If you were in the CoB yesterday you would know that Provost Grimes is certainly not the man for the job!

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Originally posted by: Sad CoBer
"If you were in the CoB yesterday you would know that Provost Grimes is certainly not the man for the job!"

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Please, please Sad CoBer, share with us what happened.

In hard copy of the HA, there is a picture of Crofts in the middle of Dr. Campbell's letter.  That is rather unusual in the letters section - may serve to increase interest in the man.  The "community" outside the university is buzzing with talk about replacements for Thames.  A national search for a permanent replacement after serious discussions about what this university wants to be is essential but a healing credible educator who can take over immediately is the only way to stop the hemorrhaging.  Oh, would it re-energize the faculty!

 

 

Does anyone know if the HA plans on article on the recent College of Business fiasco?

In the meantime, I hope COB instructors will encourage their colleagues from around the country to write to the HA, the CL, the IHL, SACS, and the AAUP about the latest mess, which is VERY ominous for the future of USM.  It takes just a second to copy an e-mail to various parties.

If we ever have the post-Thames "coming out" party for board contributors, I sure hope somebody invites Ower. He's been a terrfic ally for almost a year now,

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Originally posted by: baseball player
"does anyone remember the details of the president rent situation at muw??  what actions did faculty take for her removal, time to get action from ihl, and the overall condition of academics, student life, etc at the w now??
 
i remember the situation, but not all the details
(i do recall that the ihl allowed her to move over to msu in an instructional position)"

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I'm fuzzy on the details, but I believe there were a couple of no confidence votes over a period of about two years. There was also great faculty turnover during the period. The faculty complaint was that she was a micro manager and heavy handed, and there was a lot of conflict in the press. For awhile the IHL claimed it was just a style problem. I believe she "resigned."

the shadow is generally correct. one additional fact--rent was heard to have some real "temper tantrums." no direct evidence for the board (i don't know how you'd get it). layzell (the IHL commissioner) was sent to MUW to observe her and he witnessed one of these tantrums. case closed.

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Originally posted by: seenitall
"In the meantime, I hope COB instructors will encourage their colleagues from around the country to write to the HA, the CL, the IHL, SACS, and the AAUP about the latest mess, which is VERY ominous for the future of USM.  It takes just a second to copy an e-mail to various parties.
 
I did my part.  Was asked to come to Pensacola today to talk with a group of honors students about college choices.  Most were considering USM to some degree.  My response to their enquiries was "No way, don't even waste a visit to that campus.  No program will be stable enough for you to squander your time at that university."  In addition, I advised them to take this back to their advisors."

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It's amazing that after two years of bad publicity and high faculty attrition that enrollment has been essentially stable in Hattiesburg. Most of our students seem not to consider any alternatives. Perhaps most of them don't believe they have any.

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Originally posted by: stinky cheese man
"incredulous--i'll only add my 2 cents worth. i'm a faculty member at USM and have two children attending there. from that limited perspective, i think my children are getting an excellent education. i applaud my colleagues. when you have a child excitedly talk about what they're learning in a class, you know something good is going on. i can complain all i want to about administrators, but as to my childrens' education i have a hard time complaining. "

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I'll agree that if you pick and choose your instructors, it is possible to get a good education at USM. However, choosing is a lot harder in English, nursing, math, business, criminal justice, forensics, psychology, and some other departments than it was three years ago. The issue for a potential incoming student is how hard it might be over the next four or five years. Wouldn't it be more predictable at State, Ole Miss, or LSU ?

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Originally posted by: stinky cheese man
"i can complain all i want to about administrators, but as to my childrens' education i have a hard time complaining."

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scm, I totally agree with you about undergraduate students getting an excellent education here. I doubt that it is any worse or any better at the undergraduate level than it is at even an Ivy League school. A hugh (but not the only) difference is that, all other things equal, a degree from an Ivy League school can propel the undergraduate into a good graduate program or professional school easier than can an undergraduate degree from USM. But the graduate of USM who does get into a top graduate or professional school probably does just as well there as the graduate of an Ivy League school. But as you know (and as most laypersons do not understand) undergraduate instruction is just one mission of a comprehensive university. There is also the research component (contributing to the greater body of knowledge). If undergraduate instruction were the only mission, we'd probably be better off hiring professors who were predominantly teachers (such as are found at the small liberal arts colleges), and not pretending otherwise. There is nothing slouchy about Davidson, or Swarthmore, or William & Mary. And they don't pretend to be major comprehensive universities but they turn out a good (excuse the term) "product" (oops!) 

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Originally posted by: Incredulous
" I'll agree that if you pick and choose your instructors, it is possible to get a good education at USM. However, choosing is a lot harder in English, nursing, math, business, criminal justice, forensics, psychology, and some other departments than it was three years ago. The issue for a potential incoming student is how hard it might be over the next four or five years. Wouldn't it be more predictable at State, Ole Miss, or LSU ?"

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Incredulous,

Speaking only for the Psychology Department, I'm not sure of your comment. If it is as stated, I could not disagree with you more. The faculty of my Department take great pride in our work and in the development of our undergraduates and graduates. Undergraduate students graduating from our Department are competitive and often gain entry into some of the finest graduate programs in the country. The same can be said of our graduate students in terms of predoctoral and postdoctoral placements. Unless I have misunderstood your statement, please clarify for me. If I seem kind of protective of my Department, it is because my colleagues and I are ever mindful of our efforts and the fruits of those efforts.

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Originally posted by: Jameela Lares
" I must also disagree about the English department.  The best thing about my job has always been my colleagues, and that hasn't changed."

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I believe Incredulous was saying that those departments have lost so many faculty members that it is becoming increasingly difficult for their students to pick and choose faculty members with which to study.