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USM Forum -- Message Board -> AAUP-USM MESSAGE BOARD -> Doty's Misguided Plan for MIS
Post Info TOPIC: Doty's Misguided Plan for MIS
View from Weathersby

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Doty's Misguided Plan for MIS
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Here's what is happening.  On Friday, Dean Doty and AD Niroomand met with the MIS (Management Information Systems) faculty and their chair (Posey, accounting).  Doty spent the first several minutes berating the group of MIS faculty gathered there, from their supposed lack of research productivity to the lack of balance in their teaching loads.  He complained that the program lacked rigor and that its graduates were subpar.  His treatment of them was demeaning and unprofessional to say the least.  After his tirade he informed them that they had one week (7 days) to put together a plan to solve all of the issues he had raised with them in the previous several minutes.  He said in no uncertain terms that the cost of operating the program is upwards of $500,000/yr, and with the university's Katrina-caused tuition shortfall that President Thames would be very pleased to get a report from him (Doty) stating that he had just cut a program that "saved" USM half a million dollars.


Doty told the group that he would not preside over a college that loses AACSB accreditation. 


The word now is that 2 of the 3 profs in the department will be sent to accounting, while the third will move to finance.  The assoc prof will move into economics, while the two untenured assistants will be let go.  The first "savings" will come from the two assistants.  Other "savings" will be realized by terminating ongoing searches in both finance and economics, and perhaps adding some staff reductions in accounting. 



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No Accounting for Taste

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Does Doty think he can fool us into believing that there will actually be cost savings associated with this blunder-in-waiting?

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Little old lady

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Let go? Will they be allowed to teach until the end of term?
How to entice people to come to your school . . .

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Dante's Administrators

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It is time for the CoB to have a "no confidence" on the leadership abilities of Harold Doty.  He has been easily the most corosive administrative presence in the history of the business school.  There are no redeeming qualities to the man. 



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usm low

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Wow, this plan for MIS looks nothing like the plan he has put together for faculty in MGT/MKT.  The key features of the MGT/MKT plan are:


Fourth Year Reviews for Assistant Professors --- Sinecures for Significant Others ---  Course Presentation Payola --- Job Placement Services for Aspiring Deans --- 'No Fault' Promotion-to-Professor Contracts for Associate Professors --- Unrivaled Chairperson Salaries --- Sabbaticals for Service --- Professorate-to-Administration Training Programs --- Online Course Creation for New Hires --- In-House Publication Play-for-Pay Plan --- The Instructor Sweatshop Initiative


This plan is nice.  You should get one too.



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pardon me too

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The Associate Dean will pull them out of this.  I feel it in my bones. 

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CoB chop shop

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pardon me too wrote:

The Associate Dean will pull them out of this.  I feel it in my bones. 
Don't count on it.  They said he sat next to Doty at the meeting.

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grasshopper

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"I have come to eliminate your program."




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???what_if???

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What if the "program lacked rigor and that its graduates were subpar?"


Is it really the process that you are mad about or is it just that the major will disappear?  In my semi-informed opinion (working with many grads of the program), it does not prepare students well for anything.  Ask a student who graduated from the program what MIS is and I bet they cannot give you a good answer.



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Asshopper

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???what_if??? wrote:
What if the "program lacked rigor and that its graduates were subpar?"
Is it really the process that you are mad about or is it just that the major will disappear?  In my semi-informed opinion (working with many grads of the program), it does not prepare students well for anything.  Ask a student who graduated from the program what MIS is and I bet they cannot give you a good answer.


So the solution is to threaten to kill a program rather than to just plan revamp it? Don't tell me that this is all some sort of plan of Doty's to "motivate" the MIS faculty to wake up---I don't think Doty is capable of sticking to a plan past lunch. As usual, Doty has used negative reinforcement when positive reinforcement could result in some of that discretionary effort Cossack always talks about.

