quote:

---

Originally posted by: Scratching My Head
"Oh and by the way, same questions for Hadden.  How did he worm his way into teaching ED, without ANY credentials or formal training in the field? "

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by: Cynic
"Perhaps Malone and Hadden should enter the USM ED doctorate program along with Lassen, choose the accelerated track, become 90 day wonders,  and then they'll be properly credentialed.  No problemo.  They really have no other option, since the USM program is the only one of its kind in the known universe.  Right?  "

---

But Jim Hollingsworth, with actual publications in history, didn't have the credentials to teach in the history department. Funny how that works . . .

quote:

---

Originally posted by: stephen judd
" But Jim Hollingsworth, with actual publications in history, didn't have the credentials to teach in the history department. Funny how that works . . .  "

 

 

This one!  Not the quote. 

quote:

---

Originally posted by: fgnst
" There's nothing funny about Hollandsworth's qualifications to teach history at USM. He was among the most productive members of the history department. ...  His loss was a serious blow to the reputation and effectiveness of the department."

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by: stinky cheese man
"part of what people need to realize is that SACS requires a terminal degree in the discipline in which they teach. (there is an ability to make exceptions, but SACS is wary of the number of exceptions). psychology does not equal history. what the equation is in ED is beyond me, except if you look at the criminal justice program some did not have a terminal degree in criminal justice. "

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by: stinky cheese man
"as my friend at SACS says, credentialling is one area where SACS doesn'ts back off. but, there are some other interesting credentialling issues at USM (in departments you wouldn't expect). can't reveal, but you would be surprised."

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by: Weekly Reader
"Hollandsworth should write a history of USM and can even recycle one of his previous book titles, An Absolute Massacre or Pretense of Glory. Either one would accurately sum up the last few years."

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by: stephen judd
"
And I apologize profoundly for misspelling Dr. Hollandsworth's name.
Incidently, I wonder if Gibbon or Carlisle had history degrees. Or Tacitus, for that matter. I think Myron's point is just right: accreditation should be a tool to help preserve the integrity of our teaching and research, but it must also be flexible enough to allow for exceptional people. Arthur Miller doesn't even have a degree in theatre but I think I would let him teach playwrighting at USM.
Jim's forced departure was just another example of the how small minds and petty vindictiveness characterize this administration. We should have learned from the way some of our most distinguished scholars have been treated that this administration values its version of political correctness more than it does the integrity of its scholarship or even its "world-class" aspirations. One of the greatest crimes of this administration is the way it has deprived us of the cream of our intellectual leadership. If the life of the mind is one of the most important values of a university, this administration has attacked those whose careers most embody that value. We have lost many of our wise heads before we could profit from their wisdom,  and many of our most promising scholars before they fufiilled that promise. I call this a crime at a university that has struggled to pull itself up the mountain and had actually achieved some measure of success. It took many years to build this faculty (Aubrey where are you?) and only two years to bring it down. Unless the university is ready to go out and purchase scholars of equal stature, it will take many years to replace them.
Professors are not machine parts that are stamped and dyed. When a teacher leaves, there is a hole in the community where there was once a unique knowlege, a vision and personality thatonce was but is now absent. It is hard for me to imagine this campus without Bill Scarborough and the legends that follow him . . . or Pat Smith down on the Gulf Coast with the deep love for his school and for the people of his community that clearly informs his work as a historian and student of local politics. All of us eventually leave -- but when we leave through death, or retirement, or even to find a new job there are transitions, the community gathers its strength -- finds a place to fix its memories, and has time to mourn, to celebrate, and to contemplate both the coming absence of the professor that is soon to be lost and the excitement of the new yet to arrive. There is time for life -- and there is a sense of transition that is natural and has a cycle of beginning . . . and middle . . . and end.
But we who remain -- our loss has been premature and in numbers that are devastating. We live with the loss of events and relationships that might have happened, but did not. Of relationships that were started . .  but not completed. Of memories . . . . that never had a chance to come into being.
Contrary to those who currently run our university, who seem to prize coming and going from job to job with great rapidity . . . who seem to cherish taking on one brief title after another in which the chief landmarks are mountains of unfinished business and the leaving behind of the lives they have disrupted but not fulfilled; contrary to those who seem to prize velocity and action at the expense of a pace that allows for depth of discernment and thought --
what I see is a faculty in mourning for not because it resist change but because the changes that have been enacted on us have been thoughtlessly cruel; not motivated by values that the academic community can give its loyalty to; and utterly without any shred of humanity or any concern for the care of the soul.
 
