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(March 19, 2010) USM Makes Regional News: Could Lose 100 Faculty An 18-Mar-10 article by the Mobile Press-Register reporter Renee Busby entitled “Poor economy bites into university faculty salaries” describes the sad state of higher education finance these days. Busby compares the situation at several AL-based institutions and USM. The report also includes details about USM’s prior lease (of a building) with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, USM’s installation of the new APG, and the possibility that 100 USM faculty will be terminated in the coming months. USM faculty senate president, Jeffrey Evans, also provides a quote explaining the two sides of the faculty furlough option.

(March 24, 2010) How Long Can Opposites Function? Many viewing these comparisons would assume this would be a good pairing of strengths and talents; this was so, but seems to be crumbling under the stresses of repeated budget cuts and the fall-out from the various constituencies from those cuts. More often it appears rather than a well-functioning duo the Saunders – Lyman pair are more of the show dog and the groomer: while she prances around various rings for applause, he tries to recover for the next preparations to get her ready. The appearance to an increasing number of staff and faculty is not jealousy but weariness. The perfect example is all the centennial hoopla: Martha is primed and primped to star and strut while Lyman has to sit through all the “how great we are” speeches instead of working on the budget cuts and all the other items that go with being chief academic officer at Southern Miss. How long can such opposites endure?

(April 8, 2010) GTL Baby! A Guest Editorial by Victoria Tyler Some people are famous for famously doing nothing. Such is the case with the cast of one of America’s hottest reality television shows, Jersey Shore (see insert below). Their rise to famously doing nothing has even added to the American urban lexicon, via the initials “GTL,” which stand for “Gym, Tan & Laundry.” To hear these Jersey “Guidos” and “Guidettes” explain it, their day typically consists of waking up and going to the gym to work out (G=Gym), then heading to the tanning bed (T=Tan), and finishing up by doing laundry (L=Laundry). Of course, the nights are reserved for partying.

(May 11, 2010) The Morgan Dynasty – Just Another Piece of The Dirty Southern Miss? The recent news (see below) that USM provost Robert Lyman alluded to USM chief financial officer Joe Morgan being relieved of his CFO duties by USM president Martha Saunders, effective 30-Aug-2010, was sweeping across the Hattiesburg campus on 11-May-2010. USM faculty and staff are buzzing with questions about what Morgan did, what his new position and salary will be should he remain on campus in some capacity, and why he will not simply be cut by USM administrators in their effort to trim $15 million from the institution’s 2012 budget.