Business?

Date: May 1, 2004

Business?

Date: May 1, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Otherside
"Finally, how does Dr. Thames justify the action of preventing Frank from teaching as being in the interest of the University? It hurts the University, but it is a spiteful way of punishing a professional. Otherside "

I think Thames treats his adversaries by his own standards. It looks to me like Thames does not trust a professional to teach his classes without creating a disruptive, critical atmosphere.

To him this makes sense because it is who he is. As we have all seen, he agrees not to speak negatively of the opposing side in the settlement, then promptly begins his smear campaign again. He lacks the character and professionalism to honor his word, so he suspects everyone else of the same shortcoming.

Date: May 1, 2004

As a former faculty member at a sister university and current member of the business community, let me tell you: there is a world of misunderstanding out here about academia. A lot of business people are caught in a world of downsizing, increased quotas, and other pressures. Their superficial recollection is of their own college experience where apparently autonomous, nearly omnipotent professors exercised capricious -- not to say arbitrary --authority. They are envious of a fantasy where the only work they can remember seeing performed is the occasional hour of apparently spontaneous lecture. You can imagine how attractive a nine-month contract seems.

Others buy into, and often quote, the mantra: Those who can, do; those who can't, teach. (Hmm, I just remembered the addendum: Those who can't teach . . . become administrators. Apropos of anyone we know? Naw.) They honestly do not recognize that teaching, in general, and the professorate, specifically, is really and truly hard work that requires skill and dedication.

If it's any consolation, yours is not the only profession that suffers from such misapprehension. My father was a minister. I cannot tell you how often people commented about how lucky he was only to work on Sunday.

Date: May 1, 2004

Yes, ministers and teachers are often misunderstood in the same way. Two such misconceptions are

(1) They do what they do out of love (because no one who is thinking clearly would do it for the money they are paid) so we don't need to compensate them the way we would compensate others in other fields.

(2) They only "work" when they are in front of people. That is, ministers speak at most 2 hours per week and teachers for, what, 9 or 12 hours per week. I've actually heard an administrator on my own campus say, "Wow, fifteen hours of teaching plus a few office hours? What a nice part-time job...." I almost puked before I explained his misunderstanding to him.

Date: May 1, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: friend
"Yes, ministers and teachers are often misunderstood in the same way. Two such misconceptions are
(1) They do what they do out of love (because no one who is thinking clearly would do it for the money they are paid) so we don't need to compensate them the way we would compensate others in other fields.
(2) They only "work" when they are in front of people. That is, ministers speak at most 2 hours per week and teachers for, what, 9 or 12 hours per week. I've actually heard an administrator on my own campus say, "Wow, fifteen hours of teaching plus a few office hours? What a nice part-time job...." I almost puked before I explained his misunderstanding to him."

Friend and Ram make good points. Is there any hope in educating the public as to the real life of professors, ministers etc.? I fear the answer is no, especially with the intellectual level in Mississippi.

But my main thrust was about the lost of excellent professionals, at the expense of taxpayers, just for a spiteful person to get revenge. It isn't rational for a University or a business.

Otherside

Date: May 1, 2004

Otherside

There are many ways but when told they don't seem to resonate in such a low income state.

One is USM's low salary for what they do compared to Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and the whole southeast region as well.

Since Flemming, USM profs have fallen way behind, being upwards of $10K off by MSU standards and much more by southeastern standards. Yet, voters want to bring k-12 in line.

Second, the number of students taught at USM per credit hour is much higher than the other universities in the state, and ridiculous compared to top level schools in U.S. News and World Report rankings.

There is no question that as a group, USM profs teach more students at lower pay than others, all else the same.

I think many people would feel different if they really understood this.

USM for years has done more with less. Now they are asked to do even more under a totalitarian dictatorship style of business management.

Date: May 1, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Otherside
" Friend and Ram make good points. Is there any hope in educating the public as to the real life of professors, ministers etc.? I fear the answer is no, especially with the intellectual level in Mississippi. But my main thrust was about the lost of excellent professionals, at the expense of taxpayers, just for a spiteful person to get revenge. It isn't rational for a University or a business. Otherside "

Sorry for the digression Otherside. I agree with your observation. The wise manager - in academia as in business - recognizes that "human capital" is is to be wasted only at great peril.

Date: May 1, 2004

Excellent point, ram.

When I worked for IBM I remember being told by an experienced person there what kind of investment IBM had made in me, and in each of my coworkers. From an economic standpoint, it made little sense to management to jerk us around. And the costs of replacing us, should management drive us out, were high.

While many managers at IBM thought roughly the same way about "human capital," those for whom management was a means of feeding the ego always failed to get the point.

Robert Campbell

Date: May 2, 2004

Must be all those well-educated business people in the dome - experts in management? leadership? administration? entrepreurship? finance? accounting? economics? marketing? NOT! Let's see, I think they are dividing one MBA between them - and that one belongs to the VP of finance. Don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting that we fill the dome with MBAs. What I am suggesting, however, is that this administrative team that disusses running USM like a "business" is not qualified to do even that! These people don't know what business is, let alone how to structure a university like one - give us a break! This talk is nothing more than pandering to the local business community. It is in the same vein as trying to label 92% of the faculty as left-wing radicals. Believe us Hattiesburg and beyond, we are more like you than you can imagine and we will not be silenced. They all must go - NO Quarter.

Date: May 2, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Otherside
"The business world must have really changed in the past few years. Since when does a bosses, who has trouble with employees, give these employees two year paid vacations??? This is proof that the University is NOT just a business. Professors are unique, love their work, and do their work 24/7. (I designed a test today while cutting grass. Now I have to write it up.) What business punishes an employee by preventing them from working while paying them their salary? I bet the people who complain that professors don't work in the "real" world are having a tough time understanding how that is a punishment. Finally, how does Dr. Thames justify the action of preventing Frank from teaching as being in the interest of the University? It hurts the University, but it is a spiteful way of punishing a professional. Otherside "

Excellent questions and observations!