Our Centennial is approaching - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Jan 24, 2005

Our Centennial is approaching

Date: Jan 24, 2005

USM has been a university for only about 40 years. For most of its existence, it was a rather small teachers college. Oftentimes I think that the institution would have been better served in the long run had it remained Mississippi Southern College & never had to deal with the cruel myth that it was, in fact, a comprehensive university.

Date: Jan 24, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Invictus
"USM has been a university for only about 40 years. For most of its existence, it was a rather small teachers college."

But don't forget, Invictus, that Mississippi State began as a small agricultural field station and it grew into what it is today. In that sense, USM and MSU had level playing fields at their beginning. MSU seized upon opportunities which appeared with the passage of time, and it often wisely created its own opportunities. Ole Miss' transformation into a comprehensive university was more a more traditional one as that school was established as an alternative to sending Mississippi's "sons of the gentry" up Nawth for their college education. As such, the Ole Miss academic cornerstone from the very beginning was a prescribed classical liberal arts education. I don't think we can place all of the blame on our heritage as a rather small teachers college. Of those three schools, we're certainly located in the best spot geographically. I have often wondered why USM did not prosper more given all of its opportunies. It made some bad choices, that's for sure (or maybe those choices were forced upon it). Hopefully, things will change.

Date: Jan 24, 2005

An argument can be made that USM reached its peak relative to the other state universities in the 1980s. Various factors, many external to the univesity, have combined since then to stymie any relative progress since then. State and Ole Miss are no longer in reach.

Date: Jan 24, 2005

What do you suppose it was about the 1980's that caused USM to crash and burn rather than to continue into orbit? It did seem well on it's way during that period.

Date: Jan 24, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Level playing field
"But don't forget, Invictus, that Mississippi State began as a small agricultural field station and it grew into what it is today. In that sense, USM and MSU had level playing fields at their beginning."

Not quite true. That "small agricultural field station" was a Land Grant institution. It had a shipload of resources given to it by the U.S. government that Mississippi Normal College could only dream about. The playing field was never level. I'm not sure historically speaking whether it could have been level...

Date: Jan 24, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: The Shadow
"An argument can be made that USM reached its peak relative to the other state universities in the 1980s. Various factors, many external to the univesity, have combined since then to stymie any relative progress since then. State and Ole Miss are no longer in reach."

I would argue that the peak was more like 1995-1997 or so.

Date: Jan 24, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Dater
"I would argue that the peak was more like 1995-1997 or so."

That was the peak for raise $$, that's for sure. I remember those days!

Date: Jan 24, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Dater
"I would argue that the peak was more like 1995-1997 or so."

You may be correct in absolute terms, but by then the Ole Miss endowment had grown immensely, and they were on the way to a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Mississippi State had made great progress with a couple of strong presidents as well. Even if USM were at its best in the 90s, the gap had widened.

Date: Jan 24, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Tang
"What do you suppose it was about the 1980's that caused USM to crash and burn rather than to continue into orbit? It did seem well on it's way during that period. "

It's really quite simple. In the early '80s, Invictus completed his final degree at USM after some 15 years hanging around as a student. The amount of energy I managed to sap from the faculty over that decade & a half was astronomical.

The university never recovered.

Date: Jan 24, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: The Shadow
"by then the Ole Miss endowment had grown immensely, and they were on the way to a Phi Beta Kappa chapter."

And now Millsaps has a Phi Betta Kappa chapter. I'd say that level of aspiration and willingness to support the sorts of academic things it takes to achieve that has lots to do with it such an achievement for Ole Miss as well as for Millsaps

Date: Jan 24, 2005

We can not continue to make excuses for our relatively low ranking among the big three. Universities in other states have made it big time without the federal support available to land grant institutions. USM has been afforded many opportunities. Some say that our status within the state is largely because of the lack of administrative leadership throughout the years. I'll buy that. The playing field may not have been level across all demensions, but on balance USM has experienced no more nor no less opportunties than the two others North of 20.