This confirms another sort of scenario that I have been hearing from some administrators and staffers: that M. Dvorak was forced out at the IHL Board's insistence and that A. Dvorak has virtually no power anymore.  The Board was not happy that M. Dvorak spent most of his time as head of HR trying to save his wife's job - hell, he even lost a reported 20 pounds stressing about it.  SFT apparently was told by the Board that his main problems were the Kentucky Mafia (D, D, & Hanbury) and that if they go then nearly all his problems go.  It is a step in the right direction, but will all of SFT's "problems" really disappear?  Not hardly. 

Let's all close our eyes and dream that a SEARCH will take place and a QUALIFIED, GOOD person will be picked to take her place.  Maybe even somebody who has ever done research or written a book or something.

Hell's bells, I've lost more weight than that stressing over the fact that M. Dv. was sitting in HR presiding over all of our personnel and personal records. I would like to know what he's been doing from there or anywhere else to save Angie's job---reading our emails? checking our insurance coverage? analyzing our retirement deductions? finding out who doesn't buy season football tickets? sleeping the morning away? What? What? Whatever it was, he doesn't seem to have been any better at it than he was as HR director. I'm told by reliable sources that he really screwed up big time in several instances.

All 3 of the Ky. Mafia are now gone or on their way out, and Shelby's at least pretending to make nice whether we believe him or not (Not!). Something's happening somewhere, my friends.

 

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Originally posted by: Angeline
"This confirms another sort of scenario that I have been hearing from some administrators and staffers: that M. Dvorak was forced out at the IHL Board's insistence and that A. Dvorak has virtually no power anymore.  The Board was not happy that M. Dvorak spent most of his time as head of HR trying to save his wife's job - hell, he even lost a reported 20 pounds stressing about it.  SFT apparently was told by the Board that his main problems were the Kentucky Mafia (D, D, & Hanbury) and that if they go then nearly all his problems go.  It is a step in the right direction, but will all of SFT's "problems" really disappear?  Not hardly. "

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That would be my guess, for sure.

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Originally posted by: Austin Eagle
" I'll apologize in advance for what may be a naive question. If Mrs. Dr.Dr. Dvorak is employed under an annually renewable contract with USM, and if SFT has been told to show her the door, why is he scrambling to find her another position with an equivalent salary? Why not simply cut her loose when the contract expires and let her fend for herself? There must be a lot more to this than what we outsiders see from afar. AE"

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Originally posted by: Robert Campbell
"Could it be that Mrs. Dr. Dr. Dvorak knows things about Shelby's manner of running that university that he would just as soon not see her publicizing?

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It could be that Mrs. Dr. Dr. Dvorak happens to be politically "well placed" in the state. How else does one get fat salaries running "technology advancement" nonprofits that haven't done a @#$% thing to "advance" technology in the state?

Until Mississippi quits wasting its money paying bloated salaries to self-promoters masquerading as "economic development experts" & starts investing that money in basic job skills training, we're going nowhere with economic development.

<STIFLES URGE TO PONTIFICATE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AD NAUSEUM>

This may be a naive question, but why would the new president of the ADP and the rest of the ADP want Mrs. Dr. Dr. Dvorak who comes with so much bad press? 

Let's not discount the possibility that Dr. Thames -- altruist and educator that he is -- would simply like to enlighten the ADP leadership by sharing the visionary Dr. Dvorak with them.  After all, Philip Halstead, the new ADP president, was described in the Hattiesburg American recently as committed to "transparency" and "shared governance."  What antediluvian nonsense!  Dr. Dvorak can help the benighted Mr. Halstead realize that truly world class organizations are run as blends of Stalinist gulag and Orwellian double-speak.

Watch for news soon on this item...I've got a funny feeling that this one is TRUE!  Angie's going to the ADP, mark my words.

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Originally posted by: Reliable Source
"Yes, this is true.  However, The President was to pay Ms. D. out of the USM Research Foundation, Inc., which is a seperate 501c3 from the USM Foundation.  Her total salary was to be charged to Research, Inc., but The President was too cheap to pay her off with HIS Research, Inc. money and is trying to get ADP to split the cost of HIS "personnel mistake."  Ms. D is in charge of the Research, Inc. foundation.  You can check with the Secretary of State's office and see Don Cotten set it up several years ago.  More later..."

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Reliable Source,

I understand the Research Foundation is a separate entity, but can it really pay part of the salary of someone who doesn't work for the university?

Robert Campbell

Ever notice how many "economic development" agencies are headed up by former elected officials or by folks who have made a livelihood chasing political appointments?

One way to foster economic development would be to close down all the ADPs & other bogus charades & use the money for real-life job training. And in Mississippi, real-life job training means literacy, not high-tech.

Thanks, emma.

Raising the economic condition of Mississippi will not be accomplished by adding a few "outliers" to the right-hand tail of the socio-economic bell curve. It will be accomplished by doing things that will move the median income upward. While those outliers might move the mean a little, making real progress means addressing the bottom of the food chain, not the top.

Which would YOU rather see: 5 more millionaires in Mississippi or 500 fewer people living below the poverty level? Is economic development about making the rich richer or putting more people to work? I believe that the two goals aren't necessarily incompatible: more people working will make the rich richer. But just focussing on the top end of the socio-economic spectrum is going to do very little for a family of 8 living below the poverty level up a dirt road somewhere, trapped by ignorance & illiteracy.

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Originally posted by: Invictus
". . . . Which would YOU rather see: 5 more millionaires in Mississippi or 500 fewer people living below the poverty level?

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You're right, Invictus, we do need to get our priorities straight. First Ant would much prefer to see even one less person living below the poverty line than to create five more millionaires in Mississippi, or anywhere else for that matter. University programs and partnerships should be for public service, not for self service.