Fly in LAB wrote:

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Lassen passed his Ph.D. comps in December, and has just started work on his dissertation, no way can he have degree in hand any time soon---

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Fly, you are either real young or haven't been paying attention during your stay at USM.  You'll mature out of naive thoughts like that.

LVN wrote:

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In what field is Mr. Lassen getting his PhD?

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Int'l Development

http://www.usm.edu/international/pages/students.html

Who says one has to have a committee? And if there is one for Mr. Lassen it would likely consist of people like Malone, D. Butler, and C. Gaudet, etc., who would certainly ease Mr. Lassen's path to degree.

Will any of these people who have escaped and actually know something ever talk--beginning with Lassen? Of course, we have no idea what baggage he carries. But there are many like Linda McFall, Cheryl Mowdy, Bucky Wesley, Candy Santell, perhaps David Anderson that know the truth. I know for a fact that some have been and perhaps still are afraid. Let's hope that someday the complete truth will out.

Denise vH wrote:

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As director of graduate studies for the Political science dept., please allow me to put any concerns to rest. Mr. Lassen is indeed a doctoral candidate in our International program. He is writing his dissertation under the direction of a well-respected, Full Professor of Political Science who has served USM with distinction for many, many years. Since I do not normally discuss individual students, their academic performance, or the membership of their committees in public forums, I invite anyone who is interested to email me privately with whatever questions they have pertaining to the academic rigor of the current IDV program that is under our direction. Best regards to you all, Denise von Herrmann

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I am chairing his dissertation.  It is a collection of essays.  The first analyzes similarities between Dr. Thames' admin at USM and the Administration of President Theodore Roosevelt, focusing of benevolent uses of power.  The second presents survey evidence of the pervasiveness of liberal ideology on college campuses, and how this ideology presents extraordinary challenges to conservative-leaning university presidents.  The last essay is a lengthy piece about the various relationships between faculty senate bodies in the U.S. and university presidents, offering pros and cons of the many political/constitutional arrangements that exist between the two branches of university governance.  The essay argues, in the end, for a strong president/weak faculty senate model of governance.  

LVN---You are right.

Advocate, I'm sure the dissertation director thing is a joke. It's just the whole discussion that sort of bothers me.

Advocate wrote:

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I thought Gregg's Dissertation Chair was joking.  That seriously isn't what his dissertation is about, is it?  And if it was, would it be appropriate for his chair to write about it in an open message board? 

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the whole program is an open joke.  when you're putting up a fancy building you've got to fill it up with ... something.  if the economists won't touch this thing with a bargepole, it creates a vacuum filled by a hodgepodge of folks from, well just look at the web page.  GL is just one of many sliding through a "degree".  At least he knows its a joke.