Huge CoB News!!!!! - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Mar 28, 2005

Huge CoB News!!!!!

Date: Mar 28, 2005

I can verify the Alvin Williams story as true. The university is losing one of its great administrators.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

The word is that Alvin felt very betrayed and disillusioned (even more so) by the whole affair involving the chair search for hospitality management. That was the straw that broke the back, so to speak.

Another angle: when minority enrollement is climbing to unprecedented proportions, scratch one minority administrator. What a mess.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

The word of this got out quick today. I don't know the details myself, but heard after lunch they weren't pretty. An East Hattiesburg group is already planning a protest at the dome/

Date: Mar 28, 2005

Williams is one of USM's top African-American administrators and is well-respected in both the Hattiesburg and University communities. If the resignation is not "clean" (i.e., if it is based on some dirty doings at a higher level), then there could be hell to pay.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: CoBalt
" Alvin Williams just resigned his post early this morning, effective end of Summer term. "

And after the article in the HA yesterday that talked about how USM was trying to recruit minority faculty. How unfortunate for USM. Again.

Alvin is one of the good guys. At least, so he appears to me out here in "the business community." He participates in civic and community organizations (which is where I know him from.) I really hope he is leaving on good terms and is taking a step up. He deserves it in my opinion.

Somebody will have a tough time finding an adequate replacement for Alvin.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: stopher
"The word of this got out quick today. I don't know the details myself, but heard after lunch they weren't pretty. An East Hattiesburg group is already planning a protest at the dome/"

Right you are. They have already contacted Rainbow/Push coalition.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

I heard that the real problem was with the hire/non-hire of the pharmaceutical sales chaired professor. Can anyone verify?

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Biz Doc
"Williams is one of USM's top African-American administrators and is well-respected in both the Hattiesburg and University communities. If the resignation is not "clean" (i.e., if it is based on some dirty doings at a higher level), then there could be hell to pay."

Actually, the belief over in EH is that he was forced out. Brace yourselves once again for the battle ahead.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: view from the East
"Actually, the belief over in EH is that he was forced out. Brace yourselves once again for the battle ahead."

I would be shocked if Alvin would ever do/say anything to encourage any type of protest....

Alvin will move on with a great deal of class...most likely keeping his mouth shut, saying only good things about USM and his colleagues

Date: Mar 28, 2005

Dr. Williams resigned as chair, not as tenured professor of marketing, correct?

Date: Mar 28, 2005

You are correct! Dr. Williams will remain on the faculty.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

That's sure good to hear, in a sense. From my POV, it will be good to have him stay in the Hattiesburg community, and I am sure in the University community as well.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: kw
"The word is that Alvin felt very betrayed and disillusioned (even more so) by the whole affair involving the chair search for hospitality management. That was the straw that broke the back, so to speak...."

What's this about? Rumor has it that the incoming chair got the job because she was going to reveal all in a court fight that she was certain to win. Many dirty fingerprints on this one. Who knows the full story?

Date: Mar 28, 2005

Wasn't Alvin on the search committee for a new provost? The search that got cancelled last week after months of work?

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Get the story out
"What's this about? Rumor has it that the incoming chair got the job because she was going to reveal all in a court fight that she was certain to win. Many dirty fingerprints on this one. Who knows the full story? "

Alvin got screwed twice in two job searches recently. First, he tried to hire a Pharmaceutical Sales Chaired Professor. He offered the job to a well-qualified candidate, but Jay Grimes pulled the plug on the deal. It nearly cost CoB that $1 mill donation from Draughn.

Second, Grimes and Malone and Hutchinson didn't want the lady from VaTech to chair the hosp mgt department. They axed the deal. HD later wrote that they blatantly committed gender discrimination. They fell back and made the hire, scared of lawyers.

The central admin consistently f's with the CoB hiring process. Alvin has had enough. The word's getting out.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: story out
"...Grimes and Malone and Hutchinson didn't want the lady from VaTech to chair the hosp mgt department. They axed the deal. HD later wrote that they blatantly committed gender discrimination. They fell back and made the hire, scared of lawyers...."

If this is true, it's as big a story about the malicious incompetence of the administration as any that's come out so far. At a minimum, the president's prints are on the decision to "fall back"; no one down the chain could make that call.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

For us non-USM folks, can anyone explain who Hutchinson is?

Robert Campbell

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: CoBalt
"..Alvin Williams just resigned his post early this morning..

