Reporter wrote:

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I seem to remember hearing that one of the "benefits" of the SFT's Reorganization was stated to be that it would "increase the number of professors in the classroom".  Do others recall this or am I just getting old? 

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info wrote:

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Jay Grimes, provost of the University of Southern Mississippi, said salaries have a lot to do with why adjuncts comprise about 24 percent of the Southern Miss faculty this spring. "High quality faculty go to the university offering the highest dollar, and in many cases Southern Miss is not competitive," Grimes said

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This administration has dropped the ball on one of the biggest problems we will need to face in the next decade-attracting and retaining faculty. In fact, the current administration, in concert with our HR management team, has long argued that we are just peachy keen in this area-or at least stable with regards to faculty turnover. The Provost is now just becoming aware that this is a problem? 

Non-competitive salaries and benefits for both faculty and staff (and graduate students), and the lack of a comprehensive plan to manage this crisis, will likely be one of the major legacies of this administration. This, combined with our accreditation woes and oppressive work atmosphere, has not made USM a highly desirable employment destination for skilled faculty and staff.  

The irony of all this is that the current President promised (and was hired) to get our fiscal house in order. I doubt that many on campus are privy to the exact nature of our fiscal health, but college leaders were told to plan for up to a 5% budget cut for this current fiscal year, well before Katrina. It was no secret on campus that our Provost, President, and CFO were not on the same page with many budgeting issues and processes, and that many fiscal decisions made seemed to be ad hoc or after the fact scrambling to put out one fire or another.

This administration has one fiscal year left for which to prepare. The next administration should not be saddled with the unknown consequences of potentially risky fiscal ventures, such as a major stadium expansion or the outsourcing of physical plant. Allow the next adminitration to take the lead on these after reviewing our fiscal health. Neither issue is make or break to our central mission. However, recruitment and retention of faculty and staff are critical to our mission, and this issue needs to be addressed by the current administration while planning for the next FY.