I hope we are well rid of him long before Newton becomes President of the board.  I have great hopes for next week!  Because if the board lets him continue beyond next week as president of this university, the responsibility for continued turmoil and possible loss of accreditation is clearly theirs. 

At least if they turn him loose, hire some professional management and make SACS re-accreditation a top priority, they can say they TOOK ACTION.  If they do nothing now but reaffirm support for Thames, who is clearly a liability, I think they are taking an incredible chance. 

I would think that about all the board president does is call meetings and preside over the meetings. One person one vote. It would seem odd if he carried more weight than any other board member when it comes to decision making.

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Originally posted by: Oligarchy
"I would think that about all the board president does is call meetings and preside over the meetings. One person one vote. It would seem odd if he carried more weight than any other board member when it comes to decision making. "

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Well, it's been a long time since I messed with Robert's Rules, but I believe the president sets the agenda. Anything that goes on the agenda is subject to his discretion & anyone who wants to consider something additional either must convince the president to add it to the agenda or go through some parliamentary gyrations.

Prediction #1: If anything, they will have a "closed session" to discuss the situation & that will that all. Thames is not going to be fired next week. It is unlikely that he will be publicly chastised for his negligence in the matter. His blame-game buck-passing will do the trick with the board. Based on what I've read in the papers (I'm like Will Rogers), it's pretty clear that the board members who are willing to talk about this don't think it's all that serious.

Prediction #2: If the board does take any action against Thames, it will be at the end of the fiscal year. But personally, I think all this will do is tarnish his chances for a 2nd 4-year term. I have written the board asking them to remove him from office immediately, but I am realistic enough to know that the majority of the board simply doesn't care what happens to USM & a minority of the board is keen on anything that will actually hurt the institution.

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Originally posted by: Golden Rule
""

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complicated, not compliced

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Originally posted by: Move over litte dog
"Will Klumb no longer be on the board or is he remaining on the board as a member but not president of the board?"

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He'll stilll be on. Klumb is one of the twleve year folks -- they rotate the Presidency through each class of four. I believe Newton is the third in her class so I think that means they each have two years remaining . . . 

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Originally posted by: Robert Campbell
"... Does anyone think that Thames will sit by while competent individuals take charge of dealing with SACS?  (I doubt he would sit by and let people who know what they are doing handle the process, if the Board ordered him to keep his hands off.  He certainly won't if the Board merely reaffirms its confidence in his "leadership.") ...Robert Campbell"

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Robert,

Today's Calrion Ledger article supports what you say here.  Thames is quoted as saying

"My feeling is if I'm going to have the responsibility, then I'm going to take full authority," he said. "I have been criticized for being a micromanager. In my effort not to be a micromanager or not to ask for daily activity reports and appear to be a micromanager, at this point in time, I'm suffering some of the consequences of that."  

 

 

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Originally posted by: Reporter
"
Robert,
Today's Calrion Ledger article supports what you say here.  Thames is quoted as saying
"My feeling is if I'm going to have the responsibility, then I'm going to take full authority," he said. "I have been criticized for being a micromanager. In my effort not to be a micromanager or not to ask for daily activity reports and appear to be a micromanager, at this point in time, I'm suffering some of the consequences of that."  
 
 "

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It is not micromanagement to ask to see the documentation behind a report or to ask simply if the documentation is adequate. Would any serious administrator put his John Hancock on a report without making sure it was accurate?

Micromanagement is when the president starts telling everyone what their goals & objectives & assessment measures should be. Again, it is not micromanagement to insist on seeing the results.

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Originally posted by: Invictus
" It is not micromanagement to ask to see the documentation behind a report or to ask simply if the documentation is adequate. Would any serious administrator put his John Hancock on a report without making sure it was accurate? Micromanagement is when the president starts telling everyone what their goals & objectives & assessment measures should be. Again, it is not micromanagement to insist on seeing the results."

