Thanks to the internet (and specifically to google), the first thing any prospective applicant to a university now does is to search on the net for information about the university.  Among the first things that will now turn up about USM will be all the records of the mess created by SFT.  No sensible person would even think of applying to USM as long as SFT is at the helm; also, there will be no way to hide the record -- it's out there permanently.  The only way to fix this permanent public relations problem will be to make sure that the very first articles that come up are new ones announcing SFT's departure.  Until that happens, USM's dirty laundry is out there for everyone to see.