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van dyke

Date:
latest love letter
Permalink Closed


Dear Colleagues,

I hope you are finding my letters to you informative. I've enjoyed writing
them. They really help me summarize and review the events of the week in
preparation for the week ahead.

I met with the President's Council for the third time on May 26. At the
previous meeting, they asked about my position on academic freedom. In
response, I read the policy established by the IHL Board of Trustees on
August 17, 1959, to which I personally fully subscribe. It reads as such:

It is the policy of the Board that there should prevail at our universities
and colleges an atmosphere of freedom in their research, teaching, programs
and services, and there should be no political or subversive propagandizing
in the academic programs. It is proclaimed with equal fervor that academic
freedom does not mean academic license. With freedom there must be
responsibility for statements, speeches, and actions.

Faculty members are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication
of the results, subject to the adequate performance of their other academic
duties. Research for pecuniary return should be based upon an understanding
with the authorities of the university. The legitimate exercise of academic
freedom and freedom of speech shall not constitute grounds for termination.

Faculty members are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their
subject, but they must be careful not to introduce into their teaching any
controversial matter that has no relation to the classroom subject.

As the summer semester approaches, I ask that each of us be ever mindful of
our responsibility to students. Our students deserve the best education
possible, and it is our responsibility to see that we deliver that level of
instruction.

In regard to the university e-mail policy, I agree with the President's
Council. In the future, if there is cause to believe that university
technology and equipment are being misused in a potential criminal matter, the
president will seek the advice of legal counsel from the attorney general'
s office before proceeding. If the misuse does not appear to be of a criminal
nature, the president will consult with two faculty members and university
counsel. Details regarding the selection of the pool of faculty
members to be utilized for this purpose will be determined at a future
meeting of the PC. Dr. Joan Exline and Lee Gore will redraft this policy and
will circulate it for further comment.

Dr. Mitch Berman has agreed to create a committee that will review the
university's drug and alcohol policy. The reviewing group will be composed of
internal and external representatives. When the task is complete, the policy
draft will be circulated to the university elected bodies and all faculty and
staff for review and comment. All council members were in favor of this
communication process.

It is my desire that the Faculty Handbook, if possible, be unanimously
approved. In an effort to achieve unanimity and full disclosure to the entire
university community, I have requested that the most recent version of the
faculty handbook draft be reviewed. Please note that the final version of
the handbook emanating from the duly appointed handbook committee has already
been approved. However, a few issues were not approved unanimously, and this
proposal is an effort to reach unanimity, if possible. Dr. Exline has agreed
to assist in coordinating this process.

A topic of discussion focused on the composition of the President's Council and
whether or not members should be elected or appointed. First, let it be
perfectly clear that the deans selected the current members of the President's
Council. I had no participation in the committee member selection process. I
have enjoyed working with the council members, many of whom I had unfortunately
never met before. The council members agreed to seek input from colleagues
about their thoughts on this matter. I did make it clear to the council that
it was my intent to have a group that reflected broad representation of every
entity of our university. I want and need new ideas and suggestions, and I
would like those who are not already serving on other committees to have an
opportunity for meaningful input. I believe the best way to obtain new and
creative ideas is to widen the basis for communication. I would like to know
how you feel. This will be a topic of discussion at the next President's
Council meeting.

To keep you better and, I hope, fully informed of campus issues, I will send
summaries of issues reported and/or discussed during the President's Cabinet
meetings. Representation on the cabinet includes the USM Foundation, Southern
Miss Alumni Association, Faculty Senate, Staff Council, Student Government
Association, Athletics, Marketing and Public Relations and all vice
presidents. Each representative typically provides the group an update about
his or her area, and I think it is important for you to have this
information. Please check your e-mail for those summaries.

