i learned from a well-connected source that the college board vote to select shelby thames as usm president was much closer than it appeared.

apparantly, the college board likes to appear unified in it's public votes for a new college president. the board polls itself, and when it sees which direction the decision goes it tries to make the vote unanimous.

the closed door vote in selecting thames as president was 7 to 5 in his favor, while the public vote was 11 to 1. virginia newton, who chaired the usm presidential search committee, was too opposed to thames even when she knew it was going to happen.

if this is true, college board members were less confident about thames' leadership than thought. one different vote could have deadlocked the thames decision and possibly changed the entire situation at usm now.

don't give up on lobbying the board. they know thames and his administration are becoming more of a liability than first suggested.

remember, nothing will ever change if the board doesn't know there's a reason to change. keep being vocal.

as a proud graduate of usm who , i'm saddened each day with newspaper headlines, pointing to another indicator of thames' inept leadership.

just because his title is president doesn't make him a leader.

the next thing you know he'll force professors to sign in and out when they have to use the restroom. no wait, he did that when he was vice president at the gulf coast campus.

NO QUARTER