New faculty bring fresh visions to USM - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Nov 27, 2005

New faculty bring fresh visions to USM

Date: Nov 27, 2005

"....unpleasantness between Southern Miss faculty and administration over the last couple of years did not faze her."

"It really didn't bother me," Fitzsimmons said. "Things have been difficult at all public universities over the last 20 years since state funding has dropped so precipitously nationwide."

If you really think it has to do with the drop in funding over the past 20 years, you're in for a rude awakening.

Date: Nov 27, 2005

Give her a little break. She's new, she's speaking for publication, she's on thin ice with this topic.

I was more interested that they featured new chairs in the arts & letters.

Date: Nov 27, 2005

I'd like some of whatever these people are on.

Date: Nov 27, 2005

Below is quoted from HA story on Susan Fitzsimmons, USM's new chair of the Department of Art & Design

"With the exponential growth in Hattiesburg, it's going to be necessary to support a vibrant, strong arts community to attract professional artists and keep them here," she said.

I found Fitzsimmons' statement intriguing. With New Orleans laid low and the prospect of federal help on rebuilding the levees fading from view, H’burg may well become a more significant arts hub. Has anyone seen this happening?

Date: Nov 27, 2005

qwerty wrote:

H’burg may well become a more significant arts hub. Has anyone seen this happening?

I saw a more than usual amount of graffiti on the bathroom walls.

Date: Nov 27, 2005

qwerty wrote:

Below is quoted from HA story on Susan Fitzsimmons, USM's new chair of the Department of Art & Design "With the exponential growth in Hattiesburg, it's going to be necessary to support a vibrant, strong arts community to attract professional artists and keep them here," she said. I found Fitzsimmons' statement intriguing. With New Orleans laid low and the prospect of federal help on rebuilding the levees fading from view, H’burg may well become a more significant arts hub. Has anyone seen this happening?

New lower level administrators are to be commended for wanting to turn things around. Praise them. Pat them on the shoulder. Encourage them. They will learn all too soon that "THEY" don't want things turned around.

Date: Nov 28, 2005

The chair of the Southern Miss art department said she thinks New York's art scene is overrated.

Anyone who would say this is already seriously delusional. Give us a break. Sure there are great things going on all over the country, but New York, LA, Chicago, Houston--those are the GREAT art places.

Date: Nov 28, 2005

Huh? wrote:

Give us a break. Sure there are great things going on all over the country, but New York, LA, Chicago, Houston--those are the GREAT art places.

We are #1 in the nation in many areas. I know because somebody on campus told me so We may already be #1 in the nation in the art scene but word of that hasn't yet hit the media.

Date: Nov 28, 2005

Bare Feet wrote:

We are #1 in the nation in many areas. I know because somebody on campus told me so We may already be #1 in the nation in the art scene but word of that hasn't yet hit the media.

Had your eggnog a little early this year, didn't you?

Date: Nov 28, 2005

Huh? wrote:

The chair of the Southern Miss art department said she thinks New York's art scene is overrated. Anyone who would say this is already seriously delusional. Give us a break. Sure there are great things going on all over the country, but New York, LA, Chicago, Houston--those are the GREAT art places.

dont know why we are spending time on this article.....any faculty member that has come aboard in last 2 years must not be taken seriously

Date: Nov 28, 2005

paint can wrote:

dont know why we are spending time on this article.....any faculty member that has come aboard in last 2 years must not be taken seriously

A new Ph.D. might not know better, but any new university administrator with prior academic experience should know enough to be taken seriously.

Date: Nov 28, 2005

broad brush wrote:

A new Ph.D. might not know better, but any new university administrator with prior academic experience should know enough to be taken seriously.

A job-seeking administrative type would likely know the situation at USM before taking the job, wouldn't they? Personal and professional contacts, the internet, as well as oservations and information obtained during the interview, would make such knowledge relatively easy to acquire. If a new administrator came here fully informed you'd have to wonder why . . Whoa Nelly!

Date: Nov 28, 2005

there is a semiconsistent problem with a lot of new faculty. our esteemed provost has dawdled over so many hires that a lot of departments have "missed the market". We've been doing a lot of hiring late and are ending up with some faculty that wouldn't have been here otherwise. the depts go ahead and hire under these circumstances for fear of losing a position that they badly need. these new faculty are estatic about being here as they have a job they never dreamed of getting and are likely to say nothing but positive things. check out where these folks are coming from. their best hope is that usm continues along the degree mill path, then all will be well. if some of the old tenure rules come back then 3rd year reviews in a few years could get interesting. it probably won't happen so the newbies should be safe. at least as far as promotion and tenure are concerned. on the degree mill path though, schools like that tend to get real picky about full. that way you have a faculty full of career associates that can be kicked from hell to breakfast (go learn webct so you can teach organic chemistry online).

best of luck to all.

Date: Nov 28, 2005

HR 101 wrote:

a lot of departments have "missed the market". We've been doing a lot of hiring late and are ending up with some faculty that wouldn't have been here otherwise. the depts go ahead and hire under these circumstances for fear of losing a position that they badly need. these new faculty are estatic about being here as they have a job they never dreamed of getting and are likely to say nothing but positive things. check out where these folks are coming from. their best hope is that usm continues along the degree mill path, then all will be well. if some of the old tenure rules come back then 3rd year reviews in a few years could get interesting. it probably won't happen so the newbies should be safe. at least as far as promotion and tenure are concerned. on the degree mill path though, schools like that tend to get real picky about full. that way you have a faculty full of career associates that can be kicked from hell to breakfast (go learn webct so you can teach organic chemistry online).

Great analysis, but many departments will not fess us to this. For those departments every appointment is a choice appointment and they attracted the best and the brightest.

Date: Nov 28, 2005

Certainly our department at least has not lowered its T&P expectations. I cannot speak for others and would love proof to the earlier assertion that other department are engaged in lowering theirs -- as per HR 101's claim that old tenure rules might come back.

Date: Nov 29, 2005

Voted wrote:

Certainly our department at least has not lowered its T&P expectations. I cannot speak for others and would love proof to the earlier assertion that other department are engaged in lowering theirs -- as per HR 101's claim that old tenure rules might come back.

there are some departments where 3rd year review, p&t rules, and promotion to full standards have been loosened. in our abnormal environment, if you let someone go in the first two cases then you might not get the position back. you don't send forward positive votes on clear negative cases, but if there is any positive case to be made . . . if normal circumstances ever return then marginal cases now getting positive votes might turn the other direction.

on promotion to full, i've seen some gold watch type promotions for long-serving associates as the dome doesn't seem to be guarding that hen house.

for departments where the wierd world we live in hasn't affected standards, well its always nice to see principle beat expediency (at least some of the time).