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USM Forum -- Message Board -> AAUP-USM MESSAGE BOARD -> AAUP-USM position statement
Post Info TOPIC: AAUP-USM position statement
Amy Young

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AAUP-USM position statement
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Friends,
The AAUP executive committee met yesterday evening and drafted the following position statement regarding SACS probation for USM. I hope it is posted on our website soon. As every ball team needs a good coach, and every orchestra a good conductor, the team of individuals who are working on getting us off SACS probation and back on track will need a good leader. Shelby Thames is not that leader.

Amy Young, President
AAUP-USM


AAUP-USM Position Statement on SACS Probation: Every great team needs a great leader to reach their goals.

SACS probation is a serious matter and will require a concerted team effort to solve this problem. A review of the daily accounts in the Hattiesburg American between Dec. 9 and Dec. 14 indicate to us in USM’s chapter of AAUP that our university needs new leadership immediately. Dr. Shelby Thames can’t seem to decide whether he knew about our impending problem. He can’t get his story straight and does not demonstrate that he understands the gravity of the situation.

In a Dec. 9, 2004 meeting with faculty leaders and deans, it was revealed that Thames was informed by memo back on June 24, 2002 that we were having serious problems with SACS accreditation. Thames met with James Rogers, SACS Executive Director of the Commission on Colleges on Sept. 16, 2002 regarding SACS accreditation. The information about the memo and meeting with Rogers appeared in the chonology prepared by Dr. Joan Exline and published by the Hattiesburg American. So, for two years, Shelby Thames knew.

But on Dec. 10 in an article in the Hattiesburg American, Thames claimed that he was never told by any SACS officials – or the staffers at the school overseeing the 10-year process – that Southern Miss was under scrutiny. Thames maintained that staff members told him we were OK. So, he didn’t know.

And in a Dec. 11, 2004 article in the Hattiesburg American, Thames continues to assert that he was told by staff that everything was OK. Again, he did not know.

But on Dec. 12, 2004 in a guest editorial in the Hattiesburg American, Thames admits being aware in 2002 of the concerns of the (SACS) commission and began working on them immediately. So, he knew after all.

But again in a Dec. 14 article in the Hattiesburg American, Thames said he asked repeatedly about the status of the university’s accreditation process, but staff members failed to tell him the truth. So, he didn’t know.

One day he says he knew, and the next he didn’t know. Thames can’t have it both ways. Either it is true he knew or it is true he didn’t know. It is crucial to have leadership that knows what is going on with SACS, and can tell the truth about it.

But it gets worse. By all appearances, Dr. Thames demonstrates that he does not grasp the seriousness of the problem. In his Dec. 12, 2004 Hattiesburg American guest editorial, he states:

“Working together, the leadership and faculty of this institution have already addressed the majority of the commission’s concerns.”

But in an article the Hattiesburg American published on that same day, Dr. Joan Exline indicated that getting “off probation will require hundreds of faculty and staff working harder next year.” Which is it? Are we pretty much out of the woods already, or do we need to roll up our sleeves and work even harder in the next year?

Simply stated, Dr. Shelby Thames is full of contradictions. How can faculty work as an effective team to solve this serious problem without clear-headed and honest leadership? Shelby Thames has repeatedly demonstrated that he is incapable of working with faculty. If the Board of Trustees and the good people of Mississippi expect the USM faculty to be able to commit their energies to lifting USM’s probation, we need a president and an administrative staff who can lead and we can trust.

AAUP-USM Executive Committee


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Angeline

Date:
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Way to go Executive Committee!  As a dues-paying member of AAUP I am proud to call you colleagues.


Now, all faculty members and graduate students who have not yet joined AAUP, click here: http://www.aaup-usm.org/ & here: http://www.aaup.org/ and join today!  We need you and you definitely need us.



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Jump, Jive, 'n Stomp

Date:
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quote:

Originally posted by: Amy Young
" Dr. Shelby Thames can’t seem to decide whether he knew about our impending problem. He can’t get his story straight . . . . . . . . . ."


