USM Professors Please Read This - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Feb 10, 2005

USM Professors Please Read This

Date: Feb 10, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Concerned Student
"Why do you keep embarrassing the students? Why don’t you care about us? All you think about is yourselves. You constantly go to the papers and news media with your personal problems, and you do not give one thought to how much you are embarrassing the students. Ido. "

It would be helpful if you would explain who you mean by "you" -- and why you think the issues involved are "personal."
If you are talking about Dean Doty and Provost Grimes, I assure you that those issues are far from personal.
Dear student, if your school loses its accreditation, your degree will be worthless and there will be no USM for you to be proud of or ashamed of or anything else. The very life of this institution is at stake. Students should not be "embarrassed" -- they should be informing themselves on the relevant issues and taking an active role in resolving the university's very, very, very serious problems.

Date: Feb 10, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Concerned Student
"Why do you keep embarrassing the students? Why don’t you care about us? All you think about is yourselves. You constantly go to the papers and news media with your personal problems, and you do not give one thought to how much you are embarrassing the students. I am ashamed to tell people where I go to school, but I cannot leave now and go elsewhere because I have only two semesters left. At an interview last week, one of the interviewers asked me how I was dealing with the problems between the president and the faculty. How ridiculous is this that I get asked this at an interview? I do not even want to list my education on my resume now. It is not because of Thames this is happening. Thames is not embarrassing the students. It is you. Please think about someone other than yourselves. Please think about the consequences to the students every time you take steps to fight President Thames. It is a shame that the students act more responsible than the professors and understand the consequences of their actions better than the professors do. "

You are right to be concerned, but for all the wrong reasons. If you think you are getting embarrassing questions now, how are you going to answer when an interviewer asks you why you think your degree has any value from an unaccredited university? The faculty are working hard to see that this does not happen. The foolishness going on in CoB is just another example of administrative mismanagement, and whether you believe Dr. Thames is behind it or not, it is on his watch and he is ultimately responsible.

Don't tell anyone you are from Southern Miss. Don't list your education on your resume. I don't want anyone to know I went to school with people who don't even understand their own self-interest, much less what it means to be a university. This blind followership business is unforgiveable. Who educated you to ignore critical thinking? Who taught you to self-destruct?

Only two semesters left? Did you teach yourself up until this point? Or is it just barely possible that the FACULTY have had something to do with your getting an education here? Stop biting the hand that has taught you.

Date: Feb 10, 2005

Right on David. You said it better than most could have.

Date: Feb 10, 2005

CS,

Thames is not embarrassing you?

He ignored accreditation issues for 2 1/2 years, until SACS put USM on probation--and that is not embarrassing you?

He's trying to destroy the College of Business for not supporting pet programs of his that would lose the college its AACSB accreditation and the entire university its SACS accreditation--and that is not embarrassing you?

Your diploma will be usable only for bird cage liner if USM loses its SACS accreditation--and that is not embarrassing you?

You could have taken classes with any number of great professors whom Shelby F. Thames has run out of USM--and that is not embarrassing you?

Nursing, Arts and Letters, and Business are going down the crapper, because of decisions that Thames made. His daughter rules Education with an iron hand, because of decisions that Thames made. The library can't buy a single new book, because of decisions that Thames made. And those are not embarrassing you?

Shelby F. Thames lies to the faculty, staff, and students at USM, to the media, to the general public, even to his bosses on the IHL Board--and that is not embarrassing you?

Thames has bought himself a Student Government President--and that is not embarrassing you?

Maybe if you're the Student Government President he bought, these things don't matter in the slightest. But if you're any other student at USM, how on earth could they fail to embarrass you?

Robert Campbell

Date: Feb 10, 2005

Robert Campbell,

You're my hero!

DJ

Date: Feb 10, 2005

Gentlemen. No need to get serious about CS. This is surely another series of Q'bert/Albert comedy show. FATCAT.

Date: Feb 10, 2005

That was just one of my students who wanted to do some extra credit work to pull up her grade in Economic Development. You would think my program was easy enough without having to give her additional work. Well, guess I will give her the A I promised her.

