CL, 8/13/06: Shelby Thames: 'I have no regrets at all' - USM Forum -- Message Board

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CL, 8/13/06: Shelby Thames: 'I have no regrets at all'

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The print edition makes this the cover story, above the fold.

Bill Hornor · Status: Offline

I didn't know that Mitch Berman is a chemist.

Incredulous · Status: Offline

Oh, spare me. He has no regrets at all. Tell me he does not regret going down as the worst president in USM history. Does he not regret being the only president in modern Mississippi history to have his institution put on probation by a regional accreditation agency?

How about being the only president in USM history to be the recipient of a faculty wide vote of no confidence?

Does he regret signing off on fabricated and inflated enrollment numbers and claiming to be the biggest in the state and then getting caught? Is he bothered by the knowledge that enrollment was falling before the hurricane? How does he feel about taking over a university which was a close second in enrollment in the state falling to third? Does he regret that what was the largest summer school enrollment in the state fell to third on his watch?

Does he regret the inept, ham-fisted attempt to fire two senior faculty members which resulted in the loss of three of his top administrators, grievous harm the the university's national reputation, and a settlement which cost the taxpayers over $400,000? Does he have any second thoughts about the way he terminated all the deans in public a day after he told local business leaders? Is he troubled at losing approximately 40% of his faculty among whom were many of the most experienced and marketable?

How does he feel about the great damage his presence has wrought for some of our stronger academic programs like nursing, English, history, and education?

Does he regret the loss of scores of talented and dedicated staff members?

If he has no regrets, he is thick as a plank.

Googler · Status: Offline

I liked the "round man, round face" description.

From this article, we also have confirmation that SFT turned 70 last week.

LVN · Status: Offline

Incredulous wrote:

Oh, spare me. He has no regrets at all. Tell me he does not regret going down as the worst president in USM history. Does he not regret being the only president in modern Mississippi history to have his institution put on probation by a regional accreditation agency?

How about being the only president in USM history to be the recipient of a faculty wide vote of no confidence?

Does he regret signing off on fabricated and inflated enrollment numbers and claiming to be the biggest in the state and then getting caught? Is he bothered by the knowledge that enrollment was falling before the hurricane? How does he feel about taking over a university which was a close second in enrollment in the state falling to third? Does he regret that what was the largest summer school enrollment in the state fell to third on his watch?

Does he regret the inept, ham-fisted attempt to fire two senior faculty members which resulted in the loss of three of his top administrators, grievous harm the the university's national reputation, and a settlement which cost the taxpayers over $400,000? Does he have any second thoughts about the way he terminated all the deans in public a day after he told local business leaders? Is he troubled at losing approximately 40% of his faculty among whom were many of the most experienced and marketable?

How does he feel about the great damage his presence has wrought for some of our stronger academic programs like nursing, English, history, and education?

Does he regret the loss of scores of talented and dedicated staff members?

If he has no regrets, he is thick as a plank.

Preach it, brother!
Can I get an "Amen"?

Godless Liberal · Status: Offline

I chatted with the reporter as one of the background sources for this piece, and few of the criticisms I had about SFT were mentioned in the article--and when mentioned at all were not attributed to me personally (e.g., "some say"...). I wonder if other respondents (if there were any), had the same experience... We also chatted about the upcoming search in comparison to MSU and the need for inclusion and transparency; that SFT's biggest mistakes occurred when principles of shared governance were ignored; and the wedge driven intentionally between some in the community/IHL and the faculty is a wound caused by this administration that the next one will have to heal.

The reporter seemed tuned into SFT's historical propensity toward vindictiveness. I can't say this with certainty, but he may not have attributed criticisms to particular sources, or included more specific and pointed criticisms, to protect his sources from professional damage (though I spoke on the record). I think that the reporter did make the irony of SFT's statement pretty clear in this piece, and at least it wasn't a litany of grand accomplishments. For that we can be grateful to the reporter...

As to SFT's lack of regret--he is a very wealthy man and will live his remaining years in significant comfort. He didn't accumulate his wealth and power by long considering the welfare of those he has harmed along the way. I do believe that he will sleep just fine at night. In contrast to SFT's advice that the next Prez should have thick skin because faculty are sharks who attack when they smell blood, I hope the next man or woman at the helm has a strong conscience and aspires to the highest ethical standards as a leader among peers.

Emma · Status: Offline

As to SFT's lack of regret--he is a very wealthy man and will live his remaining years in significant comfort. He didn't accumulate his wealth and power by long considering the welfare of those he has harmed along the way.

He certainly hurt the MS taxpayers who will paying his way out of a couple lawsuits for many years to come.

Wealthy in money - possibly. Wealthy in morality - LOL!

Godless Liberal · Status: Offline

Emma wrote:

As to SFT's lack of regret--he is a very wealthy man and will live his remaining years in significant comfort. He didn't accumulate his wealth and power by long considering the welfare of those he has harmed along the way.

He certainly hurt the MS taxpayers who will paying his way out of a couple lawsuits for many years to come.

Wealthy in money - possibly. Wealthy in morality - LOL!

If I wasn't the Godless Liberal, I would say that one's just desserts occur when one has to face one's maker. I am reminded of a telling remark SFT allegedly made that was published in the Independent about his potential fallability. To paraphrase, SFT said he consistently asks God if he is wrong. Because God has not yet so informed him, it follows that he is right. When I first read this, I was hoping this was said tongue in cheek. God, however, has informed me that I am incorrect in that assumption.