I would like to express my appreciation to the city of Hattiesburg and
particularly to Mayor Dupree and the Hattiesburg Fire Department. We had the
opportunity this week to see two new fire trucks that have been purchased by
the city. The trucks were purchased with the needs of our university community
in mind, and for that we are most grateful. The vehicles have a turning radius
of 13'1" compared to the old trucks' turning radius of 15'6" meaning, of
course, they will be able to maneuver our campus streets with greater ease and
increased speed when responding to an emergency. We don't normally think
about those details, but they are very important to the safety of everyone at
Southern Miss.

I want to also share with everyone our up-to-date progress for fundraising to
construct the National Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship.
This project will cost approximately $12 million without the second and third
floors being finished and ready for use. Currently, we have raised a total of
$9,005,000 in received and pledged dollars. The breakdown is as follows:

Total Federal Funding to Date: $6,980,000

FY02: $2 million
FY03: $980,000
FY04: $4 million [cannot be used for bricks and mortar]

Total Private Funding to Date: $2,025,000

Total Pledges: $2,025,000
Total Received: $657,600

Note: Of private funding, Southern Company gave $500,000; Mississippi Power
gave $500,000; all but $140,000 comes from Mississippi donors.

Our costs associated with this project have been $517,684. The breakdown is
as follows:

Consultants Fees: $387,842--These costs are composed of the following:

Hayes and Associate: $207,842
Jim Johnson: $180,000

Fundraising Expenses: $129,842

The original state chairman for the project was Mike Garrett, former
president of Mississippi Power Company. Mike was promoted to CEO of Georgia
Power. The new president of Mississippi Power Company, Anthony Topazi, has
graciously agreed to assume the state chairmanship role and is fully committed
to helping raise the remaining funds to complete the project. I met with
Anthony this week and was excited to see his enthusiasm for this effort.

Southern Miss asked the Mississippi Legislature, during its most recent
session, for $3 million in state matching funds to allow us to move forward
with construction of the facility. Unfortunately, that legislation died along
with the bond bills that allocated money for building and renovations to all
eight of our institutions of higher learning.

It is important that all understand it is against state statute to begin the
construction process of a state building until such a time that ALL
construction funds have been identified and approvals from the appropriate
state agencies have been obtained. In our case, we must obtain the
IHL Board of Trustees' approval and such approval will only be given after
ALL necessary building funds have been certified as being available.

The existing sports arena site has been selected for the construction of this
facility. At present, classes are being taught in this facility, and it also
houses the National Youth Sports Program during the summer, which is attended
and enjoyed by hundreds of children from the greater Hattiesburg area. To
demolish this structure prematurely would displace programs and classes
unnecessarily. In my opinion, it makes better sense for our university
community to utilize this facility as long as possible, and to affect its
demolition as part of the construction process. In fact, this is precisely
the route recommended by project architect Larry Albert. He noted that
including the demolition as part of the construction process would save
thousands of dollars and would not unduly delay construction, once all
necessary funds are acquired. I have provided this information in some
details, given that misinformation has been printed about this project. Thus,
I hope the data herein will adequately inform you of the project's progress.
Please let me know if you have specific questions about the center or its
progress.

A decision has been made to close the Early Childhood Center on our Gulf Park
campus. Unfortunately, it has become cost prohibitive to maintain and operate.
We have experienced declining enrollment and increases in operational expenses.
To keep the center operational would mean diverting money from other university
areas, and we believe that would not be in the best interest of our university
nor its students. Approximately 20 children are currently enrolled, and in
order to affect a smooth transition for the children, the center will continue
to operate through the summer. We have notified parents that the center will
no longer operate after the summer session. We do appreciate the staff of the
center. They are hardworking and dedicated, and they have given tremendous
effort in their attempts to make the program cost effective. We will help
them secure new employment to the best of our ability.

I would like to congratulate the staff of the Department of Marketing and Public
Relations. They recently received 17 awards at this year's College Public
Relations Association of Mississippi annual competition. They do a great job
sharing positive news stories about our faculty, staff and students. I extend
my thanks to all of them for their hard work. I hope you will take a moment
to congratulate them.

