News From F.S. Listserv - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Jun 6, 2006

News From F.S. Listserv

Date: Jun 6, 2006

From USMmail:

SUBJECT: Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) Gulf Coast Community Meeting

DATE: June 6, 2006

This is a university-wide communication to update the students, faculty and
staff about matters of interest to the Southern Miss family.

WHAT

Today, Dr. Thomas Meredith, commissioner for the IHL, conducted two meetings
with Gulf Coast leaders at the Jefferson Davis campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Gulfport. The purpose of the meetings was to communicate
to coastal leaders, while listening to feedback, future location(s) of Southern Miss on the Gulf Coast following the destruction incurred by Hurricane Katrina.

WHO

Dr. Meredith facilitated the meetings. The following IHL Board members were
present: immediate past president Virginia Shanteau Newton and board members
Roy Estess, Ed Blakeslee and Thomas Colbert. Because there was not a quorum
of board members, no public notice of this meeting was required. Attending from Southern Miss was Dr. Shelby F. Thames, president, and Dr. Pat Joachim,
associate provost.

Coastal leaders were invited to attend the 10:30 a.m. meeting. The 1:30 p.m.
meeting was predominantly attended by local government officials.

WHAT

- After introductions, there was an announcement from the University of
Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). The medical center will affect an agreement with Keesler Air Force Base to provide clinical training for Air Force
physicians. They currently have 100 physician slots and now will work together
to maintain and ultimately expand medical education at the Keesler site.
- Next, Dr. Thames gave an overview of Southern Miss operations on the coast.
seven locations - as well as the damage sustained in the hurricane. Dr. Thames
stated the University's commitment to the Gulf Coast, praised our faculty and
teaching excellence, and reiterated our leadership in the study of the marine
and ocean sciences and in other areas of distinctive competence that are
relevant to the coast. Prior to the storm, 64 degree programs were offered on
the coast. Today we offer 67, exemplifying our commitment to growth and presence on the Gulf Coast.
- Next, Dr. Meredith discussed the J.L Scott facility. Totally destroyed, it hasnow been leveled and is being hauled away. The IHL has one year from Katrina to decide the use of the property or it reverts to other ownership. In the interim,the Isle of Capri has leased the property to be used for parking. The cost to
build a new J.L. Scott facility is estimated at $40 million. Individuals from
Biloxi expressed a desire to have it rebuilt in conjunction with other museums
and cultural centers near the site. But funding sources for this are unknown at this time, stated Meredith.

GULF PARK

- Dr. Meredith announced the IHL Board's decision to remain at the Gulf Park
location. Gulf Park will remain a viable entity in the Southern Miss approach todeliver higher education to the Gulf Coast.
- Several of the existing buildings are "salvageable" and three other
buildings will probably be designated as "historic" buildings, thereby requiringmassive amounts of dollars, as Meredith said, to repair them to a state of use.
- The IHL Board also announced its intent to purchase property for an additionalcampus, approximately 100 to 150 acres. With the projected growth of the Gulf
Coast in the next decade, Meredith commented that he didn't want to look back in10 years and regret not having facilities large enough to support the kind of
growth projected for the coast and for Southern Miss.
- More property at the interim Gulfport location has already been purchased by
Southern Miss to accommodate additional parking, offices and classrooms. Even
with this intent to move forward on the coast, Meredith noted, it may be up to
five years in the current location before new facilities would be completed.
- Efforts are underway currently with FEMA and insurance companies to collect
dollars on the damaged sites. Regardless of these efforts, it will take
considerable additional funding for renovation at Gulf Park as well as for an
additional campus.

NOTES

- Dr. Meredith was strong and clear in his intent to have Southern Miss be the
university to continue to serve the coastal counties. He praised the
administration, staff and faculty for their efforts following the hurricane and noted that it was a remarkable feat to be back in class following a disaster of this magnitude.
- Board members, and specifically Virginia Shanteau Newton, stated the IHL's
unwavering support for higher education for the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Her
comments were empathetic and clear.
- State legislators remarked repeatedly their support of Southern Miss and
people of the Gulf Coast, insuring the delivery of higher education.
- The overall tone of the meeting was one of open exchange and communication.

The IHL will convene its regularly scheduled meeting next Wednesday prior to a
scheduled retreat.

Date: Jun 7, 2006

Date: Tue, 06 Jun 2006 17:48:41 -0500
From: "William (Bill) Powell" <william.powell@usm.edu
To: Faculty Senate <facsen@usm.edu

Fellow Senators,

Just back from the IHL-sponsored meetings on the future of higher ed on
the coast. The morning meeting was attended by community leaders, with
about 30 people in attendance including Commissioner Meredith, four Board
members (Newton, Blakeslee, Estes & Colbert), Dr. Thames, GC Associate
Provost Joachim, PR director Jepson, some other USM & IHL staff, Doug
Bristol (chair of the GC Faculty Council) and me. The afternoon session
was for elected leaders, with about 27 folks in the room, about half of
whom were the politicos, with the others being the "also's listed above,
plus Pat Smith.

