Go President Lee! - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Apr 1, 2005

Go President Lee!

Date: Apr 4, 2005

If this kind of cut transpires (15.6%) the faculty losses over the past couple of years may look small. A 15.6% cut sytem wide would almost certainly lead to RIF plans being implemented. Ususally that means that untenured faculty are dismissed first...

Date: Apr 4, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: PALINDROME
"If this kind of cut transpires (15.6%) the faculty losses over the past couple of years may look small. A 15.6% cut sytem wide would almost certainly lead to RIF plans being implemented. Ususally that means that untenured faculty are dismissed first..."

As if the current nationally visible storm over USM isn't enough, this RIF information alone would cause me to pause before taking an untenured faculty position at USM.

Date: Apr 4, 2005

Educators on all levels-local systems,jr.college,universties,etc.-should just photocopy this message and send it out every year.I've been in Miss. 40+ years and we hear the same thing every year. There will never be enough money to satisfy the education lobby.The only thing this message lacks is a reference to how we are "hurting the children."

Date: Apr 4, 2005

If this occurs the IHL needs to start closing universities immediately. There is no reason for Mississippi to have more than 4 state funded universities.

Date: Apr 4, 2005

quote:

Originally posted by: The Terminator"

There is no reason for Mississippi to have more than 4 state funded universities."

If only four state funded universities survive, Ole Miss would be one of them as the legislator's choice, Missississippi State would survive as the land grant school, and Jackson State would survive as Mississippi's urban university. Which would be the fourth?

Date: Apr 4, 2005

I would guess Miss. University for Women (or "the W") in Columbus would survive any massive education cuts that threatened to shut down the state's other universities.

The majority of the W's students are young women and the school has a smally, homey feel to it. I would bet this "unique" school would get a lot of legislative attention, particularly because many of the current legislators' mothers may have been taught there I'd wager. The school's historical legacy could also play a part.

"W," I'm betting, would also have some leverage because of its location near MSU. While this might seem like a detriment [and with Ole Miss, MSU, JSU, and MUW as the four state schools, leave the entire southern half of the state empty to higher ed] I could also see it used as a ploy that State and W could share larger resources. I've driven from the Starkville campus to the Columbus campus in under 45 minutes (shorter commute than Hattiesburg-GC).

As a side note, however, I think its worth mentioning that if we're playing this "Which four would survive?" game, Mississippi's historically black universities have strong leverage, particularly in light of Ayres. If IHL closed all HBUs but Jackson State, and instead left open Ole Miss, MSU, the W or USM, let's say, I'm willing to bet it'd make quite a controversy, attraction lots of media attention, and even bring about lawsuits.

It would also be a shame to our state if a school like Valley State was closed. While its academic rigor or research activities may not be quite as up to par as some would like, it serves a critical need in the Delta, where for non-upper-middle-class [particularly white] folks higher education has been hard to come by for generations.

I could also see Alcorn State as a wildcard "saved" university. I think you're right--there's absolutely no question that Ole Miss, MSU, and Jackson State would be spared from the chopping block. I could see Alcorn State, the W, or Valley State for the fourth (and final, in this little game of our's) spot. I don't see USM being "saved," unless it was specifically the Gulf Coast Campus (to serve the bottom half of our state). Unfortunately I can't think of any "pull" (save the polymer science shpiel) that could be compelling enough to our legislators.

Date: Apr 4, 2005

Sorry for all of the grammatical, usage, and spelling errors.

I'm tired.

Date: Apr 4, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: W is for Women
"The majority of the W's students are young women.."

True. But I seem to recall that some years ago a male student who wanted to enter their nursing program sued and gained entrance, at which point the school essentially became coeducational.