USM is fine. It will continue better itself. We will be the best institution in the state of Mississippi. Find more pressing issues to weep about than this university. It's kind of bizarre that you hear things and think it's all gone to the dogs. Talk to people here that are not involved in this whole fray, and they will confirm it. We're fine. To the top!

Questions: I'm not sure what comsense means, but let me sympathize with you, who have shed more than a few tears (metaphorical and actual) at what's happening here. Many of us have spent lifetimes here, for a variety of reasons, all connected to the quality of life here in Hattiesburg, the quality of the academic and cultural programs the university offered and, perhaps not least, the possibility, the actual hope, that we were helping to better our poor perennially bottom-of-whatever-list Mississippi, helping to make it something other than the nation's most ridiculous and backward sibling. We worked so hard, only to have the university turned over---against the faculty's loud objections---to the thugs and carpetbaggers and scalawags that have run this place for 2 years (can it be only 2 years? it seems like 2 decades), who with assumptions of power and privilege that date back to the really bad ol' days in Mississippi, have pretty well turned your alma mater into a sewer of suspicion, fear, anxiety, and have caused a general breakdown in the values by which this place was run when you were here---the usm you remember.

It all went wrong because one man, Shelby Thames, maybe the most arrogant little pipsqueak I've ever known, has been allowed to run amok in the university's business of education, which he knows nothing about, and to turn it, almost, into his own little kingdom lorded over by himself and a handful of cronies who know even less about education than he does, if that's possible. It's rotten rotten rotten what resources---students, faculty, and, of course money---he's just wasted. If he had set out deliberately to destroy the university, he couldn't have done a better job of it.

So, Comsense to the contrary, things are rotten here right now. But save your tears for the moment, turn them into anger at what Shelby Thames has done to our beautiful USM: write the IHL Board how angry you are; write the alumni organization how angry you are; write the newspapers and anybody you can think of how angry you are. But dont despair. He will be gone soon and then we can go about rebuilding what we once had. Then we can all weep for joy.

Thank you for your tears, Questions. All who love USM share them. But turn them in to action.

NO QUARTER!

 

quote:

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Originally posted by: Questions for all
"I'm just scratching my head wondering where it all went wrong at USM.  I left in '96 and while I was there, it seemed that all camps were progressing and things were honestly getting better.  Academics supported athletics & vice versa - I was under the impression that we were all one big happy family. Must've been for survival purposes. In any case, it was a lot of fun for me - a Dean's List student, member of the band, and big athletic supporter. Now it's all gone to h*ll in a handbasket (so it seems from afar), and I'll be honest, I'm very concerned that USM won't bounce back.  There is downright hate spewing forth from H'burg, and that is something I never thought I'd see. The very thing that attracted me & so many other students to the Hub City - the genteel sprit & comraderie - is apparently gone. The last time I was in the rose garden at Lake Byron, just before my BSBA graduation, I wept.  Something affected me on that campus that I can't explain, and I still can't shake that feeling.  However, I think that I may weep again the next time I'm on campus - and it may be because I know that what once was will never be again. I will now choose not to come back, even to visit, until I am assured that things are right once again. Please fix what is wrong, as we will never be able to move forward until we are one voice and united in scholarship and service to the world once again."

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quote:

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Originally posted by: Questions for all
"I'm just scratching my head wondering where it all went wrong at USM.  I left in '96 and while I was there, it seemed that all camps were progressing and things were honestly getting better.  Academics supported athletics & vice versa - I was under the impression that we were all one big happy family. Must've been for survival purposes. In any case, it was a lot of fun for me - a Dean's List student, member of the band, and big athletic supporter. Now it's all gone to h*ll in a handbasket (so it seems from afar), and I'll be honest, I'm very concerned that USM won't bounce back.  There is downright hate spewing forth from H'burg, and that is something I never thought I'd see. The very thing that attracted me & so many other students to the Hub City - the genteel sprit & comraderie - is apparently gone. The last time I was in the rose garden at Lake Byron, just before my BSBA graduation, I wept.  Something affected me on that campus that I can't explain, and I still can't shake that feeling.  However, I think that I may weep again the next time I'm on campus - and it may be because I know that what once was will never be again. I will now choose not to come back, even to visit, until I am assured that things are right once again. Please fix what is wrong, as we will never be able to move forward until we are one voice and united in scholarship and service to the world once again."