The basic info, pending approval at the Board retreat next week:
     * USM to remain at Gulf Park (but, see below), though the breadth of
  offerings, buildings, etc. is yet to be determined. Some "limitations"
  may be result if and when the older buildings at Gulf Park are declared
  historic structures.
         * The AEC classroom building and the Library could be brought back
  online quickly, though later I heard that August 2007 would be the target date
         * Additional buildings around the Garden Park Hospital facility
  have been purchased by the Foundation and will be used as office space
  for faculty and additional classrooms.
     * The Board will explore an additional, 100-150 acre site for another
  campus to meet the expected growth in higher ed demands on the coast. In
  referring to this site in the morning session, the term "university
  center" was used, though it was reiterated that USM would be the managing
  institution. Other discussion suggested that the idea would be that other
  institutions could be called in to fill discipline gaps, e.g. offering
  engineering courses. USM would be responsible for 'brokering in' other
  institutions to meet needs that it cannot cover.
         * One interesting comment by Meredith was that this would be a
  state-wide policy for all sites off the main campus of a university. He
  specifically mentioned there would be "no more silos, territory" for the
  state universities.
         * It will be difficult to have a new campus up and running in less
  than five years.
         * Meredith and Board members believe that the Legislature will
  recognize the needs for higher education on the Coast and will make the
  necessary funds available (despite the words of one legislator, according
  to Meredith, that "it would be easier to flush a cat down a toilet than
  to fund a new campus.'')
         * The division of responsibilities and offerings between Gulf Park
  and the new site has yet to be determined.
     * Both Board members and Dr. Meredith were reiterated the Board's
  strong commitment to the Coast on several occasions, and Dr. Thames spoke
  of similar commitment on the part of USM.
     * The lead-in announcement concerned an agreement between the
  University of Mississippi Medical Center and the Keesler Air Force Base
  Hospital for UMMC to take over the administrative responsibility for the
  medical training programs at Keesler.

I apologize for the ragged prose, but I wanted to get this information out
rapidly. Reporters were at the morning session from the Sun Herald, WDAM,
WLOX and Clarion Ledger (Richard Lake stayed for the afternoon session
too; Rachel Leifer of the HA is on vacation, I believe).

More discussion at the Senate meeting this Friday at 2 PM in Cook Library
123. Bill
--
William (Bill) Powell, PhD
President, USM Faculty Senate
The University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, MS 39406

Date: Jun 7, 2006

"Other discussion suggested that the idea would be that other
  institutions could be called in to fill discipline gaps, e.g. offering
  engineering courses. USM would be responsible for 'brokering in' other
  institutions to meet needs that it cannot cover.

* One interesting comment by Meredith was that this would be a
  state-wide policy for all sites off the main campus of a university. He
  specifically mentioned there would be "no more silos, territory" for the
  state universities."

This seems to open the door for all other universities to get a foothold on the Coast. Do you think this will further weaken USM on the Coast?

Date: Jun 7, 2006

In the meantime, let's trash our Distance Education programs, which could really help fill in some gaps here.

Date: Jun 7, 2006

LeftASAP wrote:

This seems to open the door for all other universities to get a foothold on the Coast. Do you think this will further weaken USM on the Coast?

I do not think that it would further weaken USM on the Coast. Back during the Fleming administration & the infamous lawsuit about Gulf Park expansion, survey after survey of bidness'n'industry identified engineering (as opposed to "engineering technology") as a needed major field on the Coast. This need could only be met by MSU and/or UM. Likewise, the affiliation between UMC and Keesler for physician training could only be met by UMC.

The question is how well the "universities center concept" sat with the hardcore Coast 21ians like Schloegel & Peresich. They were adamantly opposed to it during the Fleming era hoo-hah. What they want is a "Gulf States University" with its own football team. They could care less about USM, MGCCC, MSU, or UM.

Date: Jun 7, 2006

Invictus wrote:

Back during the Fleming administration & the infamous lawsuit about Gulf Park expansion,

Can anyone provide further info about the lawsuit? Who were the parties; what was it all about? Thanks.

Date: Jun 7, 2006

Just curious wrote:

Can anyone provide further info about the lawsuit? Who were the parties; what was it all about? Thanks.

I am working entirely from memory -- and if it's really important, I can go find the particulars -- but basically a group representing the Mississippi community/junior college "interalumni" association filed suit against IHL to prevent USM-Gulf Park from offering lower division courses in competition with MGCCC. This group was spearheaded by then-SBCJC executive director Olon Ray & MGCCC was not a party to the suit. Their contention was that a university offering lower division classes was a "duplication of effort" & would irreparably harm the community college.

When the suit was finally resolved in favor of USM, MGCCC took off on an unprecedented period of enrollment growth, basically deep-sixxing the major claim of the plaintiffs in the suit. And what's good for the goose being equally good for the gander, the resolution of the suit opened the door for PRCC to offer university-transfer courses at their Hattiesburg center. Similar things happened in the Starkville & Oxford areas.