We can start with CISE. Mark Richmond directed DGT's masters thesis ( she got her undergrad here), CRK was on her committee. DGT gratutiously got a job as an asst. prof here despite her poor showing as far as teaching in the public schools. She quickly ascends to the Assoc. and full ranks despite the fact that her external reviews were POOR.  To quote the late John Davis, "It was a fight". To give ABK his due, he was hesitant to allow this tawdry standard of scholarship to stand, but he did. Dana also directed a dissertation that went awry - well, many, under her leadership, went awry but she particularly ****ed off a certain Ph.D. candidate in Elementary Ed. who had some slick connections out of N. O. That's when Dana stopped making herself chair of dissertations (and some big names at USM stated they would never serve on a committee where she was the chair) and started handing them over to her lackies (Sheila A. - you're kind of absolved since you've made no secret of your disdain for this dept. and are about to go on to greener pastures).

Never think the dirty laundry of this dept. isn't about to surface in several lawsuits, and the people suing have anything to hide. Bring it on. The taxpayers ought to be reeling from her dismal behavior

Just got off the phone from MW (whose daughter, a USM Honors College grad in English is soon to marry a person she met in USM's Honors College who completed his degree in Music at North Texas State), who states that the Federal Judge completely thought her case is a "go" but questioned where one part of it should be heard. He wanted to kick a part of it back to the state but MW and her attorney (the infamous Kim Chaze) have appealed that decision - they want it all heard in Federal Court (Pickering has excused himself from this suit btw).

She appears upbeat about it all. She's moved on to another university - her younger daughter is a student at the Univ. of Okla., and she's reasonably believed that her major fight is against nepotism and outright lies.  This is a stupid way to spend state money, and she agrees. But, what can she do?  She was the person who felt the first brunt of this fight. Her Exceeds Expectations consistently in her annual reviews over 6 years gives her a legal leverage that no one else might have. She's also going against Daddy's daughter who does not boast of a similar excellency in her annual reviews. Alber is leaving. Martins left. Siders/ Slick retired. Richmond retired and unfortunately a couple of other people died. What a sad story of a dept. that had a lot of promise.

Hope I made most of your points with the gentleness that you urged, MW