"How about another approach? How about the president of USM with all of the resources of the faculty, administration and staff do what they are supposed to do and take steps necessary for accreditation. How about College Board members insisting that it happen. Does that require a consultant? If so, other universities could certainly provide some expertise from their successful accreditation efforts.
The College Board shouldn't make the accreditation problem worse than it is by throwing taxpayer money at what should be a regular function carried out by administrators doing what they were hired to do."
Perhaps this editorial writer is naive, perhaps not.
A really naive writer might think that, somehow, Thames is capable of leading the reaccreditation drive, and would therefore call on him to get the job done without outside help or guidance.
A less naive writer would call on Thames to do without extra expenditure or outside help, knowing full well that he will fail, and USM will go down the tubes.
Frankly, I don't think the writer is that naive. An editorial that says Thames ought to be able to get the job done on his own, but never calls for his immediate removal from office, is an editorial in favor of UM-Hattiesburg. Or is that JSU-Hattiesburg?
Oh, I don't think it's a particularly thoughtful piece, Robert. I'm not sure that the writer is trying to make either of the points you suggest. I think it's quite "surface." The writer is simply suggesting that SFT is accountable. I'm just glad someone, somewhere is saying so!
Of course, it's possible that I'm not looking at it deeply enough.
My take is that, being in Jackson with the legislature having a huge problem with this year’s budget, the paper had to take a stand on money being wasted by both the IHL board and SFT. That kind of editorial will certainly get the legislators questioning this Klumb run board. They can't do anything about IHL's membership, but they do control the budget. Klumb will have to beg for IHL funding this year and could get an ear full.
quote: Originally posted by: Reporter "..... throwing taxpayer money at what should be a regular function carried out by administrators doing what they were hired to do."
The CL editorial is right on target. The gentry can afford to have a butler, a nanny, a gardener, and a maid. Those like me, however, have to do all of those tasks without hiring butlers, nannys, garderers, or nannys. Why is the USM administration hiring outsiders to do what we thought the IHL hired the present administration to do? That would be like a department chair hiring two or three assistant department chairs to do what the chair was hired to do.