daily rumor mill #50 - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Jul 9, 2004

daily rumor mill #50

Date: Jul 10, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by: gurunuburg
"1. Word is now that all colleges have finalized their merit raise lists. Announcements should be coming next week. Rumors are already swirling that the fallout will be tremendous (again).

As soon as raises come out, we need an FOIA request for name, college affiliation, salary as of 6/30/04 and raise amount as of 7/1/04.This will not only tell us who got a raise and who didn't, but a quick computation will show the percentage given to each college and also the total amount awarded. I expect every college wasn't allowed to award its full 4%.

Date: Jul 10, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: gurunuburg
"5. gorod is reporting that the Innovation Park is already being written off by SFT & Co, and that the ADP is not going to carry the ball. "

Another plan fizzling out. Like nursing moving to the old Albertson's building. Like the VA hospital partnership. Like enrollment going to 20,000. Has SFT accomplished anything (other than, of course, creating a world-class fiasco by demolishing the original nine colleges and packing the dome with sychophants) that wasn't in motion before he ascended the throne? It's just amazing to compare how very much he says with how very little he does...

Date: Jul 10, 2004

not happy -- save yourself some time. salary listings are openly available in the usm budget. in the library.

Date: Jul 10, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by: gurunuburg
"1. Word is now that all colleges have finalized their merit raise lists. Announcements should be coming next week. Rumors are already swirling that the fallout will be tremendous (again). Thanks gorod and grapevine.

Not true. I know CoST has not been finalized.

Date: Jul 10, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: sport
"not happy -- save yourself some time. salary listings are openly available in the usm budget. in the library."

We keep re-hashing the same issues. The raise fiasco is not about what individuals get what percent raise. Many raise recipients are deserving. FireShelby deleted the original thread early last spring when it began picking apart individuals.

The controversy is, or should be, about a flawed process and it is about deceit. It is about people at the top not being accountable for their actions. Sport is correct that the raise information is available in the library - obtaining it is not an appropriate use of Open Document Requests. A more appropriate use of ODRs is to compare recommendations by Chairs, Deans, and Provosts to the raise recipients. How the recipients differ from the recommendations, where decisions were made, and who is willing to stand behind the decisions is the key to exposing a ridiculous process.

There will always be philosophical disagreement about merit versus across the board, percentage versus flat amount, peer versus administrative review, value versus equity, and internal versus external considerations. These are problems that every institution faces and the USM system needs its raise system overhauled and should look to best practices at other universities for guidance in its revisions. These are normal governance issues and tensions in academic institutions, however.

What is not normal is that USM, under Shelby Thames, is mismanaging the raise process so badly that the only result is additional discontent among the faculty, increased infighting at the department and college level and a President who, after causing the problems in the first place, will win the PR campaign by saying "See, I do everything but simply can't make this malcontented faculty happy."

The bad decisions, the lies and the cover-up are more important than the raises...watch for them...again.

Date: Jul 10, 2004

Malcontent -I agree with you 100% - thank you for this post.

No Quarter!