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Over the past several years, usmnews.net has published thousands of reports from current and former faculty who share my belief that USM has ineffectively employed far too much of its resources, both in terms of money and people.  The purpose of usmnews.net is not to provide a public relations view.  That is amply supplied by The University of Southern Mississippi's public relations department.

Chauncey M. DePree, Jr.

Click here for editorial policy.
"The fun money is private money. At Southern Miss, I've got state dollars and I've got Foundation dollars. It's real easy to tell them apart. I tell people I've got two checkbooks. I've got my booze account and my non-booze account. Out of the state money I'm pretty constrained what in I can do. ... Foundation dollars, that's when I take my money out of my booze account, I can pretty much do anything I want with it." D. Harold Doty, former Dean, College of Business, University of Southern Mississippi, former Dean, University of Texas at Tyler
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While you are at home watching streaming TV, usmnews.net is offering an alternative. Download a FREE copy of Are AACSB and University Administrators Trustworthy, Miscreant Authorities or Just Plain Dumb? The book is a fully documented report of the failure of accreditation, including the complicity of the AACSB and University Administrators to silence and punish faculty who dared ask a difficult question?
September 23, 2019
Editorial
Institutional Corruption: A Cause of Skyrocketing Costs of Higher Education
Rod Posey
James Crockett
Marvin Albin
Patty Munn
The popular press is replete with stories of corruption in higher education such as the recent college admissions cheating scandal. They're immaterial when compared to skyrocketing costs traced to mundane misconduct of faculty and administrators we describe in this report. Former president IHL, former president USM Foundation, and former CPA, Carl Nicholson, Interim Dean Rod Posey, Director Jim Crockett, his underperforming friend, Marvin Albin, and Instructor Patty Munn cannot claim ignorance about the implications of their behavior on University finances because they were all CPAs.
For readers who have requested quicker access to reports about Dr. Saunders' and now Dr. Bennett's airplane, please click here. A good place to start is Cost Per Flight Hour which includes links to the detailed cost and usage data obtained through open records requests.
In August 2011, Martha Saunders smiled as she presented Galaxy Tabs to selected students. Three senior adminstrators were suspended. Two are no longer employees of the University. Saunders subsequently declared herself "tired" and resigned as president. (For more reports re "Tabletgate", click here.)
February 8, 2019
Breaking News: Carl Nicholson Found Guilty on Eleven Counts of Tax Related Fraud Carl Nicholson, former Hattiesburg CPA, former member and President of the Mississippi Institutes of Higher Learning, and former President of the University of Southern Mississippi Foundation found guilty on eleven counts of tax related fraud. After a little more than two hours deliberation by the jury, Mr. Nicholson was found guilty of 11 felony counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States government, four counts of false statement on income tax return and six counts of willfully aiding/assisting in preparation of false tax returns. No sentencing date has been set, but Nicholson faces up to 35 years in prison and $2,750,000 in fines.
Picture from happier days from USM Foundation website announcing Mr. Nicholson (center front) as president.
Farhang Niroomand, AGB Conference, circa 2006
Once usmnews.net published the parody UH-V SBA Faculty Loyalty Pledge, we began to hear from colleagues that the parody was in effect what Niroomand said he expected from them when they were junior faculty. From the personal experience of this editor, Dr. Niroomand is a blowhard and a bully.
FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING BOARD OF TRUSTEES CARL NICHOLSON ARRAIGNED ON MULTIPLE FEDERAL TAX LAW VIOLATIONS The Hattiesburg Patriot and The Hattiesburg American are reporting that on Thursday, July 19, 2018, local accountant Carl Nicholson was arraigned on charges of conspiracy to defraud the government,  four counts of making a false statement on an income tax return and six counts of willfully aiding and assisting in preparation of a false tax return. