daily rumor mill #39 - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Jun 29, 2004

daily rumor mill #39

Date: Jun 29, 2004

Carl N. worked very hard in his 12 years on the IHL Board to bolster MSU and tear down USM. He would do anything to see us fail. He really hates USM, especially the Gulf Coast faculty. He was vengeful in his pursuit of Horace Fleming and he loves what SFT is doing to USM.

I do hope that some of this does come out in a court of law, under oath and the role CN played in all of this is finally exposed.

When the smoke settles on all of this, I think the IHL will have to operate under a new, improved set of guidelines.

Date: Jun 29, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Payback
"Carl N. worked very hard in his 12 years on the IHL Board to bolster MSU and tear down USM. He would do anything to see us fail. He really hates USM, especially the Gulf Coast faculty. He was vengeful in his pursuit of Horace Fleming and he loves what SFT is doing to USM. I do hope that some of this does come out in a court of law, under oath and the role CN played in all of this is finally exposed. When the smoke settles on all of this, I think the IHL will have to operate under a new, improved set of guidelines."

MS really needs a system where each school has its own trustees/board.

Date: Jun 30, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: elliott

"MS really needs a system where each school has its own trustees/board."

If you will recall, elliott, that was Delta Dawn's Plan A.

Date: Jun 30, 2004

Anybody seen a letter with a handwritten note that has been discretely circulating around CBED? The handwritten note seems to show that a few years ago Nicholson fixed something else at the IHL in order to close down a faculty inquiry about how money was handled at CBED. What's really scary is that the note is in the handwritting of the person who brokered or at least was a go-between on the fix.

quote:
Originally posted by: gurunuburg
"2. The big news of the day is the Pickering suit. It seems from reading this board that documents are already moving around the community tonight. Well, we had our advance copy early this morning. We'll let some of the other posters keep you up-to-date on this one. Will report what they leave out I guess.
nbsp; Thanks artsy."

Date: Jun 30, 2004

an electronic version was forwarded my way. looks prety damning.

Date: Jun 30, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: broker
"an electronic version was forwarded my way. looks prety damning."

I saw the letter too. My question is why the guy didn't sue.

Date: Jun 30, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: First Ant at the Picnic
"If you will recall, elliott, that was Delta Dawn's Plan A. "

It works pretty well for Mississippi's community colleges. Mississippi is respected nationally for its junior college "system," even though each college has its own independent local board of trustees. The state board basically runs the funding system, which has to be run very equitably using a system-wide formula method, but the local boards approve the budgets, set policy, hire-fire, and all that.

A local board can spend a LOT more time concentrating on the needs of "their" institution that a system-wide board like IHL can spend on an individual university.

Obviously, a local board of trustees protects against a trustee who wants to "advance" his favorite institution by dragging down others.

Date: Jun 30, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Invictus
" It works pretty well for Mississippi's community colleges. Mississippi is respected nationally for its junior college "system," even though each college has its own independent local board of trustees. The state board basically runs the funding system, which has to be run very equitably using a system-wide formula method, but the local boards approve the budgets, set policy, hire-fire, and all that. A local board can spend a LOT more time concentrating on the needs of "their" institution that a system-wide board like IHL can spend on an individual university. Obviously, a local board of trustees protects against a trustee who wants to "advance" his favorite institution by dragging down others. "

I am pleased to see that there is at least a modicum of support for Plan A, which was my first choice to begin with. A new governance system for Mississippi's institutions of higher learning is definitely needed. What exists now is not working. The IHL appears to be unwilling to listen, or to change. They completely dropped the ball in the Stringer/Glamser case. Public statements by the IHL President exacerbated an already volitile situation at USM. It appears that some - not all - members are concerned more with the welfare of the school they attended than with the welfare of all of the institutions which they were entrusted to govern. The "local board of trustees" model which works for Mississippi's community colleges, and which works for major universities in other states, is one which I believe all of the other public institutions in Mississippi would support. I can see no reason why it would not be supported by the Governor and by the Legislature. The IHL board members would still be in place, overseeing the entire field, but with circumscribed authority delegated by the Legislature and in the manner which exists in the other states using this model. It would be a win-win situation. All that is needed is a Legislator to prepare and initiate the proper legislation. What an opportunity!

Date: Jun 30, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Delta Dawn
"I am pleased to see that there is at least a modicum of support for Plan A, which was my first choice to begin with. A new governance system for Mississippi's institutions of higher learning is definitely needed. What exists now is not working. The IHL appears to be unwilling to listen, or to change. They completely dropped the ball in the Stringer/Glamser case. Public statements by the IHL President exacerbated an already volitile situation at USM. It appears that some - not all - members are concerned more with the welfare of the school they attended than with the welfare of all of the institutions which they were entrusted to govern. The "local board of trustees" model which works for Mississippi's community colleges, and which works for major universities in other states, is one which I believe all of the other public institutions in Mississippi would support. I can see no reason why it would not be supported by the Governor and by the Legislature. The IHL board members would still be in place, overseeing the entire field, but with circumscribed authority delegated by the Legislature and in the manner which exists in the other states using this model. It would be a win-win situation. All that is needed is a Legislator to prepare and initiate the proper legislation. What an opportunity!"

USM Sympathizer,

A large task but the sort of worthy cause and specific action plan you were looking for?

YFC

Date: Jun 30, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Delta Dawn
"A new governance system for Mississippi's institutions of higher learning is definitely needed. What exists now is not working."

A system of separate boards of trustees with a central, limited statewide advisory board would be beneficial to every institution in the state. The current set-up invites trustees to favor "their" school at the expense of others. Separate boards would invite trustees only to support "their" school.

All that said, it will never happen, because politically Mississippi is not known for change. The status quo is by definition "better" than any alternative in this state, no matter how ineffective the status quo may be.

Date: Jun 30, 2004

I'm not so sure you would really fare better with multiple boards. In my state, schools are under one of two Boards of Regents (land grants vs. others). Then their is a governing board of State Regnents to whom the two boards answer. The one benefit we have is that their is a chancellor of the State Board who is from the education community. Talk about duplicate administration, we've got it in spades. I can't imagine a separate governing board for each institution.

In my opinion USM suffers at the hands of the two 'main' universities (Ole Miss with the Med School/Law School and MSU with all the Ag connections). Obviously USM has made lots of hey with satellite campuses and the Gulf Coast. I just can't imagine separate boards really changing the landscape appreciably for you. However, a state Chancellor, with an academic background (preferably from out of state) might save you from the Klumb's of the world.