LVN · Status: Offline

Dr. Thames is a Baptist, isn't he? He has his rulebook right there. Start with "do unto others" and keep going. God doesn't need to keep repeating Himself.

oldtimer · Status: Offline

I guess the Clarion-Ledger no longer does "fact checking" before printing. The repeated assertion still rankles, long after I've left for greener pastures:

"He tackled the fiscal problems first, consolidating the university's nine colleges into five and firing the deans.

He said the move saved money, but it also angered longtime faculty and staff who saw Thames as autocratic."

How can you "save money" when you have to hire five new deans at "market-level" salaries, while all nine of the previous deans "return to faculty status?" How many times can the big lie of "saving millions" be told, before some reporter does their homework, and checks the books? Numbers don't lie, but liars persist in their counting the same dollars many times over.

Godless Liberal · Status: Offline

oldtimer wrote:

I guess the Clarion-Ledger no longer does "fact checking" before printing. The repeated assertion still rankles, long after I've left for greener pastures:

"He tackled the fiscal problems first, consolidating the university's nine colleges into five and firing the deans.

He said the move saved money, but it also angered longtime faculty and staff who saw Thames as autocratic."

How can you "save money" when you have to hire five new deans at "market-level" salaries, while all nine of the previous deans "return to faculty status?" How many times can the big lie of "saving millions" be told, before some reporter does their homework, and checks the books? Numbers don't lie, but liars persist in their counting the same dollars many times over.

Most of us may never know what the books looked like at the start of the Thames era (except for the budget book), and what fiscal moves were made during his tenure. The next Prez would be well advised to engage in a solid review of the major money transactions during SFT's era as one of his or her first acts (unless, of course, the next Prez is another insider and knows the scoop already).

I doubt that the principal reason for the "re-org" was to save money anyway (I think it was to change the direction of the university to favor certain programs). But most of the folks who know the true story are long gone (TH, AD, and so on). Whatever the reason for the re-org, the results were disastrous--the loss of institutional memory, the demoralization of faculty and staff, and the loss of a year or more of effort when accreditation tasks needed to be attended to--all were partly to blame for the SACS and NCATE messes. These cost an arm and a leg to clean up (if they are indeed finally cleaned up). Not worth the price of a couple of deans... And if re-org was truly the way to go, then the process was a heck of a mess--a textbook example of how not to do it.

Silver Surfer · Status: Offline

Googler wrote:

I liked the "round man, round face" description.

From this article, we also have confirmation that SFT turned 70 last week.

The only thing that's missing is a "waffle nose" comment.

Incredulous · Status: Offline

The main reason for the reorganization was to get rid of all the deans to make room for SFT's boys who would do what they were told and not be too concerned about niceties.

Southern Belle · Status: Offline

It will take the next President a while to bring some type of normalcy back to Southern Miss. It will take even longer to bring back any type of trust from the faculty, staff, and students.

But don't forget the increase in "external" funding that has been brought in since Shelby has been in power.

USM Sympathizer · Status: Offline

Incredulous wrote:

Oh, spare me. He has no regrets at all. Tell me he does not regret going down as the worst president in USM history. Does he not regret being the only president in modern Mississippi history to have his institution put on probation by a regional accreditation agency? How about being the only president in USM history to be the recipient of a faculty wide vote of no confidence? Does he regret signing off on fabricated and inflated enrollment numbers and claiming to be the biggest in the state and then getting caught? Is he bothered by the knowledge that enrollment was falling before the hurricane? How does he feel about taking over a university which was a close second in enrollment in the state falling to third? Does he regret that what was the largest summer school enrollment in the state fell to third on his watch? Does he regret the inept, ham-fisted attempt to fire two senior faculty members which resulted in the loss of three of his top administrators, grievous harm the the university's national reputation, and a settlement which cost the taxpayers over $400,000? Does he have any second thoughts about the way he terminated all the deans in public a day after he told local business leaders? Is he troubled at losing approximately 40% of his faculty among whom were many of the most experienced and marketable? How does he feel about the great damage his presence has wrought for some of our stronger academic programs like nursing, English, history, and education? Does he regret the loss of scores of talented and dedicated staff members? If he has no regrets, he is thick as a plank.

Here, in response to LVN's request, is a long-delayed "amen"!

I, too, was incredulous as I read this interview. What planet is this man on?

Southern Belle · Status: Offline

A popular novel was titled "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus." But personally, I don't know if the planet he came from has been discovered yet.

Robert Campbell · Status: Offline

Most of us may never know what the books looked like at the start of the Thames era (except for the budget book), and what fiscal moves were made during his tenure. The next Prez would be well advised to engage in a solid review of the major money transactions during SFT's era as one of his or her first acts (unless, of course, the next Prez is another insider and knows the scoop already).

The next president should go over all transactions from the SFT era.

Unfortunately, I expect there will be great reluctance to do this. And not just because it will be a major hassle to conduct the review--in fact, records could have been falsified or deep-sixed.

There will also be a political problem, because persons that the new president may wish to keep in the administration (or may be afraid to boot out) will surely be implicated in some of the questionable transactions. If the new president is an insider, he or she could be implicated.

What a mess...
Robert Campbell