daily rumor mill #43 - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Jul 2, 2004

daily rumor mill #43

Date: Jul 2, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: gurunuburg
"1. Just got a thick package from envelope. It seems something's amiss with the CBED MIDAS recipients. One was an ABD until about three weeks ago, having just gotten a PhD from USM as is now on USM's faculty. What a great signing bonus (about $20K). It seems another has alot of "fake" grants that look more like pro bono work than anything else.
"

OK. Would somebody care to explain the "we don't hire our own graduates" in-breeding rule again?

USM hires another faculty member with a USM doctorate & Invictus may just be able to get the court to define "class action" for him.

Not, of course, that Invictus cares ever to work for USM...

Date: Jul 2, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Invictus
"

OK. Would somebody care to explain the "we don't hire our own graduates" in-breeding rule again?

USM hires another faculty member with a USM doctorate & Invictus may just be able to get the court to define "class action" for him.

Not, of course, that Invictus cares ever to work for USM..."

Ahem...I hate to say "I told you so," but as I posted on the FS board some weeks ago, my son was ASSURED in 1999(by a very senior USM academic officer, who's still on the job) when trying to decide between doctoral programs at USM and Ole Miss, that he'd have a faculty position waiting for him at USM upon completion of his PhD, if he chose to remain in Hattiesburg. Guaranteed. Some took exception to my anecdote, but in the good-old-boy environ at USM, I don't find it all that shocking, and I'm stickin' to my story. By the way, he ultimately chose not to remain in the Burg. Bully for him.

AE

Date: Jul 2, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: gurunuburg
"1. Just got a thick package from envelope. It seems something's amiss with the CBED MIDAS recipients. One was an ABD until about three weeks ago, having just gotten a PhD from USM as is now on USM's faculty. What a great signing bonus (about $20K). It seems another has alot of "fake" grants that look more like pro bono work than anything else."

The ABD/now PhD from USM IDV, begun by TH, originally advised by CG (protege of AD), run by KM (ex-student of SFT), is an assistant prof in the ED, specializing in WFD, overseen by CG, still run by KM, all in HD's palace in CBED?

By golly, I think I get it!

Date: Jul 2, 2004

I know for certain that when the school of music had searches this year, Provost Hudson told one of the committees that it is USM's policy not to hire its own graduates--unless it was someone in a field where qualified people are scarce (Nursing, etc.) or in the case that someone went away and developed an international reputation. Someone high up in music told me that he later denied this (rumor?), but people on the committee have it in writing.

Date: Jul 2, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by: Austin Eagle
". . . my son was ASSURED in 1999(by a very senior USM academic officer, who's still on the job) when trying to decide between doctoral programs at USM and Ole Miss, that he'd have a faculty position waiting for him at USM upon completion of his PhD, if he chose to remain in Hattiesburg.

I suppose it would be too much to ask in what department. So I won't ask. But I'd sure like to know.

Date: Jul 2, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Grey Poupon
""

Grey,

English was the department. The "sales pitch" to which I refer was made by an individual who was, at the time, Dean of another college (not Liberal Arts), subsequently elevated to a higher level post. This didn't seem as peculiar as it now sounds; he intimated that cultivating relationships with the right people, such as himself, could surmount any non-USM hiring policy in force.

AE

Date: Jul 2, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Austin Eagle
" Grey, English was the department. The "sales pitch" to which I refer was made by an individual who was, at the time, Dean of another college (not Liberal Arts), subsequently elevated to a higher level post. This didn't seem as peculiar as it now sounds; he intimated that cultivating relationships with the right people, such as himself, could surmount any non-USM hiring policy in force. AE"

Thanks, AE. I really should not have raised the question. The reason I was curious is that I have witnessed entirely too many attempts to inappropriately influence graduate student admissions at USM. A good department chair, when a negative departmental-level admissions recommendation is overturned by forces outside the department, would clean the paperclips out of his or her desk and tell the authorities that be to find themselves another department chair. Thanks again for your response. As I said, I should not have asked, but the situation you described conjured up some very unpleasant memories.

