Ole Miss gearing up for Coast takeover? - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Apr 21, 2006

Ole Miss gearing up for Coast takeover?

Date: Apr 21, 2006

magellan wrote:

There has been plenty of talk about Ole Miss taking over higher ed on the coast. This could be a sign of it: OM just hired Tanya Reutzler and Jim Taylor, two Tourism Management gurus that departed from USM after last year (check babbs' lists).

Interesting. There's been talk between Khayat and local notables on the coast for some time, as there is generally great unhappiness among local leaders with USM's dysfunctional committment to the Gulf Coast operation, especially since SFT forced out the very popular and effective Jim Williams in 2002.

Nothing like a little competition. Coast faculty could become Ole Miss faculty. Good for them.

Date: Apr 21, 2006

I seriously doubt that Ole Miss would bank on a Tourism program as its entry to the coast. That's not what Ole Miss is all about.

Date: Apr 22, 2006

magellan wrote:

There has been plenty of talk about Ole Miss taking over higher ed on the coast. This could be a sign of it: OM just hired Tanya Reutzler and Jim Taylor, two Tourism Management gurus that departed from USM after last year (check babbs' lists).

That could be the first toe hold on the Coast. Build a big building for a little - at first - program, then decide other degree programs could be offered, just to utilize the space. That would respond to one continuous criticism of Ole miss and that is they have nothing for the biggest and fastest growing part of the state. MS State wanted it too, but Ole Miss has already ended their thoughts of the Coast; the final nail on that was State's new president.

Date: Apr 23, 2006

Didn't Tom Meredith recently say that USM will continue to be the primary education provider for the gulfcoast for years to come?

Date: Apr 23, 2006

Mr. Meredith's statement has about as much credibility as "the check's in the mail." Years could mean as few as 2.

Date: Apr 24, 2006

The used car dealers were used by the powers that be (mainly Lawrence Warren and Carl Nicholson) to get rid of Fleming and then Williams. They both fought hard to serve the coast, and they were standing in the path of MSU and OLD Miss getting on the coast. what did them both in is that they stood for USM when OUR OWN PEOPLE COULD NOT HAVE GIVEN A HAPPY DAMN! Maybe we deserve to have our asses kicked for not figuring this out!

Date: Apr 24, 2006

There's been a group of people in Hattiesburg that have always tried to thwart USM investment on the coast. Bobby Chain, Bob Mixon, The Dews Boys, and a few other merchants worked hard behind the scenes to stop us and slow us up. They figured it would move USM south and take away from their handsome profits here in the Burg. So when we headed toward a big effort on the coast in the late 1990s they tried everything they could to head it off. Selfish.

Date: Apr 24, 2006

curt yeomans wrote:

Didn't Tom Meredith recently say that USM will continue to be the primary education provider for the gulfcoast for years to come?

Yep, he said that. But he had not checked in with Khayat when he said it. So we might be looking at a new reality now that he's got the word from the boys up north. Who trusts Meredith anyway? He had his butt tossed out of Georgia. We got him on the rebound, like most things in Mississippi.

Date: Apr 24, 2006

Fit2betied wrote:

There's been a group of people in Hattiesburg that have always tried to thwart USM investment on the coast. Bobby Chain, Bob Mixon, The Dews Boys, and a few other merchants worked hard behind the scenes to stop us and slow us up. They figured it would move USM south and take away from their handsome profits here in the Burg. So when we headed toward a big effort on the coast in the late 1990s they tried everything they could to head it off. Selfish.

That which "we" worked so hard to give away surely will be taken by someone. That someone happens to be Ole Miss in this situation.