This column ran following a student forum organized by Thames in order to impress students. Needless to say, we were not impressed, and responded to his ideas along several lines. This was still before reorganization, yet Robbie and I (and others) sensed there was something amiss with this guy. Same authors as before, if memory serves...

11-26-02 Editorial Board

As dollar signs and tax base figures splashed across the screen in President Thames Power Point presentation last Tuesday, someone sitting in the audience could have easily forgotten they were attending a student forum designed to discuss issues affecting students of USM.

In his lengthy presentation and question and answer forum, President Thames discussed the monetary impact of USM on the South Mississippi economy, as well as the generous tax base our presence in Hattiesburg provides local lawmakers.

In order to further underscore his point, Thames said that USM is in essence a $250 million dollar a year business, and we should be treated like one by our Legislators. While we certainly see the need for President Thames to do everything in his power to convince lawmakers of the importance of our university, and economic development is certainly the gospel of Mississippi politics, we see at the Student Printz Editorial Board sense a disturbing trend in Thames’ current policies.

The problem deals with a fundamental understanding, or perhaps misunderstanding, of what a university is, and therefore, how this university should be run. Again last Tuesday, Thames repeated a phrase that is quickly becoming his mantra, stating that he hopes to make millionaires out of his entire administration.

Newly renamed Vice President of Research and Economic Development Angie Dvorak went even further, endorsing Thames’ methods and wishing to see the creation of 100 student millionaires! Thames seems to believe that USM is a business, a huge business, and one that has a significant economic impact on the region.

Although there are certain economic side effects of the presence of USM in South Mississippi, we are not, and hopefully never will be, a business. The primary goal of any business is to generate the maximum amount of profit possible. And in all fairness, certain research avenues in particular fields of study do eventually yield an innovation that is marketable, and can therefore be converted into a profit. But to reorganize an entire university around this premise, we believe, is frightening.

The vast majority of disciplines and fields of study do not generate products that are marketable, and therefore, cannot be considered businesslike nor business worthy. And the first rule of any business is to cut away the operations that don’t produce profit, and refocus resources on those that do help out the bottom line.

While this approach may work for some colleges, it is at odds with the real and stated aim of the university community. While Polymer Science may be the cornucopia from which new wonders continually tumble, its kind is rare in the overall contingent of the university. Pressing other departments and colleges to produce equally profitable work is amiss, and represents a flawed approach to understanding the university.

The Purpose Statement of USM discusses the need to “educate students who will be well trained in their chosen profession, whose critical thinking skills and respect for learning will foster lifelong learning, and who recognize their obligation to contribute to society.” There is no mention of creating products, nor any discussion of dedicating oneself to commercial oriented research. Far from talk of profit motives or market share, the stated goals of USM deal with the education of the whole person, and with the intent of improving the student who, in turn, contributes to the betterment of society.

We at the Student Printz Editorial Board urge President Thames to remember the real purpose of this university, and to lead all of us with those goals in mind.