full-page ad - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Mar 20, 2005

full-page ad

Date: Mar 20, 2005

I wonder who did all of the research to come up with all of this data? I am not sure that faculty have access to the data contained on the list. Is all of this data accurate? Maybe W. J. Johnson can investigate and verify that all of this information is true.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

We are receiving pay raises this year??

First that I have heard of it - must be for "special" people only.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

Why is "are" in quotes? Is it there for a sense of irony???

Date: Mar 20, 2005

Somebody thought putting quotes around a word was a way of emphasizing it.

A naive advertising strategy...

RC

Date: Mar 20, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Cossack
"I wonder who did all of the research to come up with all of this data? I am not sure that faculty have access to the data contained on the list. Is all of this data accurate? Maybe W. J. Johnson can investigate and verify that all of this information is true."

I'd be happy to help out but I don't know anything about this data. I assume it's all 100% accurate since it was provided by Miz Mader, and she's the official spokesperson for Southern. As much as I'd like to investigate for you, I don't have any spare time right now. The latest special assignment from Dr. Malone has me really hopping. Being on the ground floor of the new D'Lo USM campus is exciting and I'm devoting all my energy to that project. Off the record, we're now close to purchasing an old grocery store in downtown D'Lo at a very reasonable price. With only minor renovation, Dr. Thames believes it will be adequate for administration and classroom facilities for undergraduate programs, and the master's and doctoral programs in Economic Development. A big announcement is forthcoming as soon as the property deal is closed. Until then I'll try to keep you all informed as much as possible.

W.J. Johnson

Date: Mar 20, 2005

Wish somebody would check the numbers on the honors college enrollment. From what I have seen only the remedial English classes have encreased in number. And those numbers have gone way up with newly hired adjunct teachers to teach them. Pretty soon I expect motorcycles to replace the cars on campus to go with the lifestyles of the new students that USM is attracting.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

A "Pro- USM" advertisement is no more necessary than would be a "I'm for mother, God, flag, and country" annoucement. The citizens of Hattiesburg do not dislike USM. It is unnecessary to take out an advertisement in order to convince them. I do not believe that the intent of the advertisement was "pro- USM" as much as it was an "Anti- faculty" proclamation.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

All you have to do to increase Honors College enrollment is let more students in. Any caps on enrollment in the HC are driven by internal factors, not external ones. In the old days, we used to limit the HC freshman class to 100 or less because of the required Freshman Colloquium class...now that I hear they've done away with that requirement, I'm sure it's much easier to add more students to the freshman class.

Plus, as you know, bigger is not always better. When I recruited for the HC, that was one of our strong points...USM's HC didn't want to be MSU's (which was much larger and less personal back in the day). USM's HC's biggest selling point was that it was a small community of scholars. That will be lost if they keep expanding the HC just for expansion's sake.

Truth

Date: Mar 20, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Hop Harrigan, Ace of the Airways
"A "Pro- USM" advertisement is no more necessary than would be a "I'm for mother, God, flag, and country" annoucement. The citizens of Hattiesburg do not dislike USM. It is unnecessary to take out an advertisement in order to convince them. I do not believe that the intent of the advertisement was "pro- USM" as much as it was an "Anti- faculty" proclamation. "

I see it as a public proclamation of war (Metaphor Alert!) against the faculty.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

Thank you Truth. That would also explain why my regular classes have gotten duller. The majority of the students are absent a lot of the time and few participate in the discussions any more.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

Unbelievable! Sounds like the Mader Machine is jockeying for more anti-faculty sentiment in the community. This is getting ridiculous!

Date: Mar 20, 2005

The faculty is being put in a bind. The only way they can counter this is by pointing out the decline of academic programs and the violations of SACS principles which have resulted from reorganization and other events that have occurred during the past two to three years.

It is like a mother telling her children, don't tell the police that Daddy molests you or they will take you away. What do the children do? For now the USM children are covering up their ugly secret. It's the truth be told.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

The last sentence should have read "It's time the truth be told".

Date: Mar 20, 2005

IMHO, the constant drumbeat about the number of high ACT students is being used to mask the decline in the quality of the "average" student at USM. Nary a word about the average ACT or the ACT of the 25th to 75th percentile. My guess is that USM is "buying" a few outstanding students while the quality of average students deteriorates in the drive to enroll 20k students.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

This information was released at the annual foundation meeting last month. Ryan circulates it to lots of people. Raises refer to the continued funding of raises that were given last year. The raieses have to be paid for with internal funds each year or taken away. The state isn't paying for the raises you got this year. Honors numbers include new admissions for fall.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

To Janis Joplin:

It appears that you are correct about buying of students. Under Enrollment it says " Have the largest number of Presidential scholars in history." Pretty soon though, USM will not be able to give scholarships away. Most good students need a challenge and dull classes are getting bigger and more frequent. They will also not go to a university with a bad reputation.

