CL, 7/28/05: USM hopes to end probation - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Jul 28, 2005

CL, 7/28/05: USM hopes to end probation

Date: Jul 28, 2005

info wrote:

CL, July 28, 2005 USM hopes to end probation with report to SACS http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050728/NEWS01/507280394/1002

On continuing ed

"returning responsibility to the academic faculty units . . ."

a piece of BS propaganda, really.

What it should say is "We have demolished a program that, with all its warts, provided a centralized support system for much of the work performed by the departments across the campus, thereby avoiding unnescessary duplication of services and pulling much of the administrative load off of the faculty. We have replaced that program with far less effective, poorly staffed and supported in-college systems, thereby decreasing the effectiveness of the services and adding to the load of the faculty. We changed our horse in midstream with little consultation or planning for transition, so that programs already experiencing the chaos of three years of USM's own version of continuous "cultural revolution" can get to sort out the pieces while desperately trying to keep their heads above the tide of SACs related work. And guess what? Doing all of that allows us to claim we are saving money, creating efficiency, "returning responsibility" to the faculty -- gee, looks like a WIN-WIN deal if you are riding on the boat rather than fording the stream.

Date: Jul 28, 2005

anyone willing to make a prediction about how we'll fare in the SACS visit? Will we be restored to SACS good graces?

Date: Jul 28, 2005

Stephen - you nailed it!

Date: Jul 28, 2005

qwerty wrote:

anyone willing to make a prediction about how we'll fare in the SACS visit? Will we be restored to SACS good graces?

Prediction: USM will be cleared in December. I'm not basing that on anything except what I've read here (folks seem to have worked very hard at the faculty/department level on a lot of things) & approximately 20 years' experience with SACS. The SACS consultant is a specialist in developing the minimum documentation needed to satisfy the C&R Committee at SACS.

At that point, folks at USM need to keep a weather eye out for a possible move to extend SFT's contract. I don't think that will happen mainly due to his age, but it is a possibility, especially as long as Klumb, Ross, Colbert & Davidson are trustees amp; there are "Paving Plant Putschers" running around.