 
 "

---

Thank you, Myron, for your explanatory comments concerning the reassignment of Jim Hollandsworth.  During the fateful "summer of 02", Jim and I were in the faculty workshop for web based course development, the main two Luddites resisting this strange new technology.  Yet, we plodded through it; Jim was so proud of getting his Mississippi history course up and running for the coming fall.  I do know that he had worked very hard preparing for his reentry into teaching full time and was excited about his appointment in the history department.  What happened later that summer was unbelievable and devastating and yet he responded as usual with dignity and grace.  His treatment by administration was out of line and disrespectful.   But to justify such faculty reassignment based on SACS criteria is a total misinterpretation of the standards and ironic, considering our present "thin ice" status with SACS.  I have been a site evaluator and team leader for several years with CCNE, our national accrediting body in higher degree nursing education, which is also very strict concerning faculty credentialing.  Yet, exceptions are made when the curriculum of the school and the preparation of the faculty are both considered within the total educational goals of the program.

I had the privilege of being a part of Jeanne Ezelle's faculty writing group (also a significant loss for USM, she is now at Jones) along with Kate Green and several fine faculty over the years, including Jim.  We had the good fortune of hearing Jim read to us from his manuscripts during development, share the accolades, awards, reviews, etc.  I will never forget finding out from the History Book of the Month Club that one of Jim's book (think it was LA Native Guards) had been selected as an Alternative BOTM selection before Jim found out; we surprised him, unknowingly, with the news at the Iztak Perlman concert.  He was a role model for me and many, many others over the years as someone who continued to grow as a scholar from psychology to neurology and physiology to history. Most administrators of Jim's long tenure slowly but surely, leave their scholarly endeavors behind, Jim being a notable exception. Jim was far too young to be driven from his beloved university where he had many years left to serve and prosper with his creativity and productivity in diverse areas of scholarship. 

 So many of our best and loyal faculty, like Jim and Frank and Gary and Marie Farrell, Sharyn Janes, Jeanne Ezell, Don Cotten, Marjorie Spruill, Wanda Dubuisson, Neil Polk, Neil McMillen, Gerry Mattson and on and on have left our circle.  This is the sadness, the despair that I know you all feel as well.  The end of another week, another month, another year has gone by, day after day, as  I feel increasingly more like a stranger on the campus that I consider my academic home.  By the way, foot soldier, you might try LA's National Guard as a first read.  Jim's historical examination reminds us that all conflicts are eventually settled, one way or another. Tomorrow's another day.   Maybe tomorrow will be THE day of reckoning.  It could happen....after all, we still have "College of Nursing" on our building.

 Kay

PS  Sorry for the    "pity party"  lamentations.  Some days are worse than others.  Must have been the latest flooding in our building this week.  Our feet are beginning to show signs of webbing.  If your son or daughter needs a science project, come on over with your agar plates!

What a beautful story and tribute Kay.  Thanks you for sharing your memories and thoughts -- and your words of cheer as well.

We will go on.

An excerpt from a post originally submitted by Truth4USM:

I’m an alumna of USM, and want to know if someone at the American can do a compare/contrast piece on some issues there that relate directly to USM’s accreditation.

#1:  Dr. Jim Hollandsworth was forced out of his history classes in October 2003 due to presumed accreditation issues.  Although he had published 3 books in the History field and had an undergraduate degree in history, his graduate degrees were in Psychology.  The former administration (with Fleming as president and Myron Henry as provost) deemed him fit to teach these classes with the approval of Chuck Bolton, History chair.  He was taken out of the classroom in the middle of the semester, and subsequently decided to retire as result of this action (saying the decision was made “in a very arbitrary, capricious manner, this blanket statement without consulting faculty, this abrupt announcement that I’m not qualified to teach a course I’ve been teaching for three years," he said.—from a Student Printz article dated October 2, 2003). 

#2:  Ken Malone was hired in November 2002 at Chair of the newly-created Economic Development Department with NO national search.  He has NO business degree (not even a B.A. in business; only degrees in Polymer Science), NEVER held an academic appointment and was NEVER tenured anywhere else.  This is unheard of in academic circles.   

The question to investigate is this:  why was Dr. Jim Hollandsworth effectively “barred” from teaching in the history department, even though he had demonstrated knowledge on the subject through his publication record (and had at least an undergraduate degree in History) and concurrently held a tenured appointment in Psychology, while Ken Malone is rewarded with a chairmanship when he has NEVER published one single article in the field of Economic Development nor does he posses any degree in the field NOR has he EVER held a tenured appointment anywhere?  How is this going to affect accreditation for USM?  As you can see, this is an area that needs a full investigation by the Hattiesburg American as it directly relates not only to accreditation, but to Shelby Thames’ leadership style.