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Questions for all:

.....you seem to be a sentimental guy/gal......I can appreciate your sentiments. You ask where it all went wrong.....you left in '96 and things were rolling along smoothly at that time.

My recollection is that '96 was a fairly good/quiet time here as well. I've been here almost 20 years....have seen bunches of chairs, deans, vice presidents, provosts, and to some extent, a few presidents.....all of them come and go....some make more of a mark than others.....generally, life goes on.......however, I'm not so optimistic this time around and my fears go deeper than the Shelbster himself.

If we go back to '97, ole Flemming came in....there was optimism and enthusiasm....certainly shared governance continued to roll along....don't get me wrong, Flemming wasn't perfect (who is??)....faculty had some concerns that he was putting way too much into technology at the expense of other vital resources....Flemming also seemed to "stand up" to the board and question formulae for funding, etc........he seemed to run into the buzz saw of athletics folks.....well, quicker than you could shake a stick at, ole Flemming was on the ropes. My pessimism I referred to above that runs deeper than just Thames has to do with the actions of the IHL board. Faculty backed Flemming at that time, but the athletics folks when after him with a vengence........well, the first stabbing was the board siding with the athletic supporters and against the faculty.....that didn't bode well for what was to come down the road......

And, as far as I'm concerned, that set the tone for what we see today.......

Lucas came in for an interim year.......then during the search, the faculty were strongly against Thames' candidacy because of his previous track record....I"ve heard psychologists say that the best predictor of behavior is the individual's past behavior in the same/similar circustances......

Once again, the board essentially ignored the faculty. Many said the "fix" was in at the time......I don't know any of the behing-the-scenes shenanigans, but it isn't hard to believe....

So, for a second time in a little over a year, the IHL ignored us faculty at USM.....

Bring us up to more present times.....the IHL seems subbornly unwilling to communicate with faculty. Noel Polk put it well a few days ago in one of his posts in which he asked, "where do faculty go when they have a problem with their boss?" (not an exact quote....)....the board is not only unwilling to acknowledge, but even to listen to the faculty!!!!! Despite the 430-32 no confidence vote, faculty senate 40-0 vote, the more recent 39-1-1 vote....they continue to act as though we don't exist!!! And, of course, now with the advent of the presidency of the Klumb, we're now even seeing outright contentiousness....."the tenure club"....and the new member seemingly walking in lock-step with The Klumb......

I'm sorry, but I'm not encouraged at all. It's one thing to have a president like we do, but when you look past the president, you see the board sitting there smugly asking if we're putting in a "days work for a day's pay!")......

Oh, and are these attitudes of the board directed to State and Ole Miss faculty??? Are their communities as hostile toward them as ours seems to be toward us???

The Klumb says (with regard to the State Athletic Director situation) where there's smoke, there's fire....and he felt action should be taken before there's a full blown fire..........uuuhhhhhhhhhhh.......hmmmmmm.....there's smoke at USM.....there's already fire here......but then, this isn't state (where The Klumb attended school)........

Sorry to be so pessimistic......Shelby's bad enough, but even if we can get past him, we have those pinheads on the IHL board to contend with ........and, of course, these sorts of attitudes are all tied up with the anti-intellectual culture in the state and communities that others have already commented on in previous posts......"my daddy didn't have no schoolin' and he did just fine..."

Well, I'll do my thing.....my research, my teaching, my supervision of my students, service on committees and in the community, etc. and try to ignore this craziness as much as possible. After all, I (we) need to get some satisfaction and rewards (usually self delivered) to keep going.......

I'll try to be briefer with future posts....this was my first and I guess I just unloaded.....

Toad