Well written, Amy. But it can also be said with music. Here's my nomination as to what we should sing - an old Ames Brothers favorite:


Undecided

You say yes
Then it's no
You say you'll stay
Then you go
Your undecided now
So what are you going to do

First you say you do and then you don't
And then you say you will and then you won't
Your undecided now
So what are you gonna to do

Now you want to play
And then it's no
And when you say you'll stay
That's when you go
Your undecided now
So what are you gonna to do

I've been sitting on a fence
And it doesn't make much sense
'Cause you keep me in suspense
And you know it
You promise to return
When you don't I really burn
Well I guess I'll never learn
And I show it

If your gotta heart
And if you're kind
Then don't keep us apart
Make up your mind
Your undecided now
So what are you gonna to do

First you say you do then you don't
No you don't
And then you say you will and then you won't
No you won't
Your undecided now
So what are you gonna to do

Now you want to play and then it's no
Then it's no
And when you say you'll stay that's when you go
When you go
Your undecided now
So what are you gonna to do

I've been sittin' on a fence
And it doesn't make much sense
'Cause you keep me in suspense
And you know it
You promise to return
When you don't I really burn
Well I guess I'll never learn
And I show it

If your gotta heart and if you're kind
Then don't keep us apart make up your mind
Your undecided now
So what are you gonna to do

You say it's yes and then it's no
You say you'll stay then you go
Your undecided now
So what are you gonna to do


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Robert Campbell

Date:
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J,J, and S,


"Undecided" is a great song.  The music was composed by jazz trumpeter Charlie Shavers.


There's a nice version of it from 1947, by Marion "Blues Woman" Abernathy, with accompaniment by the Hot Lips Page band, with its dueling tenor sax players, Hal Singer and Tom Archia.


Robert Campbell



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Savina Schoenhofer

Date:
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 USM AAUP Members and friends, below is an email message I sent to Dr. G. Lord, who is the SACS liasion to USM.  Dr. Lord's response to me was that "of course I can't comment".  I think it's unconscionable that your president doesn't understand the intimate connection between SACS reporting and student education/ faculty teaching..what does he think SACS is about? Keep up the good work and please be aware that faculty members all over the state, nation and world are in solidarity with you.




from the Hattiesburg American, USM gets probation for a year
Thames: 'We have to do a better job'

By Kevin Walters


Dec. 9, 2004:


"The areas of concern do not have anything to do with faculty teaching," Thames said. "This status does not in any way negatively affect our students and their education."




from Hattiesburg American, Sanction's impact on hiring debated on USM campus

By Natasha Smith


Dec. 13, 2004:


"Since the reason for the academic probation had nothing to do with students or faculty, Provost Jay Grimes said it was not a deterrent to recruiting.

"The status had nothing to do with our integrity or the quality of our academic programs," Grimes said."





Dr. Lord, do these statements tell you what they tell me, that President Thames doesn't understand the purpose of SACS accreditation standards and procedures, that he is treating documentation and reporting of quality assurance data and analysis as unrelated to the student learning experience and to the faculty teaching experience??   As a tax payer in Mississippi and a member of the professoriate myself, I hope that you and SACS have taken note of the attitude conveyed in these and other quotes, attitude that is demonstrated in the latest egregious behavior of Dr. Thames and his administration.  These statements tell me that Dr. Thames is not a person who can even bring USM into token compliance with SACS standards (which apparently he would like to do), let alone instill respect for the practice and meaning of accreditation.


As an academic, it's hard enough for me to explain the underlying principles and practices of higher education to the public, but when a university president makes statements like this, it severely undercuts public respect for those principles and practices and undermines all of our efforts, including yours, to guarantee quality in our institutions of higher education and to retain the trust of our public.


Savina Schoenhofer



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The Shadow

Date:
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The good professor is an AAUP member at Alcorn.

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Savina

Date:
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Oh, oh...I've been outed!

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interested bystander

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I just came across this quote...


"[N]o problem is ever solved by those, who, when they fail, look for someone to blame instead of something to do." -- Fred Waggoner

It's impressive to me that AAUP and other organizations on campus and other individuals are doing something while the president is looking for someone to blame instead of something to do. My hat's off to you AAUP!



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