Coast Commencement 2005 - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: May 14, 2005

Coast Commencement 2005

Date: May 14, 2005

Does this fine university offer hospitality courses which have an event planning component? Perhaps those students could plan graduation as a senior project. From what you say, it couldn't be any worse and at least it would be a student iniative.

Date: May 14, 2005

Remember, if Ken Malone is planning graduation, he used to work at Phoenix Online U.
Of course he has no idea what a graduation should be like. Probably wants everyone to log on to a chat room and hear an MP3 of Pomp and Circumstance there.

Date: May 14, 2005

Did you know, Mr. Arnold, that P & C has words?

Kipling, I think, "Land of Hope and Glory"

Land of hope and glory, mother of the free
How shall we extoll thee, who are born of thee?
Wider still and wider, shall thy bounds be set.
God who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet . ..
God who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet.

Of course the song was written for my own homeland, Britain, which is not so mighty these days, and one blushes for the imperialism. But it is hard to forget the emotions of childhood, when these words stirred the soul.

Date: May 14, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Arnold
"Remember, if Ken Malone is planning graduation, he used to work at Phoenix Online U. Of course he has no idea what a graduation should be like. Probably wants everyone to log on to a chat room and hear an MP3 of Pomp and Circumstance there."

Lasson's the one come from Phoenix

O'er our budgets, we do need a kleenex

Kenbot was an industry staffer

Pol'mer science, then chem'cals after

Now we also add Grimes to the remix

Date: May 14, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Deja Coast View
"Some of you surely remember the poorly planned graduation on the coast last year? The forecasted and actual downpour with no contingency plans for rain? The shuffling of students and parents from room to room? One year later....the COO/Provost duo flounder again...."

Coincidence? The commencement speaker addressed the universal qualities of good leaders -- you know, things like "building strong teams," "finding and developing the positives in your people," "continuous learning," etc. -- all performance rubrics under which SFT fails miserably! When the speaker concluded, Thames uttered something close to the standard "thank you for those profound words of wisdom," then promptly forgot to present the speaker with his appreciation gift!

Grimes later attributed the gaffe to the commencement occurring for "the first time in a new place."

Date: May 14, 2005

Your arrogance never ceases to amaze me.

Date: May 14, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: An Outsider
"Your arrogance never ceases to amaze me."

Whose arrogance? Shelby's? Most of the wicked humor on this board is a desperate attempt to survive numerous harrowing situations brought about by the Thames regime. When one works at an insane university, one's reactions are likely to be extreme. It is not arrogant to accurately describe the stupid things Thames and his minions have done--like schedule an outdoor graduation without a plan for rain, for example.

Date: May 14, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: An Outsider
"Your arrogance never ceases to amaze me."

Wow, you are easily amazed, etranger. From what world of such humility do you hail? Don't know many physicians, do you?

SFT's gaffes may not be his greatest failing, but they are failings nonetheless. Generally speaking, at world class institutions of higher learning, the president can be expected to act with a bit of savoir faire.

As an outsider, you may not see the irony in the fact that SFT is so oblivious that when he dedicated the building named in honor of Oseola McCarty, he mispronounced her names. Both of them: "Oleosa" and "McCarthy." Don't you know that made her family proud?

As I said before, it ain't his greatest failing, but he's a goober. (BTW, I am too. But I don't hold myself out as a university president.)

Date: May 16, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: One for the books
" Coincidence? The commencement speaker addressed the universal qualities of good leaders -- you know, things like "building strong teams," "finding and developing the positives in your people," "continuous learning," etc. -- all performance rubrics under which SFT fails miserably! "

The glaring differences between Shelby's style and good leadership exhibited by other professionals have been highlighted in multiple recent forums. It would take a very dense observer not to pick up on it.