usmnews.net
Reports for July 1 -31, 2015
June 1, 2015
Welcome to the real world By the time the popular press writes about the real world, the
real world is in deep ----. While alums and locals grieve over a football team or
basketball team, they've missed the big picture.
June 2, 2015
Dear usmnews.net, Faculty have been discretely discussing your recent articles about
increased fees and broken universities. Southern Miss [administrators] will continue
to spend money like a drunken sailor who is on his first shore leave in months. [They
are] spending money, seemingly without thought, for sports teams and facilities that
few care about [or use];
June 3, 2015
A Question Answered Since usmnews.net published a letter to the editor yesterday
(2-June-2015) in which a reader stated that USM President Rodney Bennett had
never published a scholarly paper, we have received a number of comments to the
effect "surely, that can't be true."
June 8, 2015
Guest Editorial A Rose by Any Name ... Dung by Any Name ... IHL Final Board Book
May 21, 2015 "USM - Rename the School of Human Performance and Recreation the
School of Kinesiology. The requested name change to kinesiology better aligns the
academic unit with current evidence-based practices which concomitantly develops
the appropriate professional image within the academic community...".
June 9, 2015
IHL Gives Miscreant USM Sports Program More Legal Financing As previously
reported by usmnews.net, former head basketball coach Donnie Tyndall was under
investigation for potential rules violations related to improper financial aid to two
academically ineligible Southern Miss players. According to Tennessee athletic
director Dave Hart, it is "highly likely" that the NCAA will determine that Tyndall
committed Level 1, 2, 3 and 4 violations, justifying terminating Tyndall's contract for
cause.
June 10, 2015
Dear Dr. Bennett, Why are you wasting our tuition and tax money to defend a corrupt,
failed, badly attended sports program? You won't answer my question, but I feel better
having asked it. Name withheld
June 11, 2015
Nothing like competition to encourage cost consciousness and quality Pearl River
Community College proudly announced, "PRCC board adopts $37.4 million budget; No
increase in student tuition" According to the report "[t]he board also voted to freeze
student tuition at last year's level. Tuition for a full-time student (12 hours or more) is
$1,325. The hourly rate for in-state students (less than 12 hours) remains at $115."
June 12, 2015
Must Summer Reading The Chronicle of Higher Education recently published an
article entitled, "Ms. Mentor's Annual Guide to Academic Novels" written by, who else,
Ms. Mentor (a popular contributor to CHE). "Question (from "Containing Multitudes"): O
dear Ms. Mentor, we are languishing, awaiting your list of academic novels for us to
peruse this summer. We yearn for Schadenfreude - along with frissons of recognition
("We must have the same provost!"). The worst academic novels excite our contempt or
our "I could do better than that" feelings. The best inspire us. List on! Answer: Ms.
Mentor is happy to oblige...".
June 15, 2015
Editorial Make up a problem, set up a committee, and solve it by hiring another
administrator! University administrators function in a curious way. They make up a
problem, set up a committee of like-minded administrators and faculty to consider
possible solutions, and use their recommendations to hire another administrator to solve
it. The newbie never solves anything but they will go about doing one thing for sure:
they build a bureaucratic fiefdom.
Southern Miss and the Decline in Enrollment Southern Miss' enrollment decline isn't
hard to figure out. As The Wall Street Journal reported, "[t]otal college enrollment
decreased by nearly a half-million students in 2013 from a year earlier, according to
Census Bureau data released today, making this the second year with such a drop." As
the University of Virginia Demographics Research Group explained "the big factor that
doesn't seem to be well-understood is simple population math.
June 17, 2015
Et Tu, SACS? Will SACS visit USM for its violation of NCAA rules? Donnie Tyndall was
fired for cause as head basketball coach by the University of Tennessee for various
violations of the NCAA rules which occurred while he was at Southern Miss. According
to Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart, it was "highly likely" that the NCAA will
determine that Tyndall committed Level 1, 2, 3 and 4 violations, justifying terminating
Tyndall's contract for cause. Level 1 violations are characterized as -- "Severe breach of
conduct" -- the most egregious.
July 1, 2015
Taking a Stand? On June 25, 2015, the University of Southern Mississippi released a
peculiarly mealy mouthed statement of position concerning the current state flag. "Our
commitment to inclusion compels us to recognize that the current state flag does not
represent the spirit of all Mississippians , and as such should continue to be discussed
in an educated and civil manner." So, Dr. Bennett, what is the University's position on
current state flag? Should it go? Stay? What?
July 2, 2015
Updated HELP WANTED A Look at Business Dean Openings from Around the
Country With four current/former CoB deans moving around in the academic world,
some USMNEWS.net readers have requested an ongoing report that tracks current
b-school dean openings.
July 6, 2015
Dear usmnews.net, Did you read The Hattiesburg American article "Enrollment
decline leads to budget cuts at USM"? Word around Southern Miss water cooler is that
the story has a great deal in common with the Mary Poppins' song "A spoonful of
sugar helps the medicine go down". Of course, the sugar is the public relations spin
apparently intended to justify out of control tuition and fees.
July 7, 2015
The more things change ... Here we go again. For the past several years, RETENTION
has been the magic administrative buzzword. Since Dr. Rodney Bennett's arrival he
has held out the word as if it were a magic talisman against the evils of budget cuts.
On 19-Aug-2013, The Hattiesburg American's presser reported Bennett's first
student convocation and "... the emphasis is unmistakably clear. Retention.
Progression. Graduation."