If most of the chairs on campus had stepped down it just might have awakened the IHL long ago. Claiming that one is going to remain in place as chair for the sake of their faculty and their students just doesn't hack it.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Robert Campbell
"For us non-USM folks, can anyone explain who Hutchinson is? Robert Campbell"

Hutchinson is a faculty member and former chair of Hospitality Management. Whether he resigned or was pushed out as chair, I don't know.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

Joe Hutchinson, former chair of Hosp. Mgt., then "encouraged" to step down as chair. I heard that the faculty did not like him as chair. His office is on the coast campus and rest of faculty are in Hattiesburg. In the search for a new chair of the newly renamed Tourism Management Department all were in favor of the lady up through Doty. The rumor is that at some point JH got to Thames and Grimes and expressed his displeasure with the recommendation. Thus she was not hired. the lawsuit started and now she comes in this week.

Inside the CoB some indicate it was the typical backroom decision-making style that Thames is known to have. This time Hutchinson was the one that many keep hearing was behind her not receiving the job offer. True or not this is what is discussed inside the CoB.

Alvin was acting chair of the Tourism Management Dept. in addition to all his other duties.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Benevolent Bob
" If most of the chairs on campus had stepped down it just might have awakened the IHL long ago. Claiming that one is going to remain in place as chair for the sake of their faculty and their students just doesn't hack it. "

Yes, and if the deans all stood up and protested with one voice....

Yes, and if the faculty simply staged a massive walk out....

It ain't gonna happen, not here, anyway. And frankly, I don't want my chair stepping down. I like him there and the buffer he provides between me and the yahoos called "administration."

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Old Business
"... In the search for a new chair of the newly renamed Tourism Management Department all were in favor of the lady up through Doty. The rumor is that at some point JH got to Thames and Grimes and expressed his displeasure with the recommendation. Thus she was not hired. the lawsuit started and now she comes in this week. Inside the CoB some indicate it was the typical backroom decision-making style that Thames is known to have. This time Hutchinson was the one that many keep hearing was behind her not receiving the job offer. True or not this is what is discussed inside the CoB. Alvin was acting chair of the Tourism Management Dept. in addition to all his other duties. "

Is the HA paying attention to this thread? If an investigation proved the rumors noted here true (or at least credible), it could be a big story indeed.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Benevolent Bob
" If most of the chairs on campus had stepped down it just might have awakened the IHL long ago. Claiming that one is going to remain in place as chair for the sake of their faculty and their students just doesn't hack it. "

They're all working for you very quietly and behind closed doors, Bobby boy. Can't you see how much better things are getting from week to week?

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: story out
"
Alvin got screwed twice in two job searches recently. First, he tried to hire a Pharmaceutical Sales Chaired Professor. He offered the job to a well-qualified candidate, but Jay Grimes pulled the plug on the deal. It nearly cost CoB that $1 mill donation from Draughn.
Second, Grimes and Malone and Hutchinson didn't want the lady from VaTech to chair the hosp mgt department. They axed the deal. HD later wrote that they blatantly committed gender discrimination. They fell back and made the hire, scared of lawyers.
The central admin consistently f's with the CoB hiring process. Alvin has had enough. The word's getting out."

Grimes would not have pulled the plug without SFT's approval. A hire/not to hire decision like this would come from the president....

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Old Business
" the lawsuit started and now she comes in this week."

USM needs more like this appointee - competent persons who do not seem to be afraid of the devil himself.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: coal mine
"Right you are. They have already contacted Rainbow/Push coalition."

I would love to see Shelby Thames go nose-to-nose with Jesse Jackson. In terms of size of ego, these two were made for each other. (Of course, for it to be a true nose-to-nose encounter, we would have to chip in and buy Shelby a step-ladder.)

Date: Mar 28, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Robert Campbell
"For us non-USM folks, can anyone explain who Hutchinson is?
Robert Campbell"

What??? Robert Campbell didn't know something about the goings-on inside the CoB?

On another note, I can only imagine who will take Alvin's place. Nobody leaps out immediately, least of all someone who will be able to muster the unified support Alvin can.

Date: Mar 28, 2005

Watch the shock waves as a new chair for the department is selected. What influence with Doty have? Which ones in the Thames crew will be the ones selecting the chair? What faculty input will there be? For the past 15 years or so inside the CoB the selection has been the Thames style of selection. Will it be so now? Maybe at long last the entire community will be watching to see if there is a real search-selection process or is it "business-as-usual" inside the CoB.

Alvin deserves thanks from all the CoB faculty, staff and students for being a professional even when hard and unpopular decisions had to be made and implemented. He did his job with class. Now he deserves a chance to enjoy life.

Alvin, I hope you are "having fun now" and you deserve it. The university and college along with the department have lost a great administrator. We still have you as a member of our faculty. Welcome back "to our first love - that of teaching and working with students."

Business One