I would like to say something about blaming the professors for the quality of teaching also. In a university it is as much the responsibility of the student as it is the teacher to uphold the quality of learning. It is the student that makes the lessons stimulating by asking questions and contributing to the knowledge presented by the professor.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Janis Joplin
"IMHO, the constant drumbeat about the number of high ACT students is being used to mask the decline in the quality of the "average" student at USM. Nary a word about the average ACT or the ACT of the 25th to 75th percentile. My guess is that USM is "buying" a few outstanding students while the quality of average students deteriorates in the drive to enroll 20k students."

Absolutely. We are no longer really competing with Ole Miss and State for the same students. We are now going after potential JUCO students before they go to JUCO. I wonder if we will get reliable data for the ACT scores? Who compiles these and who spins these? Can we believe any numbers anymore? How many tenure and tenure track faculty do we really have? What does our basic balance sheet look like? What scenarios are shaping up for a state budget cut? Etc., etc. I remember seeing a chart over the last years that showed a steady decline in the test scores for students. I thought, oh boy, I've come to teach at a school on the way down. Sure enough, it's sinking fast to the bottom. I try to remain objective, and I have noticed a change in the level of student over the past couple of years. I still teach my heart out, but it just seems like I run into a brick wall half the time. This is probably the most disheartening aspect for me, when I'm beginning to not enjoy the classroom experiences anymore.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

Ah yes, the transition from a University to a degree mill. In the short run, the latter is more "profitable." We'll see about the long run.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: disgusted student
"In a university it is as much the responsibility of the student as it is the teacher to uphold the quality of learning. It is the student that makes the lessons stimulating by asking questions and contributing to the knowledge presented by the professor. "

Bless you, DS; bless you; bless you.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

quote:

Originally posted by: Amy Young
"There is a full-page color ad in today's HA, "Paid for by citizens supporting The University of Southern Mississipi"

Can faculty counter with its own full-pager, "How Shelby Thames is ruining USM"? (No color needed.)

Date: Mar 20, 2005

How much would it cost to take out a full-page ad to reply to this?

Date: Mar 20, 2005

PS:

Is there are way to discover who, exactly, paid for the present ad? I'm guessing that these "citizens" consist of only a few wealthy people and that, among these, many get contracts from Shelby. Your tax dollars at work.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

What I'm about to say is rather obvious, but at the same time (I think) significant.

The ad bears the official seal of the university - something that requires at least the blessing if not the active cooperation of the administration. Just another sign that the activity of the local citizens is orchestrated from the dome and not a series spontaneous acts of support.

If faculty members decide to respond with an ad of their own, I suggest that it not focus exclusively on the problems of the Thames presidency. It should include a firm accounting of how critical the FACULTY (that Thames and his cronies denigrate) have been to the successes of USM chanted now daily by the Thames choir.

AND, I think any group planning such an ad should request permission to use the university seal.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Tit for Tat
" AND, I think any group planning such an ad should request permission to use the university seal."

Great idea!!!!

RC

Date: Mar 20, 2005

This problem can be countered by faculty taking a firmer stand against grade inflation. If you don't change your standards the weak will not survive. We do have the power to reduce the number of weak students enrolled at USM. If you are teaching remedial courses, teach them with high standards and flunk those who don't cut it. I know it sounds harsh but this is the only option faculty have to prevent working at a glorified JC.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

A more subtle option involves a grade distribution with 0 percent Fs on the first pass. Incompletes turn into Fs after a semester but no one notices. The D range encompasses 30 percent of the grade distribution rather than the usual 10 percent Fs and 20 percent Ds. The other 70 percent is as before. "Look Ma no Fs" seems to work well around here at this point.

Date: Mar 20, 2005

To CCB: As I understand it from some of the adjunct teachers in charge of the remedial classes, they have been told that they are gatekeepers and should fail anyone who deserves a failing grade. However, these students will still be in school long enough to collect their federal grants and loans for the year. Taxpayers will not only bear the brunt of this wasteful expense but will be burdened with more "killer drivers" (students) who have purchased cars with their money.

Some of students who come to USM may have benefited from going to a community college first because they are geared to teaching this kind of student and a university is not. Other students simply don't belong in an academic setting. They would be much better off going to a trade school or getting work experience. A lot of harm has been done to students and taxpayers in trying to keep up enrollment appearances.

I don't know why adults keep shaking their heads about the way teens are acting nowdays. With leadership like this - what do you expect?

Date: Mar 20, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Coca-Cola Bootlegger
"This problem can be countered by faculty taking a firmer stand against grade inflation."

Some students seem to think that "A" stands for "good" and "B" stands for "bad."

Date: Mar 20, 2005

Thanks for the post. Many of us "know" this but can't say it because we are "old". The posts concerning average ACT scores and declining admission standards are a way of getting at this in an acceptable way.