July 8, 2015
Editorial How do we measure administrators' performance? How about comparing
administrators' own words with their actions? On September 10, 2014, Southern Miss
Now-a USM public relations publication-crowed "When presented a choice between
bigger or better, USM will choose better - every time. Our long-term plan is to grow
enrollment with more academically qualified students, supported by a highly qualified
and student-centered faculty," USM President Rodney Bennett said.
July 9, 2015
Dear usmnews.net, Vinzant is right and the faculty knows it. Southern Miss is seeking
out and admitting far too many students who have no business in college, then trying -
and failing -- to teach them to read, write and do basic math. As Vinzant says, they come
to us not even knowing how to study. It's all about numbers of students and tuition
dollars.
July 10, 2015
Is that you Martha, Harold? Many people have observed that former USM President
Martha Saunders and former USM Business Dean Harold Doty brought with them
long term devastation from which the University and College still struggle to recover.
Many years after their less than voluntary departures, folks are still interested in the
pair. We at usmnews.net believe court documents, open records ...
July 13, 2015
The Attorneys' Fees Just Keep on Going Up... How bad is the NCAA investigation
going? The continually increasing costs suggest it isn't going well. The February 18,
2015 Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning DRAFT
BOARD BOOK offers a telltale sign that the NCAA investigation is going worse than
expected.
July 14, 2015
Reporting Plagiarism? With increasing regularity, we hear about papers and reports
which are plagiarized, either in whole or in part. How such claims are handled is at
least as significant as the underlying allegations. Take a look at the following article
from Inside Higher Education.
July 15, 2015
Ask Students Another announcement by USM and MS is complete with pictures of
smiling administrators and bureaucrats spending taxpayer money: "MDOT Grant
Supports Southern Miss Construction Project ARTICLE | MON, 07/13/2015 - 1:59PM
| BY DAVID TISDALE Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT)
Southern District Commissioner Tom King presented a check to University of
Southern Mississippi President Rodney Bennett July 13 that will provide a ...".
July 16, 2015
Why is Stephen Bushardt a Professor Emeritus? Stephen Bushardt retired as a
management professor from the College of Business, University of Southern
Mississippi. If you check the listing of emeritus professors, Mr. Bushardt is included.
That honor was awarded during former president Martha Saunders' tenure and
continues to this day on current president Rodney Bennett's watch. Curiously, no one
seems concerned the Bushardt was the subject of a Temporary Restraining Order
obtained by his wife in the course of divorce proceedings.
July 21, 2015
Dear Name Withheld, You may not know but my wife and I both proudly served as
officers in the United States Marine Corps. Our deepest sympathies go out to the
families of the Marines and the Navy serviceman who were murdered. Semper fi.
July 22, 2015
Update Can Mary Research? A Review of Mary Morgan Anderson's Research Over the
Past Five Years A recent review of USM's School of Accountancy's web page revealed a
great deal about the apparently non-existent research record of Associate Professor
Mary Morgan Anderson.
July 23, 2015
breaking news ... breaking news ... breaking news ... NCAA Notice of Allegations
Expected Soon Numerous sources quoting CBS Sports are reporting that Southern Miss
is expected to receive NCAA notice of allegations soon. CBS Sports reported Wednesday,
citing an anonymous source, the NCAA will deliver a notice of allegations to Southern
Miss "within the next week". According to the report, Tyndall, who was fired for cause by
UT, will be charged with rules violations.
July 22, 2015
Dear usmnews.net, While it is unlikely [to happen], many of us believe the best thing
that could come out of the Donnie Tyndall/Southern Miss basketball fiasco is a death
sentence. According to Sports Illustrated, "under Tyndall's watch, coursework allegedly
was completed or performed for recruits and financial aid was offered to signees who
did not qualify...".
July 27, 2015
A Question for Southern Miss Southern Miss' recent administrative sigh of relief
claims, "The Notice of Allegations, which has been posted at SouthernMiss.com,
includes charges involving serious misconduct by the former head coach and members
of his staff. . The alleged violations do not involve any current member of the men's
basketball team or coaching staff...".
July 28, 2015
The Costs of Athletics at Southern Miss Here is Southern Miss' football stadium on
Saturday, November 29, 2014. The USA Today released a complete set of information
on each institution to the general public. USM shows up at 110th (dropping from the
108th position the prior year, and 105th position the year before that) in the overall
ranking, after having generated $23,536,254 million in total revenues during 2014. Forty
percent of the sports revenues comes in the form of subsidies, i.e., money taken from
the pockets of students and taxpayers.
July 29, 2015
An increasing number of anonymous reports have pointed to an uptick in on campus
mobbing at Southern Miss. As a matter of public interest, usmnews.net will republish
articles about this troublesome topic. If you believe you are a victim, you probably are.
How Do You Know If You Are The Target Of A Mobbing?
July 30, 2015
An increasing number of anonymous reports have pointed to an uptick in on campus
mobbing at Southern Miss. As a matter of public interest, usmnews.net will republish
articles about this troublesome topic. If you believe you are a victim, you probably are.
"I would guess that the faculty who found themselves summarily punished, with no
due process, never thought it could happen to them. But it has. Freedom of speech and
tenure have provided little or no protection. Who is next on Saunders' execution block?"
July 31, 2015
Dear usmnews.net, Thanks for revisiting Southern Miss' history of mobbing. Word on
campus is that the situation is worse now than it was in Saunders' darkest days. People
have been subjected to very public verbal assaults (the proverbial "F-bomb"), huge
amounts of turnover in some offices because of the abusive atmosphere, administrators
fired for no reason and replaced with cronies, and on and on. If enrollment is down
again this year (and, based on the previews, it looks like we are going to see at least
some reduction in student population), we expect the situation to get a lot worse.