Thames will concentrate on USM Gulf Park Campus - USM Forum -- Message Board

Southern Belle · Status: Offline

Thames will concentrate on USM Gulf Park Campus

Reporter · Status: Offline

Rest of story:
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060810/NEWS01/608100315/1002

"Thames has been criticized for several changes made during his tenure including reducing the number university colleges from nine to five. Some faculty have complained they were ignored in the restructuring process.

Thames decision to terminate two tenured professors also rocked the university. The professors and the university reached a settlement in that case after weeks of unrest.

But the polymer scientist said he has no regrets about his presidency.

"I've made some mistakes, but I thought everything through," Thames said. "Some of the issues came about because we had to move quickly. We had no choice but to get the university fiscally stable."

Thames said even his critics didn't criticize what he did - just how he did it.

"In the 1980s, there was a big reorganization and a lot of people were mad at a lot of others," Thames said. "The way I did it, everyone can be mad at me."

LeftASAP · Status: Offline

Did I miss something? Has the search begun? From the H.A. article:

"As the search for his replacement continues, Thames has strong opinions on who should lead the university.

"You don't want someone looking for a job," Thames said. "You need to go out and convince someone to come to the university."

As to the public disclosure of candidates, Thames said there had to be a medium of understanding between the public's right to know and the hiring process.

"Some people can be vicious during this process, and a lot of really good people are not going to submit to that in public," Thames said.

(Undrerlined by me.)

oldtimer · Status: Offline

Thanks to 'Reporter' for the URL for this article. I'm really curious to know if this was a 'mistranscription' by the reporter:

"Hattiesburg businessman Carl Nicholson said Thames' tenure will be remembered in different ways by different people. Nicholson was a member of the state College Board when it hired Thames as president.
"I will remember that his strong leadership was there when the university needed it," Nicholson said. "He was the right man at the right time - a time when we needed strong, divisive leadership."

Normally, you would want "decisive" leadership, but ithe entire Thames presidency has been divisive.

Emma · Status: Offline

Nicholson's comment concerning what the IHL apparently wanted as far as USM's leadership was concerned (divisive) was the first thing he's said that was right on the mark in a long, long time.

Interested onlooker · Status: Offline

Thames said even his critics didn't criticize what he did - just how he did it.

Shelby is living in "la-la land" if he really believes this is true.

Alias · Status: Offline

Thames will concentrate on how to do what he can to keep the USM Gulf Coast operation down and out. He has followed this mode of operation all of his administrative career....keeping USM on the Coast to its absolute minimum development. That will be a part of his final legacy...keeping the Gulf Coast under the THUMB of the Hattiesburg business community and their allies in Jackson, at Miss. State, and Ole Ms.

Just look at his past history, as VP for Adm. and Regional Campuses...what did he do to really promote the coast? As VP for Adm, what did he do? As president, he dismantled the work of Jim Williams and many others and crushed what USM could do on the coast.

His concentration will be on what he can do to keep things from really developing on the coast.

Chez de Guerre · Status: Offline

Alias wrote:

As VP for Adm, what did he do?

Ah, mon cher . . . . the possibilities of this so wonderful "straight line" are so many that I shall let another of our board friends state the obvious.

tout alors

Monique

Invictus · Status: Offline

Well, if they keep running that "Gautier-to-Gulfport" ad with Shelby leaning on a lecturn every 45 seconds on WLOX, it is going to be a windfall for Carey, Tulane, MGCCC, Virginia College & the Truck Driving Institute on Hwy 49...

Polyonymous · Status: Offline

Any word on that "Project Director, Gulf Coast Operations" position that will report directly to the IHL? This new "concentration" seems to come at an interesting time given that the aforementioned position announcement preceded it by only a couple weeks.