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Fire Shelby Thames -> Fire Shelby Thames -> Fire Shelby Thames -> New President
Post Info TOPIC: New President
Concerned

Date:
New President
Permalink Closed

Since it's only a matter of time before our current president leaves office, perhaps we should start a thread to nominate those who would be elligible. Any nomimations?

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Paul Fan

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Permalink Closed

If we could convince him to stay.


Dr. Joe S. Paul

Dr. Joseph S. Paul has served more than 20 years as a Southern Miss student affairs administrator.


Before becoming vice president for student affairs in February 1993, he held a variety of positions, including assistant director of student activities, assistant vice president and dean of student development.

He succeeded the late Dr. Peter Durkee upon his retirement as Southern Miss's top student affairs administrator for more than 25 years.

Beyond his work at Southern Miss, Paul has presented seminars and training in management and leadership for business, industry and education. He is a senior consultant with The Atlanta Consulting Group, a Fortune Top 50 management consulting firm. He also holds faculty rank in Southern Miss's College of Education and Psychology, teaching in the graduate program for college student personnel majors seeking a master's degree in counseling.

Paul holds a Ph.D. in administration of higher education from the University of Alabama and was named the university's Most Outstanding Doctoral Student in the field in 1985. The Bay St. Louis native earned a bachelor's degree in communication and political science from Southern Miss in 1975, graduating magna cum laude, and got a master's degree in communication and management from Southern Miss in 1978. He received the Southern Miss Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award in 1993.

He has had articles published in national periodicals and, in 1987, was interviewed about college cheerleader safety on NBC's Today Show.

In 1978, Paul was named the National Association of Student Personnel's Outstanding New Professional. In 1981, the state Jaycees named him the Outstanding Young Mississippian. He's also a 1987 graduate of Leadership Mississippi training.

Among many civic activities, Paul has served two terms as president of the United Way of Southeast Mississippi. He's also been president of the Hattiesburg Area Education Foundation, on the Board of Directors for the Hattiesburg Boys and Girls Club and has been a trustee for the Hattiesburg Public School District. He's co- founder of the Hattiesburg Leaders for a New Century program and has served on a statewide basis in leadership positions with the Mississippi Economic Council.



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Cam

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Permalink Closed

Though I think Joe Paul is a great guy, I think a national search should be conducted and the process should go as it should have--with input from faculty , staff, and students. I think this university needs an outsider at the helm. Moreover, whomever replaces Thames will have, hopefully, spent more time in the class room than in the halls of administration.

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crystalball

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Permalink Closed

I wish it were not so but here is my prediction:


Drs. Glamser/Stringer will be reinstated and will receive a settlement - undisclosed, of course (this I do wish for!)


Shelby will finish out his single term as a "kindler, gentler" president with his wings much clipped by the college board.


Angie Dvorak will become president of the ADP so that she can reinforce the importance of academia and integrity to the local business community.  She will be replaced as VP of Research and Economic Development by the multitalented Ken Malone.


Mark Dvorak & Jack Hanbury will crawl back under their rocks in the private sector to surface at a later time.


Tim Hudson will remain as provost doing his behind the scenes wheelings and dealings while continuing to hope for the big day (a little reminiscent of Bob Dole - "But, it's my turn!")


Richard Giannini will be the big winner because, of the whole bunch, he will achieve national recognition for the university through the sports program (and before folks get back on the sports vs academics bandwagon - remember, that's his job - don't criticize him because he does it well!)


Dr. Joe Paul will go to Texas A&M.  How could the Aggies help but want such a great guy.


Mobile people will leave.  People who stay will punch out.  Mediocrity will reign.  Our students will suffer.  Our influence on the community and state will be diminished.  We will be viewed nationally with a mixture of pity, ridicule, and disdain.


This is such a travesty.  I have never seen so much potential wasted!


 


FS - Sorry, I just couldn't help myself!


 



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present professor

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Permalink Closed

quote:
Originally posted by: crystalball
"Mobile people will leave.  People who stay will punch out.  Mediocrity will reign.  Our students will suffer.  Our influence on the community and state will be diminished.  We will be viewed nationally with a mixture of pity, ridicule, and disdain. This is such a travesty.  I have never seen so much potential wasted!   FS - Sorry, I just couldn't help myself!  "

Some of us who are "mobile" will choose to stay for a variety of reasons -- I suspect that many who do stay will work to make the university better by continuing to teach well and by planning for the next phase when the university has been liberated. I didn't come to teach at a mediocre place --- I don't expect my students expect that of me either.

We'll rise above it and be stronger . . .

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fire shelby

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Permalink Closed

quote:
Originally posted by: present professor
" Some of us who are "mobile" will choose to stay for a variety of reasons -- I suspect that many who do stay will work to make the university better by continuing to teach well and by planning for the next phase when the university has been liberated. I didn't come to teach at a mediocre place --- I don't expect my students expect that of me either. We'll rise above it and be stronger . . . "

 


I am with you on that.  I don't see the connection between those who stay and a standard of mediocrity.  Some people love Hattiesburg, USM, and their students.