Date: Jul 3, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Grey Poupon
"Thanks, AE. I really should not have raised the question. The reason I was curious is that I have witnessed entirely too many attempts to inappropriately influence graduate student admissions at USM. A good department chair, when a negative departmental-level admissions recommendation is overturned by forces outside the department, would clean the paperclips out of his or her desk and tell the authorities that be to find themselves another department chair. Thanks again for your response. As I said, I should not have asked, but the situation you described conjured up some very unpleasant memories."

GP, I don't think the situation you describe above is what happened in AE's son's case. AE can speak to this if he wants, but from reading his post, it sounded to me like his son had already been accepted into the English grad program, but was then "promised" this job at USM by someone from outside the dept.

Just wanted to clarify this point.

Date: Jul 3, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: truth4usm/AH
"
GP, I don't think the situation you describe above is what happened in AE's son's case. AE can speak to this if he wants, but from reading his post, it sounded to me like his son had already been accepted into the English grad program, but was then "promised" this job at USM by someone from outside the dept.
Just wanted to clarify this point."

Truth,

Your interpretation is exactly correct. I apologize for not having been more precise. Let me clarify. My son had been accepted by several English PhD programs. At the time he was interested in returning to Mississippi, and had narrowed his choices to USM and Ole Miss. The Ole Miss offer was superior from an economic perspective, but he was already familiar with the English Dept. faculty at USM and was particularly interested in studying with Drs. Polk and Stringer. He sought counsel from the aforementioned USM Dean, with whom he was acquainted via an off-campus program. In attempting to sway him to accept the USM offer, he was advised that upon completion of the PhD program, a teaching position at USM, and the opportunity to teach in the Summer Abroad programs, would be a "slam dunk", if he wished to join the faculty. I am not representing that the individual who made the assertion concerning the faculty post was capable of making a position available, merely that he claimed, with some authority, to have that power. I hope this makes more sense than my initial post.

AE

Date: Jul 3, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Austin Eagle
" Truth, Your interpretation is exactly correct. I apologize for not having been more precise. Let me clarify. My son had been accepted by several English PhD programs. At the time he was interested in returning to Mississippi, and had narrowed his choices to USM and Ole Miss. The Ole Miss offer was superior from an economic perspective, but he was already familiar with the English Dept. faculty at USM and was particularly interested in studying with Drs. Polk and Stringer. He sought counsel from the aforementioned USM Dean, with whom he was acquainted via an off-campus program. In attempting to sway him to accept the USM offer, he was advised that upon completion of the PhD program, a teaching position at USM, and the opportunity to teach in the Summer Abroad programs, would be a "slam dunk", if he wished to join the faculty. I am not representing that the individual who made the assertion concerning the faculty post was capable of making a position available, merely that he claimed, with some authority, to have that power. I hope this makes more sense than my initial post. AE"

Why are we beating around the bush here, so Uncle Tim tried to buy your son's loyalty too? No embarassment to that...he's done it to some of the best on campus, some of the worst too, but that only shows that he's not selective in any of his shady dealings. It will serve Tim's career well to get some experience outside of USM. Professionally speaking, he would probably be better off getting some Provost's experience at a better school rather than moving to a President's job at a place like UHV but, either way, I hope he will gain some valuable lessons about doing the right things for the right reasons.

Date: Jul 3, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: truth4usm/AH
" GP, I don't think the situation you describe above is what happened in AE's son's case.

Thanks for trying to clarify this AE's posting,Truth, but I knew precisely what AE was describing - the promise/assurance by a high-level administrator that, under certain conditions, one would get a faculty appointment at USM. I was simply trying to make the point that such shennanigans also extended to graduate student admissions - inappropriate outside influence even when the student had been rejected by the departmental admissions committee. I, for one, could not tolerate such an environment.

Date: Jul 3, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Grey Poupon
"Thanks for trying to clarify this AE's posting,Truth, but I knew precisely what AE was describing - the promise/assurance by a high-level administrator that, under certain conditions, one would get a faculty appointment at USM. I was simply trying to make the point that such shennanigans also extended to graduate student admissions - inappropriate outside influence even when the student had been rejected by the departmental admissions committee. I, for one, could not tolerate such an environment. "

Right, GP, that's what I thought, but I wanted to make sure that people didn't misconstrue your post to mean that the English dept. chair at the time was complicit in this arrangement. That's all. Thanks for the clarification everyone.