I hope each of you has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Enjoy time with your
friends and family, and come back safely to work on Tuesday. Meanwhile, please
let me know if there is anything I can do to assist you in your work at
The University of Southern Mississippi.

Very truly yours,
Shelby F. Thames


__________________
Invictus

Date:
Permalink Closed

quote:
Originally posted by: van dyke
"
I want to also share with everyone our up-to-date progress for fundraising to
construct the National Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship.
This project will cost approximately $12 million without the second and third
floors being finished and ready for use. Currently, we have raised a total of
$9,005,000 in received and pledged dollars. The breakdown is as follows:

Total Federal Funding to Date: $6,980,000

FY02: $2 million
FY03: $980,000
FY04: $4 million [cannot be used for bricks and mortar]

Total Private Funding to Date: $2,025,000

Total Pledges: $2,025,000
Total Received: $657,600

Note: Of private funding, Southern Company gave $500,000; Mississippi Power
gave $500,000; all but $140,000 comes from Mississippi donors.

Our costs associated with this project have been $517,684. The breakdown is
as follows:

Consultants Fees: $387,842--These costs are composed of the following:

Hayes and Associate: $207,842
Jim Johnson: $180,000

Fundraising Expenses: $129,842
"


FWIW, I'll admit at the outset that my mathematics education was received at USM. But doing the math, I figure the University actually has put its mitts on $657,600 and has spent $517,684, for a net of $139,916.

This is too close to Jack Hanbury's reported (reputed?) salary to let me pass it by without comment.



Counting "pledges" against expenses is not very smart, but I've never met a college administrator who doesn't do it. What happens in the end is that some percent of the pledges will drop due to the project dragging on too long, etc., and another percent simply never pay up.

__________________
Parser

Date:
Permalink Closed

Shelboo said (if he really did write this screed):


  It is the policy of the Board that there should prevail at our universities
and colleges an atmosphere of freedom in their research, teaching, programs
and services, and there should be no political or subversive propagandizing
in the academic programs. It is proclaimed with equal fervor that academic
freedom does not mean academic license. With freedom there must be
responsibility for statements, speeches, and actions.

Faculty members are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication
of the results, subject to the adequate performance of their other academic
duties. Research for pecuniary return should be based upon an understanding
with the authorities of the university. The legitimate exercise of academic
freedom and freedom of speech shall not constitute grounds for termination.

Faculty members are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their
subject, but they must be careful not to introduce into their teaching any
controversial matter that has no relation to the classroom subject.


Does anyone else find this as nauseating as I do?  Shelboo obviously thinks academic freedom means something like the right to tell patrons that this paint will stick on plaster, but not on teflon.  And his narrow understanding is part and parcel of the board's declaration, which cannot let more than a space between sentences go by without reminding us that "academic freedom" does not constitute "license" to speak irresponsibly. 


None of these people gets it.  Academic freedom emphatically includes the right (and obligation) to provide a critique of the institution's structure, policies, and day-to- day procedures.  Without such a critique, you get, well, USM as it currently exists.


Also interesting that the quoted section conspicuously mentions "research for pecuniary gain."  In Shelboo's case, who has been heard to boast that he banks $1,000,000 a year in consulting fees, one supposes he asked himself (one of the "authorities of the university") whether it was ok to carry on this external business and found himself agreeable to allowing himself to do so.  Some might argue that his preoccupation with amassing wealth, however, did compromise the "adequate performance of ...[his] other academic [or 'administrative'] duties."


We can't back off on the academic freedom issue, folks. It's central to every other problem that besets us.






__________________
Invictus

Date:
Permalink Closed

quote:
Originally posted by: Parser
"We can't back off on the academic freedom issue, folks. It's central to every other problem that besets us.
"


As an outside observer (but not the Outside Observer), it's easy for me to agree with this. But I do.

But this is the long-standing schism between faculty & administration everywhere: administration wants a very narrow "inside the classroom" interpretation of academic freedom, while faculty asserts that academic freedom does include the responsibility to speak out on broader institutional issues.

