I figured he had to be pretty sick to miss graduation. He hasn't looked too good in a while.

I have no sympathy for Shelby Thames. But I watched two people die of respiratory failure, and I don't wish that experience on anybody, even him. I hope he recovers and lives long enough to be exposed for what he is.

sorry but wrote:

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I'm suing him. He'd better stay alive.

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From H.A.:

"Provost Jay Grimes presided over the ceremonies and conferred degrees in place of President Shelby Thames, who will miss all three commencements as he recovers from an upper respiratory illness, according to a university press release."

Is he really sick or does he know the gig's up?

Cossack wrote:

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A combination of stress and anger can make you sick particularly.

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So true. Welcome to our wurl', SFT.

Shadows and Whispers: Power Politics Inside the Dome from Shelby to Grimes to Whom

From 2002-2006 the tired rule of Shelby Thames to the dynamic, but short reign of Jay Grimes, then gave way to the last gasp of the old guard under . . .

Invictus wrote:

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Let's not forget that until our present self-absorbed baby boomer generation began to watch its collective hairlines & gumlines receded, a person of SFT's age would have been called "elderly." He is very close to the median life expectancy for humans in developed countries. Reportedly, he has had health problems in the past. And as Cossack indicates, stress & suppressed anger are not conducive to glowing good health, either. That said, I do hope Dr. Thames is only "minorly" ill. Nobody wishes serious illness or infirmity on anyone around here... I have heard that Dr. Grimes did quite well with commencement.

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The early commencement was a more dignified and efficient affair with Jay at the helm. Jay, however, continues to make some poor decisions--and I think these are a continuing function of his inability to manage Shelby. For example, there were a few T&P decisions in my college that were  denied and kicked back to the college advisory board for re-consideration-whatever that means in the grand scheme of things. At least one was a unanimous yes vote all the way up the line til it hit Jay's desk and SFT had his input. I hope that Jay does the right thing ultimately...

I am embarassed to say that I have had passing thoughts of ill will for SFT--not of vengence as much as anything to get this guy out of the batter's box. But I do have a cautionary tale about this. CN, a good friend and a USM white hat, used to say "What USM needs is a few well placed heart attacks." Then CN's heart attacked him. One must be careful about what one wishes for...     

Is there any chance at all that a serious illness will humble or soften SFT and/or make him consider resigning/retiring sooner so that he can enjoy more time with his family? It would be nice if the latter happened.

I doubt it. He appears to enjoy making other folks miserable. Illness could increase the time he spends on the job, which could leave some of the decision making to Grimes. Since Grimes has been a nonindenity for a long time, there is not much of a track record to look at. A faculty member at the Gulf Coast Lab indicated the he was thought of as an empty suit.

donald wrote:

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"I have heard that Dr. Grimes did quite well with commencement. "Really?  How hard can it be to read from a script?

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Thames never had a problem "reading from a script", per se. It was always more a question of what the script was about. Thames always acted like he had the leading role in some film version of Thomas More's Utopia when in fact he was Big Brother in Orwell's 1984.

 

Who is presiding over the budget hearings?

I wish him a full recover AFTER he suffers as much misery as he's caused thousands of students, faculty, alums, and townspeople.

An ill wind wrote:

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I wish him a full recover AFTER he suffers as much misery as he's caused thousands of students, faculty, alums, and townspeople.

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I suggest we refrain from this sort of thing. We'd all like to see an early retirement, but remember what other posters have said about wishing ill to other people.

Invictus wrote:

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"Thames, 69, was admitted to Wesley Medical Center on Monday afternoon..." Wasn't he 67 when he became president 5 years ago?

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In attempting to find an answer to this question, I came across the following very interesting article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Southern_Mississippi

 

In the second article, the age is consistent. Not that I care.
"The secret of youth is to pick an age you like and stick with it."

The wikipedia article is fascinating. Different sections appear to have been written by different people. And there's world-class again. Quickly skimming the entry for Harvard University, I did not see the phrase "world-class" used a single time, although the words "oldest" and "largest" were used several times in reference to such things as libraries and endowments.

(The first time I remember seeing the phrase "world-class" was in reference to a class of overseas airline service.)