM-Gulf Coast there is no learning lab--no writing room, no math tutoring-center, no language lab--but there's plenty of spin about the $1.5 million "gift" given to faux-academic "programs" in Workforce Devil-elopment and suchnot, and there's no shortage of administrative zeal to hassle professors about classroom speech and ensure a lockstep obedience to highly problematic plans for "customer service" and on-line "instruction".

There may be almost no money for faculty development in the Coast CoAL, and administrators, some them not even in the academic chain of command, may over-enroll supposedly "writing intensive" classes to the point that a legitimate writing focus becomes impossible, but there was around a quarter of a million dollars available to remodel Tim Hudson's Gulf Park beachhouse.

Finally, it is common knowledge among Coast cognesceti that H'burg administrators actually lobbied against the new Science Building, and that for two years SJT failed to forward a request for funding for it to the legislature, and all this despite the fact that SACS had made the construction of a legitimate Science Building on the Coast a condition of continued accreditation for the entire USM system.

As Richard Pryor put it, "How long, oh Lord, can this bull**** go on?"

Date: Dec 10, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Will Watson
"Gulf Coast Addendum: At USM-Gulf Coast there is no learning lab--no writing room, no math tutoring-center, no language lab--but there's plenty of spin about the $1.5 million "gift" given to faux-academic "programs" in Workforce Devil-elopment and suchnot, and there's no shortage of administrative zeal to hassle professors about classroom speech and ensure a lockstep obedience to highly problematic plans for "customer service" and on-line "instruction". There may be almost no money for faculty development in the Coast CoAL, and administrators, some them not even in the academic chain of command, may over-enroll supposedly "writing intensive" classes to the point that a legitimate writing focus becomes impossible, but there was around a quarter of a million dollars available to remodel Tim Hudson's Gulf Park beachhouse. Finally, it is common knowledge among Coast cognesceti that H'burg administrators actually lobbied against the new Science Building, and that for two years SJT failed to forward a request for funding for it to the legislature, and all this despite the fact that SACS had made the construction of a legitimate Science Building on the Coast a condition of continued accreditation for the entire USM system. As Richard Pryor put it, "How long, oh Lord, can this bull**** go on?" "

Good stuff, people are listening.

Date: Dec 10, 2004

Kick

Date: Dec 11, 2004

RE: Academic Probation: The Buck Stops Here

Date: Dec 11, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Backspin
"This administration failed its students and alumni. "

The same could be said for the IHL which has failed miserably.

Date: Dec 11, 2004

RE: RE: RE: Academic Probation: The Buck Stops Her

Date: Dec 11, 2004

RE: RE: Academic Probation: The Buck Stops Here

Date: Dec 11, 2004

Speaking of "The Buck Stops Here," let's not forget that another "buck" may take centerstage next: Jane Buck (the AAUP Jane Buck).

Date: Dec 11, 2004

ITS TIME TO RUN THIS BUSINESS LIKE A UNIVERSITY

Date: Dec 11, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: spinsky
"ITS TIME TO RUN THIS BUSINESS LIKE A UNIVERSITY"

I like this a lot!

Date: Dec 11, 2004

I like it also. Amy Young used that phrase in one her postings a day or so ago (see below). I'd sure like to know who origininated it:

: Amy Young

Date: 5 min, 33 sec. ago
Views: 11

RE: Plan & Progress Report

Looking over this material, I am already worried about the next round of reviews. To quote some friends:

"It's time to run this business like a university!"

No quarter, no confidence, we have had "one fiasco after another."

Page 1 of 1

Date: Dec 11, 2004

Does anyone know how unusual it is for SACS to put a school on probation? Any statistics? Averages?

Date: Dec 11, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Outside Observer
"Does anyone know how unusual it is for SACS to put a school on probation? Any statistics? Averages?"

That information was posted on a previous thread within the past couple of days I believe but I can't find it now.

Date: Dec 11, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Answer
"That information was posted on a previous thread within the past couple of days I believe but I can't find it now."

According to the HA, there hasn't been a university or college in Mississippi in the last 20 years.

Date: Dec 11, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: stephen judd
"According to the HA, there hasn't been a university or college in Mississippi in the last 20 years. "

By the way, does anybody know how long we have had an Office for Institutional Effectiveness? That is the site on the website where the Departmental assesssments are published. I don't know I've heard of this before here.

Date: Dec 11, 2004

well at one point we had OPIE--office of planning and institutional effectiveness. after it was eliminated i don't know where all of its responsibilities went. some went to institutional research and some went elsewhere (??).

Date: Dec 11, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Outside Observer
"Does anyone know how unusual it is for SACS to put a school on probation? Any statistics? Averages?"

Invictus had that in a post in another thread. It was something like 1% of schools are on probation at any given time. The last time for USM (then State Teachers College) was probably in 1930 when Gov. Bilbo interfered with the colleges in Mississippi.

Date: Dec 11, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Outside Observer
"Does anyone know how unusual it is for SACS to put a school on probation? Any statistics? Averages?"

Last year, out of over 760 institutions that are members of SACS, seven were on probation.

Date: Dec 11, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: stinky cheese man
"well at one point we had OPIE--office of planning and institutional effectiveness. after it was eliminated i don't know where all of its responsibilities went. some went to institutional research and some went elsewhere (??). "

So my question is: has this "office" just come into being? I mean is it a "virtusal office" or does it really exist with a staff? Better go back to the website and ehck it out --- I'll report what I find.

Date: Dec 11, 2004

someone told me that most universities after they go through this SACS process ends up having something like a director of institutional effectiveness. it's becoming a necessity because institutional effectiveness and its assessment has to become interwoven into what a university does.

Date: Dec 11, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: stephen judd
"So my question is: has this "office" just come into being? I mean is it a "virtusal office" or does it really exist with a staff? Better go back to the website and ehck it out --- I'll report what I find. "

OK -- so no one is listed as heading the office yet and it is not listed in the Administrative section.

So it is a new office still "under construction."

When did the old hyphenated office go out business? I seem to remember it was around when I first got here.

Date: Dec 11, 2004

i think joan exline is heading it up right now. beyond that--i don't know.

Date: Dec 11, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: stinky cheese man
"i think joan exline is heading it up right now. beyond that--i don't know."

This place is so unstable that I wouldn't touch that job with a ten foot pole. Well, maybe for 25 years of salary - up front!

Date: Dec 11, 2004

you are so right. she needs our support however. i am a bit distressed to see the AAUP letter that complains about her non-search. it may not be the best process (of course, there are others the AAUP does not mention, but i digress) but we've got 12 months. we've got to pull together.

Date: Dec 11, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Invictus
"

Last year, out of over 760 institutions that are members of SACS, seven were on probation."

Those seven were Hiiwassee College, Texas College, St. Augustine's College, Crichton College, Life University, Univ. of West Alabama, and Auburn. See http://www.sacscoc.org/search.asp.