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MIS Grad

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???what_if??? wrote:

What if the "program lacked rigor and that its graduates were subpar?" Is it really the process that you are mad about or is it just that the major will disappear?  In my semi-informed opinion (working with many grads of the program), it does not prepare students well for anything.  Ask a student who graduated from the program what MIS is and I bet they cannot give you a good answer.
I received my first degree in MIS from USM.  I felt it prepared me to do exceptionally well in the work environment.  It gave me flexibility to move ahead within a Fortune 50 corporation into various different positions because of the combined accounting and technology background.  When I was promoted to management in finance and accounting, I was the youngest manager in the company.  I honestly feel I received this promotion because I could work with the programers who were constantly creating new and improved systems for the finance and accounting divisions.  However, if I had it to do over again, I would have included more finance classes in the courses I studied.   

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To The East Side

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Dante's Administrators wrote:
It is time for the CoB to have a "no confidence" on the leadership abilities of Harold Doty.  He has been easily the most corosive administrative presence in the history of the business school.  There are no redeeming qualities to the man. 


While I agree, it will certainly set off another round of terror tactics that will make the digital MBA program tactics look like a "We are family" speech. Come to think of it, is that what the MIS and other scare tactics really are?


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fly on wall

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based on conversation i had yesterday the no confidence vote will happen and it will be overwhelming. this is the opening thames needs.

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Outside Observer

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fly on wall wrote:
based on conversation i had yesterday the no confidence vote will happen and it will be overwhelming. this is the opening thames needs.


How soon will this vote occur? And how much significance is attached to a faculty no confidence vote at USM? I'm aware of some no confidence votes at other universities which were completely ignored by the administration

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Another goner

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Heck. History tells you they'll be ignored in Mississippi.

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been away from here

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Asshopper wrote:

???what_if??? wrote: What if the "program lacked rigor and that its graduates were subpar?" Is it really the process that you are mad about or is it just that the major will disappear?  In my semi-informed opinion (working with many grads of the program), it does not prepare students well for anything.  Ask a student who graduated from the program what MIS is and I bet they cannot give you a good answer. So the solution is to threaten to kill a program rather than to just plan revamp it? Don't tell me that this is all some sort of plan of Doty's to "motivate" the MIS faculty to wake up---I don't think Doty is capable of sticking to a plan past lunch. As usual, Doty has used negative reinforcement when positive reinforcement could result in some of that discretionary effort Cossack always talks about.
This sounds very strange.  Where is the dept. chair in all this?  Has/is he/she been aware of any alleged shortcomings?  Lack of productivity?  What steps have been taken to alleviate these problems up to this time?  Have industry advisory boards participated in the curriculum development?  Most academic units are able to detect problems and correct them before they become terminal.  Sounds like a lack of leadership at all levels.

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you go girl!

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Dr. Shelby F. Thames "Harold, who's your daddy..?" 








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you go girl!

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  "You are, Dr. Thames...."

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you go girl!

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Dr. Shelby F. Thames "That's right . .  Good boy . . . run along now" 



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Asshopper

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been away from here wrote:

This sounds very strange.  Where is the dept. chair in all this?  Has/is he/she been aware of any alleged shortcomings?  Lack of productivity?  What steps have been taken to alleviate these problems up to this time?  Have industry advisory boards participated in the curriculum development?  Most academic units are able to detect problems and correct them before they become terminal.  Sounds like a lack of leadership at all levels.


The process you describe would be a proactive one -- providing resources and support to encourage change and THEN demanding results. With Doty, you get a kick in the crotch and an email that says "You should have known better. You have one day to save your job. Just one. I expect a top-ranked program in 24 hours. DHD"




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Outside Observer

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Ok...then if a no confidence vote by the faculty really won't have much impact in terms of subsequent action by the administration, will it only serve to further drive a wedge between the administration and faculty?  What will the faculty gain by further angering administrators?  I can understand the frustration...been there done that...but think strategically....do something that will actually have some positive impact for yourselves.

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Asshopper

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Outside Observer wrote:
Ok...then if a no confidence vote by the faculty really won't have much impact in terms of subsequent action by the administration, will it only serve to further drive a wedge between the administration and faculty?  What will the faculty gain by further angering administrators?  I can understand the frustration...been there done that...but think strategically....do something that will actually have some positive impact for yourselves.


Let's not anger the administrators by doing the right thing.

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yo yo

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   "Harold, who's your big sister?"


"You are, D"



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