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Originally posted by: tvscene
"USM will ignore AG, offer casino programBy MELISSA M. SCALLANTHE SUN HERALD The University of Southern Mississippi will offer a casino management program next fall, despite an opinion from the attorney general that says state law forbids it. Roy Klumb, president of the state College Board, said Friday the courses will be offered until a judge rules otherwise. "All of our plans right now are to move forward," Klumb said. "We're asking the attorney general for permission to hire outside counsel in case we're challenged on this." Under the Gaming Control Act, the Mississippi Gaming Commission regulates schools or training programs that offer gaming classes. State law says no public school can teach or train people to be gaming employees and no such school can be located on public property. Last fall, the board's representative from the Attorney General's Office, Chuck Rubisoff, said he believes the board has the right to decide what courses are offered at state universities. USM officials put together a tourism curriculum in the College of Business and Economic Development that includes casino/resort management, hotel management and restaurant management. None of the courses teach gaming, but rather focus on management. "The casino folks don't want us to teach gaming," said Harold Doty, dean of the college of business at USM. "They want us to teach management with specifics for that industry." In April, the College Board approved USM's bachelor's degree in tourism. About two weeks ago, Attorney General Jim Hood said state law "clearly prohibits" the board from authorizing such courses. At its meeting Thursday, the board agreed to hire an outside attorney to get an opinion on the situation. "We don't believe that it's wrong, but that's why we're hiring outside counsel to let us know," Klumb said. Board member Amy Whitten said she disagrees with the attorney general's opinion because the board was told by two of his representatives that members could authorize the program. Also, Hood issued the opinion after action was taken, and traditionally the attorney general won't give an opinion based on past actions. "Attorney general opinions, though persuasive, are not legally conclusive," said Whitten, a former assistant attorney general. "So I don't know what, if any, impact this will have on our original decision. I'm certain, though, that this board's only agenda in this matter, as in all others, has been to responsibly and legally address the higher education needs of every Mississippian." Jay Grimes, provost of USM Gulf Coast, said the curriculum has been developed, and the university wants to hire two more professors. Current business professors and local casino executives also will teach courses. "We're going to go full steam ahead and put this program together for the fall," he said."

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There is a far more important issue here than whether or not what USM has evidently decided to do conflicts with the Attorney General's opinion. That issue can be decided in the courts. The important issue is whether or not a great university should be offering an academic program designed for a specific industry. If I owned a casino and needed an accountant, I would find somebody with a legitimate degree in accounting. If I needed someone to repair the slots, I would hire someone with the skills necessary to do that job (perhaps electronic technology). There are many other examples. For any of those fields, the specific applications to the gaming industry should be acquired "on the job." Just why is the gaming industry different than other industries such as shipbuilding and other industries which contribute to the economic development of South Mississippi? Why hasn't there been a proposal to institute a degree program  designed to train people to work in the shipbuilding industry, an industry which is big on the coast? There are other examples. This not a moral issue. And the legal issue, if there is one, can be worked out in the courts. What we have here is an academic issue. USM already has (or at least used to have) a degree in management. If you want to be more specialized than that, then USM has (or at least used to have) a degree in tourism/hotel/restaurant/management (under some such title). And now you want to specialize even further by training students to work specifically in the gaming industry? Where will it end? Perhaps a degree to train students specifically to work the board games vs. the machine games. I am not a Donald Trump, but I suspect that Donald would groome, for his top-level management positions, well educated, literate, critical thinkers who learn the casino end of things on the job. And I suspect that Bill Gates would feel the same way. Maybe I am missing something here. There must be more here than meets the eye. What this sort of program actually approved by your undergraduate curriculum committee? Does such a "trade" program fit into the mission of your institution.

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Originally posted by: truth4usm/AH
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You said a mouthful, First Ant.  To answer your question above, this program DOES fit into the mission of your institution if you are trying to downgrade it from a "worl' class university" to a technical college.  It's all about "mining" our universities for their "economic potential," or whatever sort of blather that Guvner Bah-bour spouted off about recently.  When Roy Krumb (er...Klumb) says that USM needs to "move on," he means "move on" to being Southern Mississippi Technical College.  Get ready, folks, because it's already happening, and this is proof."

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Truth, I brought all of this up on the old "Real Issues" thread and it generated very good comments. It started this way

"I imagined what a debate with Roy Klumb would be like. My guess is he would make the following points.

1) This state can’t support so many institutions of higher learning (Univ.s and C. Colleges) so institutions must find their own sources of funds.
2) The main purpose of universities in the state must be to provide a skilled labor force for economic development in order to solve the financial problems.
3) If students can get an “education” along the way of being “trained” great, but that is not necessary for the present needs of this state.
4) Major funds can only be brought to the University by disciplines that supply a “product” or “service” to industry.
5) Thus major support must be directed to science, engineering and technologies.
6) Arts and Letters must be reduced to supply the capital. (Enough leaders can be supplied the state by U. of Miss and Miss. State U.)
7) The freedom to make such “creative” moves require the removal of the antiquated institution of tenure.

So here we are deciding on what will be the nature of a University is Mississippi. Are the about points valid for Mississippi today? How would you respond? "

For years many Business Schools have included a specialty in Hospital Administration.  That education does not include practice such as nursing, medical technology, or other fields.  I don't see this as different.