From Hattiesburg American 5/23:

College Board to help mend USM relations

By Janet Braswell
American Senior Writer jbraswell@hattiesb.gannett.com

In response to the continuing controversy present at the University of Southern Mississippi, the College Board is taking a closer look at remedies for improving strained relations between faculty and President Shelby Thames.

Last week, Thames discussed his plans for enhancing campus relations in executive session with College Board members. The closed-door session was necessary because names of personnel were brought up, board president Roy Klumb said.

The board spent about two hours on Thursday talking with Thames about his efforts to restore trust and support on campus.

But a faculty leader who had hoped to speak with board members questioned the need for privacy.

"That was a bit disconcerting because a number of groups on campus have sent letters and resolutions to the board outlining problems," said Amy Young, president of the USM chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

"We made it known that we were there if they had questions. I don't have a problem with closed sessions," she said. "They have a right to do personnel and legal matters behind closed doors. That's the way things need to be. But we sat there the whole time and there was not even an acknowledgment that they received our letters."

Klumb said the executive session was necessary and permissible under state law.

"The board felt like it wasn't going to be possible to have the exchange we needed to have with Dr. Thames as we discussed the plan and various people associated with the plan," Klumb said.

"We didn't feel like it was possible to have the dialogue we needed in an open meeting," he said.

But Higher Education Commis-sioner David Potter said Thames was the subject of the personnel discussion.

"It was really kind of a performance evaluation," Potter said.

Names of four or five people were mentioned during the meeting, Klumb said, but wouldn't say who they are or what was said.

After the closed-door session, Thames said no personnel changes are being made at USM as a result of the meeting.

He also would not talk about what names came up during the board discussion or whether he agreed with the need for an executive session.

"That was the board's call," he said.

The meeting came after three months of dissension on the Southern Miss campus following the March 5 suspension of two tenured professors and the resulting effort to fire them.

Frank Glamser, a sociology professor, and English professor and researcher Gary Stringer settled with the university after a half-day of testimony in a termination hearing last month.

During that testimony, Thames said the two professors' e-mails had been monitored as part of an internal investigation into their probe of USM vice president Angie Dvorak's academic background.

"He needs to tell us whose e-mail he snooped, whose hard drive he scanned, why he hired Angie Dvorak and the list goes on," Young said. "He's got a long way to go to rebuild confidence."

A major part of Thames' reconciliation plan is the President's Council, an appointed group of 18 faculty, staff and students who meet with him to improve on-campus communications.