The AAUP's 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, though, tends to lean toward the Shelboo interpretation quite a bit. That's open to discussion, of course, but statements like:

Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, but they should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to their subject.


... and ...

College and university teachers are citizens, members of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. As scholars and educational officers, they should remember that the public may judge their profession and their institution by their utterances. Hence they should at all times be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the institution.


... tend to go with the narrow "administrative" point-of-view, IMHO.

Comments from insiders?

__________________
Emma

Date:
Permalink Closed


Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, but they should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to their subject.
... and ...
College and university teachers are citizens, members of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. As scholars and educational officers, they should remember that the public may judge their profession and their institution by their utterances. Hence they should at all times be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the institution.


Speaking from the point of view of a person in Liberal Arts, I think that everyone who has spoken out publicly against SFT has followed those guidelines.  I think everyone knows that public judgement will follow, and I believe that accuracy has occured. Unlike SFT, no one has spoken for the institution itself. SFT went from faculty member to President (not CEO) and it appears to me that he should be following this same set of rules as well - he's truly failed on the accuracy level and shows no respect for the opinions of others when they don't agree with him. The firing of G & S shows his complete lack of restraint.



__________________
First Ant at the Picnic

Date:
Permalink Closed


quote:




Originally posted by: Invictus
" As an outside observer (but not the Outside Observer), it's easy for me to agree with this. But I do. But this is the long-standing schism between faculty & administration everywhere: administration wants a very narrow "inside the classroom" interpretation of academic freedom, while faculty asserts that academic freedom does include the responsibility to speak out on broader institutional issues. . . . . ."


As you point out, Invictus, the 1940 AAUP Statement presents a very narrow view of academic freedom. More recent AAUP statements stress the importance of faculty participation in university governance because administrative decisions have an effect on the educational experience of students, and on research conducted by the faculty.


For instance, the following excerpt from the more recent AAUP Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities stresses the importance of faculty involvement in general educational policy:


B. Determination of General Educational Policy


The general educational policy, i.e., the objectives of an institution and the nature, range, and pace of its efforts, is shaped by the institutional charter or by law, by tradition and historical development, by the present needs of the community of the institution, and by the professional aspirations and standards of those directly involved in its work. Every board will wish to go beyond its formal trustee obligation to conserve the accomplishment of the past and to engage seriously with the future; every faculty will seek to conduct an operation worthy of scholarly standards of learning; every administrative officer will strive to meet his or her charge and to attain the goals of the institution. The interests of all are coordinate and related, and unilateral effort can lead to confusion or conflict. Essential to a solution is a reasonably explicit statement on general educational policy. Operating responsibility and authority, and procedures for continuing review, should be clearly defined in official regulations.


When an educational goal has been established, it becomes the responsibility primarily of the faculty to determine the appropriate curriculum and procedures of student instruction.


Special considerations may require particular accommodations: (1) a publicly supported institution may be regulated by statutory provisions, and (2) a church-controlled institution may be limited by its charter or bylaws. When such external requirements influence course content and the manner of instruction or research, they impair the educational effectiveness of the institution.


Such matters as major changes in the size or composition of the student body and the relative emphasis to be given to the various elements of the educational and research program should involve participation of governing board, administration, and faculty prior to final decision.


This more recent AAUP statement clearly supports the involvement of faculty in univerity decision making. Faculty members have a right to comment on administrative decisions which have an impact on the educational experience of students. Such faculty imput should occur prior to -- not after -- the administrative decision is made. A case in point is the recent university reorganization which was evidently announced as a fait accompli. We now know this recorganization has had a substantial effect upon the educational experience in disciplines such as nursing, criminal justice, and fine arts, to name only three.


By extension, faculty members also have the right to comment on the qualifications and performance of administrators. Within this context, the investigation by Professor Stringer and, by the Faculty Senate, of a USM administrator's credentials, was totally legitimate. Normally, such an evaluation would occur prior to the employment of the administrator and as part of a national search.  



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