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You are right on there as usual Invictus. This is a President who closely scrutinizes every faculty dossier that comes up for review, tenure or promotion. He can't calim to pay that much attention to detail on an idividual faculty member and then not be just as attentive to one of the biggest hazards facing the university. That simply won't wash. You can't have it both ways.  

I found two letters pertaining to the IHL board president in the Jackson Clarion-Ledger archives. This may be the first time Klumb went public with his position on usm. His letter may provide some insight into his views on higher education in general and usm in particular.

Letter-to-the-editor from Klumb dated June 12, 2003:

"Noting your editorial ("USM Faulty dialogue is worthwhile, May 31), as a member of the College Board, I cannot help but weigh in on the subject. When looking at the current situation at USM, you choose the word perspective. When I look at the situation, I prefer the phrase, "Only in America," and worse for the tax- and tuition-payers of this nation, "Only on a university campus." Former president Dr. Horace Fleming, who was threatened with his own vote of no confidence by the learned folks on the USM Faculty Senate, hired Dr. Myron Henry to be his provost. After less than 18 months, thanks to that arcane rule of tenure, Dr. Henry was eased back into the faculty pool at most of his No.-2-in-command pay. Now, enter one Dr. Shelby Thames, who is being threatened with his own vote of no confidence by more or less the same group that went after Dr. Fleming. Worse, Dr. Thames is now being pushed into opening up a dialogue with the faculty through the same Dr. Myron Henry, and sitting down and working out the alleged differences between the two groups. What a joke! And, I would be laughing if this were not so serious. My advice to Dr. Thames is, to borrow a phrase: Damn the tropedoes; full speed ahead. To those who cannot embrace ideas focused on student-centered changes that are effective, efficient and productive, I say: It's time to retire. Further, while someone may not like the smell of this brand of wine and cheese, these young people we are teaching are going to face global competition. They don't need babysitters; they need teachers-leaders. They deserve, and are paying for no less."

Roy Klumb, Gulfport

 

Rebuttal letter-to-the-editor dated June 10, 2003:

"College Board member Roy Klumb's intemperate letter ("Faculty dialogue at USM may not be what it first seems," June 12) suggests that he may have been appointed to the wrong board. To encourage a university president to take a "Damn the torpedoes; full speed ahead" approach suggests a woeful lack of understanding of the not-so-subtle differences between a military combat unit and a a major university. Mr. Klumb's reference to "the same group that went after Dr. (Horace) Fleming" is eerily reminiscent of the 1960s civil rights era when some claimed that all the unrest was caused by a handful of "communists and outside agitators." That analysis was off the mark then, and it is wrong now. The faculty discontent at USM is real, and it is widespread. The Faculty Senate, as at all universities, is a representative body selected through campus-wide elections. Dr. Myron Henry was democratically elected to serve as president of the USM Faculty Senate. His experience and knowledge of higher education administration prepared him well for his current role. Mr. Klumb's most egregious failing in this matter may have been his decision to attack an individual faculty member by name in a public forum. It is most unfotunate that Mr. Klumb has decided to deride the benefits of a faculty/administration dialogue precisely when the university administration has reached out to the faculty and begun to modify some of its recent controversial decisions. Such dialogue needs to be encouraged, not torpedoed."

Charles Noblin, Petal

 

 

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Originally posted by: Robert Campbell
"If there aren't any such circumstances, won't effort have to be concentrated, instead, on a compaign to discredit Klumb in the eyes of the public? (And such a campaign faces tough odds, given the lack of accountability for Klumb and other members of the Board.)"

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I think it's a waste of time to try to discredit Klumb. He does a good enough job of it on his own. Or as my hero Lewis Grizzard used to say, "Never rassle a pig. You only get muddy & the pig enjoys the attention."

The best strategy is to work like crazy on the other board members. Klumb is only one vote. If the board president is alone & knows he's alone, then the other board members will have to force an agenda or Klumb will end up presiding over a meeting where he's afraid to grant the floor to any of the other trustees.