DONNA DAVIS, PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
(December 1, 2009) Top Stories of 2009 by Duane Cobb Long-time readers of USMNEWS.net are probably aware that
I like to provide “Top __” type lists from time to time. The end of the year is a popular occasion for such a thing. In
this three-part series, of which this is Part 1, I am providing my Top 10 news stories of 2009. Let’s get to the list.
10. Donna Davis Announces Retirement –
(December 21, 2009) 31st & Pearl CoB Rising In the past several weeks USMNEWS.net has been re-running a number
of reports highlighting the demise of the CoB's economics unit. As part of that, a report about George Carter's views on
subjective grading has been re-run on multiple occasions. There's a good reason for it – the report shows Carter's
constantly shifting moral compass, his disingenuous nature. But, that report also highlights another aspect of USM's
b-school. That is, how similar behavior predicts, not inhibits, one's ascension.
(December 21, 2009) The Last Paradigm Shift As Donna Davis heads into retirement (phased or otherwise), it is
increasingly clear that she is no longer a player in the College of Business. Realistically she has less and less
department for which to be Chair with Economics being retired and the remainder shifted to CoAL, and MIS shifted
to FINREBL on January 1st .
(April 9, 2010) GH Chatter Current CoB faculty may see the last of Donna Davis well before 30-June-10, the official
retirement day. This is not a new phenomenon – retiring faculty disappearing in their final weeks. Like it or not, it’s
certainly not the same thing as the four month vacation that Harold Doty and Farhang Niroomand got when they
turned in their surprise “resignations” (as dean and associate dean, respectively) back in April-07. At least Davis will
be burning time earned for service, not for dereliction of duty, for which many believe Doty and Niroomand were
essentially rewarded.
(May 27, 2010) GH Chatter Chatter has it that CoB dean Lance Nail is losing a major ally in Donna Davis, who is
scheduled to retire on 30-June-2010. Recent reports here at USMNEWS.net show how Davis spoke up for Nail at the
May-2010 faculty senate meeting, after other senators questioned the CoB’s high-dollar spending on accounting
professors. The “losing” part of the chatter may, however, be off base. Davis is scheduled to teach an 8W2 course for
the CoB in the fall of 2010. Can you see the whole retirement thing going away? Some can.