Date: Feb 10, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Concerned Student
"Why do you keep embarrassing the students? Why don’t you care about us? All you think about is yourselves. You constantly go to the papers and news media with your personal problems, and you do not give one thought to how much you are embarrassing the students. I am ashamed to tell people where I go to school, but I cannot leave now and go elsewhere because I have only two semesters left. At an interview last week, one of the interviewers asked me how I was dealing with the problems between the president and the faculty. How ridiculous is this that I get asked this at an interview? I do not even want to list my education on my resume now. It is not because of Thames this is happening. Thames is not embarrassing the students. It is you. Please think about someone other than yourselves. Please think about the consequences to the students every time you take steps to fight President Thames. It is a shame that the students act more responsible than the professors and understand the consequences of their actions better than the professors do. "

CS,

The professors who have spoken out against the administration are to be commended. They are the heroes in this whole Southern Mess. They speak out because their number one concern is the students. What has Shelby Thames done for you? What have your professors done for you?

You should be embarrassed, but not of the professors, of yourself. I had two semesters left when Shelby Thames caused international embarrassment for USM by firing Glamser and Stringer. I took it upon myself to do something about it. Where were you? Unless you are one of the four frat boys that supported Thames at the protest or your name is Walt Cain, you sat and did nothing. You should be embarrassed to answer questions about this whole fiasco, because while your school is being run into the ground you did nothing. You did not take a stand either way.

I will never be embarrassed to say I went to USM. I learned from the best. I had world class professors. I will not even be embarrassed to say I was a student during the reign of Thames, because I stood up for what I believed in. I am only ashamed that the signatures of Dumb Klumb, the Dome Gnome, and Foul Play Jay are on my degree.

When USM loses accreditation because of Shelby Thames then you will really be embarrassed. You will look at your worthless diploma hanging there on the wall, with worthless Shelby's signature and think "I wish I had done something, I wish I had supported those professors, if I only had only been mature enough to see that they were the responsible ones."

Good Luck in your search to grow up

Night Chalker

No Quarter

Impeach Cain

Date: Feb 10, 2005

Come on folks.........???

Date: Feb 10, 2005

RE: RE: USM Professors Please Read This

Date: Feb 10, 2005

RE: Come on folks.........???

Date: Feb 10, 2005

RE: USM Professors Please Read This

Date: Feb 11, 2005

I am kicking this with a mixed mind. Part of me hates to elevate the original post, but the replies are so articulate, they are worth repeating. (Also, I want to salute Night Chalker's return to the board. Here's hoping you stick around you old folk hero, you.)

But my point is that the timing of the original post and the timing of the latest pro-SFT letters seem to be in response to the controversy between Dean Doty and Provost Grimes. Isn't it a mistake to characterize this particular controversy as the faculty versus the administration? Aren't Dean D. and Provost G. both part of the administration? Wasn't Dean D. hired by SFT to fill one of the slots made vacant during the 9-to-5 massacre?

I know that Doty is taking the high road in this, but this is still an intra-administration squabble. If this is an "embarrassment" at all, if either Doty or Grimes is at fault, the responsibility rests with the "dome ass" that picked both of them.

Date: Feb 11, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: ram
I know that Doty is taking the high road in this, but this is still an intra-administration squabble. If this is an "embarrassment" at all, if either Doty or Grimes is at fault, the responsibility rests with the "dome ass" that picked both of them."

As one of Doty's faculty, I can tell you that many of us feel that he is representing our best interests in this instance. Administrators are (generally-at least the good ones) not anti-faculty, but rather charged with guiding the ship and providing the resources we need to do quality research, teach effectively, and provide service to our communities. Sure, we rant and rave when decisions don't go our way, but mostly administrators have to do the dirty stuff, while we get to do the creative and satisfying things. Having been one myself for a long time at another university, I can testify that interacting with students is a heck of a lot better than preparing budgets and settling differences among those battling for the same resources.

Date: Feb 11, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: astonished
"As one of Doty's faculty, I can tell you that many of us feel that he is representing our best interests in this instance. "

I didn't intend for my post to be critical of Doty in particular or administrators in general. I am just trying to point out that in no way did the faculty instigate this crisis, confrontation, or whatever it is -- oh yeah, it's a "misunderstanding." (See Thames's apology.)

As you point out, Dr. Doty is representing your best interests. I just hope the community, the public, see that this disagreement is WITHIN the administration that Thames's built -- that his own hand-picked people will eventually disagree with him when he pushes far enough. I hope people see that this is not just a turf war between "libs and cons," "Sharks and Jets," "faculty and administration," "us and them." This really is a conflict about conviction, ideas, and ideals.