U of M at H & G? - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Feb 17, 2005

U of M at H & G?

Date: Feb 17, 2005

there are lots of SACS issues with this as well. easier said than done.

Date: Feb 17, 2005

But if we went with MSU we could have Noel Polk back. . .

Date: Feb 17, 2005

By the way, have you all at USM been getting any kind of support from the faculty at UM and MSU? Surely they can't be happy with the behavior of Roy Klumb and the rest of the IHL, or am I being naive? Don't they realize that Klumb and Krew make the whole state look awful in the eyes of academics elsewhere? Don't they realize that Klumb and Krew are showing themselves enemies of academic standards and academic integrity and that K & K are therefore threats to faculty at every college in the state?

Date: Feb 17, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: stinky cheese man
"there are lots of SACS issues with this as well. easier said than done."

Except that there happen to be administrators at UM & MSU who know what a substantive change prospectus is & how to write one.

I don't think that's really going to happen, though.

It's not about "giving" USM to one of the other institutions. It's simply about removing USM from the "comprehensive" category. This will make more money available to MSU & UM, with USM being basically a "very large JSU."

Next step (and I love this because the ET's haven't figured it out) is when IHL realizes how much $$$ can be saved by dropping USM to Division I-AA athletics.

Date: Feb 17, 2005

Sadly, this isn't the most horrifying idea out there. As a case in point, Texas has been having a very public debate about trying to upgrade one of its institutions to a "tier 1" status. With 10x the population and maybe 50x the resources, the system barely maintains two "tier 1" institutions (UT & TAMU).

If Mississippi were starting from scratch, it would be much better served by focusing its very limited resources on getting a single tier 1 school. How that could be done now, and what that would mean for USM, is for those with higher education experience to sort out.

As an alum, I would hate to see USM lose its identity as well, but I'm more concerned about Higher Ed in the state for the next 25-50 years and beyond.

Date: Feb 17, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Longhorn Eagle
"Sadly, this isn't the most horrifying idea out there. As a case in point, Texas has been having a very public debate about trying to upgrade one of its institutions to a "tier 1" status. With 10x the population and maybe 50x the resources, the system barely maintains two "tier 1" institutions (UT & TAMU). If Mississippi were starting from scratch, it would be much better served by focusing its very limited resources on getting a single tier 1 school. How that could be done now, and what that would mean for USM, is for those with higher education experience to sort out. As an alum, I would hate to see USM lose its identity as well, but I'm more concerned about Higher Ed in the state for the next 25-50 years and beyond. "

But, what if that IS part of the plan.....IHL brings Ole Miss up to tier 1 (over a number of years) while USM loses it accreditation, it's students and drops off the "academic" map. And for the next 25+ years USM is trying to rebuild itself out of the ashes of it's former self.....

Date: Feb 17, 2005

to add to longhorn eagle's post--numerous universities have been consolidated into the other systems. West Texas is now West Texas A & M. Local universities have been made part of larger Texas systems.

Date: Feb 18, 2005

IHL conspiracy? Damned right!

Date: Feb 18, 2005

RE: U of M at H & G?

Date: Feb 18, 2005

I've had a similar experience. Its not even that the USM contraversy has destroyed its reputation nationwide. The fact is, pre-Shelby, we had almost zero visibility outside the 150+ miles surrounding Hattiesburg. Now if we're known for anything, its that crazy president.

Coming to UT law, the only school people MIGHT know of in Mississippi is "Old Mississippi," and even my friends have trouble remembering that I didn't go there. The name "Mississippi" comes preloaded with so many stereotypes, its hard for anyone to think much past that anyway.

Date: Feb 18, 2005

Emma and Longhorn Eagle are right on the money: the school in Hattiesburg is frequently confused with the school in Oxford. I reside far away from Mississippi. My acquaintances here are largely academicians. Even they do not always understand. If USM would develop a niche, it would acquire an image. As it stands right now, Ole Miss is Strawberry, Mississippi, State is Orange Sherbet, but USM is just plain old Vanilla insofar as image is concerned. USM seems to be continuing with the trial-and-error, Russian Roulette, ineffective method of image building. At one time it was being touted as "The Career University." At another it was being touted as "The University of the Gulf South." Now it is being pushed into an "Economic Development" business model image. There were other "images," depending on who was at the top of the hierarchy at the time. USM seems to have forgotten that it is a public institution. In my estimation, a public service mission would be appropriate. None of the other Mississippi schools have adopted that perspective. But heck - no way to become a millionaire by doing good. I see that I've drifted away from talking about the identify confusion between USM and Ole Miss as perceived by outsiders and as mentioned by Emma and Longhorn Eagle, and I've started talking about a public service niche. I must bite my tongue and control my typing fingers. But at least this is related to the topic of this thread.

Date: Feb 18, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Emma
"Truthfully, no one outside of the immediate area can distinguish between Ole Miss, Miss State and Southern Miss - and no one cares. It makes no difference in what part of the country I travel - everyone close to academia knows about our crazy president and the fact that Mississippi was part of the confederacy, but no one gets the name of the university correct. Even my current employers keep believing I was at Mississippi State, and I always dutifully correct them."

Actually, in my field USM had a very distinct and very glowing reputation, but Shelby did his best last year to torpedo it. There are literally hundreds of people in my field who once thought VERY positively about USM if only because we all knew that Gary Stringer was there. Needless to say, Shelby threw THAT feather out of your cap.