USM President Shelby Thames says he had no idea a professor he tried to fire several months ago is taking a job at another school.

English professor Gary Stringer will join the faculty at Texas A&M University on September 1.
Thames suspended Stringer and another professor with pay in March. An April termination hearing was cut short by a financial settlement between the two professors and the school.

Stringer will take with him to Texas a research grant project that he started at USM.

"As you may well remember, any research that comes out of that will have the USM as a byline because it was started here and it was funded by this institution, rather heavily, I might add," Thames says. " So I'm proud for him. I hope he's happy."

The other professor Thames tried to fire, Frank Glamser, confirmed his retirement on Monday. He had taught at the school 24 years.