The good, the bad, and the ugly - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Jun 29, 2005

RE: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Date: Jun 29, 2005

stinky cheese man wrote:

i'm not sure the Ole Miss provision is limited to "diversity" appointments, assuming i understand what you mean by diversity appointments.

You will note that the Ole Miss information says that their ACT figure is the "usual" minimum. That means that anything less than that would be "unusual." That's quite different than USM's website which says that 100% of the honors students have an ACT of 25 or above. USM specifies no "minimum." The numbers most honors programs publish tend to discourage students with a score below the published score from applying. USM seems to write their copy to encourage everybody to apply.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

stinky cheese man wrote:

i understand what you mean by diversity appointments.

Do you think that when Ole Miss says diversity they are referring to football players? I don't think so. I think that for them affirmative action guidelines are not just a piece of paper.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Better mouse trap wrote:

I don't believe for a Nitchamburg minute that USM has a more rigorous honors program than Ole Miss or LSU. And I don't believe that those two SEC powerhouses depend on their athletic programs to attract top students.

We have an Honors College, not just a program. Actually, having taught for awhile for the HC, I can tell you that this is one of the largely unknown gems here. The students are for the most part outstanding, and Ken P has done a good job with the curriculum. Head to head, our Honors College is probably the best honors offering of the publics in the state. Now, if we can just get the rest of the ship bailed out and afloat...

Date: Jun 29, 2005

College, not Program wrote:

Better mouse trap wrote: I don't believe for a Nitchamburg minute that USM has a more rigorous honors program than Ole Miss or LSU. And I don't believe that those two SEC powerhouses depend on their athletic programs to attract top students.

College, not Program wrote: We have an Honors College, not just a program. Actually, having taught for awhile for the HC, I can tell you that this is one of the largely unknown gems here. The students are for the most part outstanding, and Ken P has done a good job with the curriculum. Head to head, our Honors College is probably the best honors offering of the publics in the state. Now, if we can just get the rest of the ship bailed out and afloat...

You must scroll through this thread more slowly. You must have missed my earlier comments: "the Ole Miss Honors College has a forum program like USM used to, and they have freshman and sophomore honors seminars like USM used to. In other words they have a real honors program like USM used to.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Our honors students participate in active learning classes which provide them with the opportunity (free of charge might I add) to go on field trips that are relevant to the particular class in which they are enrolled. Honors students do still enroll in Forum; no it is not the old Forum that we used to host, but it still affords them the opportunity to attend guest lectures and attend art events, etc.

I am very proud of our Honors College and it's students and you should be too. Especially when you consider the funding it receives compared to an Ole Miss or LSU.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

College, not Program wrote:

....Head to head, our Honors College is probably the best honors offering of the publics in the state.

Then let's do a head to head comparison. For your convenience I've left space for you to enter the USM part:

1. Ole Miss: New three story building dedicated to the Honors College with 24 hour a day access. The building has a computer lab, kitchen, TV room and deck for honors students only.
    USM:

2. Ole Miss: Freshman and sophomore interdisciplinary seminars.
    USM:

3. Ole Miss: Junior research project.
    USM:

4. Ole Miss: Senior thesis.
    USM:

5. Ole Miss: Four forums a year.
    USM:

6. Ole Miss: Public service required every year.
    USM:

7. Ole Miss: Minimum ACT of 28.
    USM:

8. Ole Miss: Stipends to assist with study abroad programs.
    USM:

9. Ole Miss: Phi Beta Kappa chapter.
    USM:

10. Ole Miss: Excellent faculty.
     USM:

How does USM stack up? (head to head, as you say)

Date: Jun 29, 2005

11. USM: World Class

Ole Miss: ?

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Head to head wrote:

College, not Program wrote: ....Head to head, our Honors College is probably the best honors offering of the publics in the state. Then let's do a head to head comparison. For your convenience I've left space for you to enter the USM part: 1. Ole Miss: New three story building dedicated to the Honors College with 24 hour a day access. The building has a computer lab, kitchen, TV room and deck for honors students only. USM: 2. Ole Miss: Freshman and sophomore interdisciplinary seminars. USM: 3. Ole Miss: Junior research project. USM: 4. Ole Miss: Senior thesis. USM: 5. Ole Miss: Four forums a year. USM: 6. Ole Miss: Public service required every year. USM: 7. Ole Miss: Minimum ACT of 28. USM: 8. Ole Miss: Stipends to assist with study abroad programs. USM: 9. Ole Miss: Phi Beta Kappa chapter. USM: 10. Ole Miss: Excellent faculty. USM: How does USM stack up? (head to head, as you say)

Geez-you're right! I'm convinced. I won't even need to bother to fill in your survey, because I now see the light--we take any ole' dumb kid, have a crappy Honors College, and it has absolutely none of the experinces you cite (heck, for an honors thesis, I just ask my students to count the diplomas tossed into cars at Hardy High). Certainly not in the league of Ole Miss or LSU--those truely world class insititutions. I'll have to call my students who went on to grad programs at Columbia U, Florida State, and Memphis and tell them their experience was a complete waste of time. Thanks for enlightening me.

I think you have a bug up your butt about this one. You or your kid not make the cut? This one sounds personal for you.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

I'm going to enter this discussion for the first time. I have a kid who couldn't make the cut for the USM Honors program (college, whatever) so we didn't even try out of respect for the standards. I have another one coming down the pike who can and will probably be heavily recruited. As a parent, I am IMPRESSED by the USM Honors students I have met. I hope the university does more to encourage them and those who follow them. I also believe my non-Honors student is going to thrive because I know who will be teaching. The issue is how long people will stay. Two years is too long for many good people to wait it out. This is a ridiculous thread. Programs that have thrived have done so in spite of Shelby Thames. I continue to be amazed at what the faculty as a whole accomplish given the lunacy at the top. Focus, focus, focus. Shelby needs to go. His house of cards will fall. We don't need to denigrate current programs nor do we need to bolster this administration with accolades that Shelby Thames is not responsible for.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Amen, QS. Let's hold on to all the good available. I did hear the same information, that Honors College enrollment had nearly doubled, but I didn't hear why.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Honors Reject wrote:
I think you have a bug up your butt about this one. You or your kid not make the cut? This one sounds personal for you.

Honors Reject,

The information you are complaning about is available on the University of Mississippi website. If you have a problem with it, take it up with the people in Oxford and ask them to remove it. The poster you are complaining about was responding to a claim that the University of Southern Mississippi's honors program is the best among the publics in the state. Quite a few of us are down right tired of the "We're #1" approach USM has taken in recruiting. The fact that we know we're not #1 in no way means we are not USM supporters. It means we are realistic. It means that we are not willing to embellish the truth.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Honors Reject wrote:

Certainly not in the league of Ole Miss or LSU--those truely world class insititutions.

HR: Neither of those schools claim to hold world class status. That's one of things that makes them respected among the greater academic community.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Don't forget the Shelby Freland Thames full ride scholarship program which was enacted thru Timley Ryan at the DeFunct Foundation. We are buying our "scholars," thereby guaranteeing a return on our investment. Good Bidness. Sad, Sad, Sad.