 



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crystalball

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Permalink Closed

Present Professor,


I wasn't trying to be ugly or insulting.  Many fine people will choose to stay and rebuild and I apologize for not saying so.  It will simply be a more difficult task with a longer time horizon and I stand by the statement that there will be mediocrity but will amend it with in the interim. 



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Invictus

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Permalink Closed

I agree with Cam. There should be a legitimate national search.

Perhaps there is an in-house candidate, such as Joe Paul, who would be competitive, perhaps not.

Another person who has great credentials (and credibility) who has been affiliated with USM is Don Cotten. I'm not sure, however, that he would return to the university for the 3rd time...

But ... as we have seen with Shelby Thames, an in-house candidate comes already equipped with enemies. (Thames came into office with an extraordinarily large number of enemies, too, might I add.) An outside candidate doesn't.

All this said, I think any talk of the next president is premature. Thames has about 2 years left on his current contract & something tells me that he'll get to stay in office (and earn his $250K salary) until it expires.

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USM Sympathizer

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Perhaps President Thames will be allowed to return to his faculty position and still keep his presidental salary.  This kind of thing happens astonishingly often in academia when an administrator is removed.  Talk about golden parachutes!

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Invictus

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Permalink Closed

Can USM (or the State of Mississippi) afford a $500K "golden parachute"?

That said, when I was working on my doctorate at USM in the early '80s, there was a prof in my department who was enjoying just such a "golden parachute" ... although it obviously involved a lot less money then. They guy was a good teacher, BTW. Evidently, he wasn't so hot as a president.

There's a parallel to Thames here: His former students almost invariably say that he is a good teacher & researcher. He's just not so hot as a president. The rub is that IHL knew when it hired him that he had a less-than-stellar record as an administrator...


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media

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one of thames actions was to remove the policy that gave administrative stipends to those who were no longer administering. In other words, his new policies mean that anyone who goes back to their first love teaching will also take substantial salary cuts: as many a former dean and dept chair had to do. So, by his own policies he cant have a golden parachute. He can of course retire

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Disgusted

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Permalink Closed

His policies probably don't apply to him.

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Invictus

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Permalink Closed

quote:
Originally posted by: media
"So, by his own policies he cant have a golden parachute. He can of course retire"


Betcha he can. You see, all administrators except the president serve "at the pleasure of the president." (Which is why he's been able to fire administrators & staff left & right without a lot of uproar.) Thames, on the other hand, is hired by the IHL board. If they want him to have a parachute, he gets a parachute.

Bah! Humbug!

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USM Sympathizer

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I have noticed that when it comes to really top-level administrators, the normal rules don't seem to apply.  Other cash-strapped states in the southeast have been known (in fact, quite recently) to let fired university presidents keep their salaries after they have "resigned" and "returned to teaching."  Needless to say, this doesn't look good when the universities have to make the case to the public that higher education is hurting for money.  It IS hurting, but not (apparently) at the very top levels.

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Greedy

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Sympathizer and Paul Fan
Permalink Closed

Sympathizer, the top heavy distribuion of of salaries was much worse under General McCain in the 50s, 60s,a and 70s. We also some of that, abeit not nearly so bad, under Lucas. I really don't know too much about Flemming, but I do know millions were wasted on technology "upgrades" and high salaries to McGowan and other Flemming buds.

But, I think if Shelby continues much longer, there will be more money paid to administrators than faculty. There seems to be an "new" one each week, the "administrator of the week." This week, it's the IT "chief information officer." Information for who? How will the info be obtained, more wire taps?

I am sure when all is said and done, that the absurd claim of "saving" $1.8 million (new spin just rounds off to $2 million), will be found out to involve about double that on new managerial salaries at the top. Again, even that $1.8 million that was "PRed" to death in the press is not a "savings" at all, but rather a redistribution. Joe Blow taxpayer likes savings more than redistribution.

To Paul Fan: Joe is a great guy. I know him and we went to school together. I hope he stays here as VP. But, that said, he is really not strong enough or polically tough enough to be our president. He is just too nice. Beside, he is too short................just joking!

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Bestpractices

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RE: New President
Permalink Closed

The following is an excerpt from the Rice University Presidential Search page (www.rice.edu).  I don't know who the people are but I admire the way they seem to be approaching their search for a president and believe there is something to be learned from the schools that are "doing it right".


In doing so, the board gave real voice to the key constituencies on campus and brought Rice into line with the best practices of university governance. This search, which brought George Rupp to Rice, was the beginning of real democratization in the selection process and has served as a model for searches both here and elsewhere. The principles that guided it--shared responsibility, mutual respect, cooperation and understanding among all the groups that make up the Rice community--also guided the search that found Malcolm Gillis.They now guide the search for Dr. Gillis's successor.   


 



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