May 20, 2007 - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Jan 31, 2006

May 20, 2007

Date: Jan 31, 2006

Don't count your eagles before they hatch.

Date: Feb 1, 2006

Date Watcher wrote:

May 20, 2007. It has a special ring to it. Can it happen? Will we be able to breathe again? Can we become totally professional again? It's time to pat ourselves on the back. Pat. Pat. Pat. We are near the end. I think that the May 20, 2007 date will hold for SFT's exit. We have held on since 2002. We have endured the onslaught. Many have suffered the wrath of the administration in power. So many good people have left us. There are good people left. We are strong. We will rebuild this institution. We will be great again. An open search for our next president is a MUST!

I would like for those faculty members who came on board in the 1970's and 1980's to react to this upcoming change - and read their opinions regarding whether USM will ever be "great" again.

As a student in years past I did think we were great! We had several programs, including, but not limited to, education, psychology, polymer science, history, music, journalism, that were wonderful and served as a draw toward this campus.

I'm not saying all of these are in the toilet now, not by any means, but I am saying that either by true situation or by public perspective, USM does not command the respect and admiration it once did for certain programs. It may not be fair, but I think it is true, especially with the administration debacles of the past few years. Discerning students will see USM as a disfunctional family that, in my opinion, it was NOT only a few (10+) years ago.

Can we get back to something awesome? Sure! But, what will it take?

A president and administration that places importance upon something other than themselves and their place in future "history of USM" books.

A head-hunter mentality with the money to back it up. Recruiting the best and brightest of various fields and bringing them here from other universities, even if they never, ever, thought of coming to Mississippi before.

Putting money into teaching resources, including things as simple as proper desks, blackboards, non-leaking ceilings, chalk, etc. Also, helping faculty members utilize their computers to the best of their ability, and for the benefit of the new students born in the late 1980's.

USM is not great now. We had wonderful patches of greatness in the past, but some of the people responsible for that have been run off. We must RECRUIT, but I don't know how that is possible until SFT is totally, completely gone. May be a long winter until then.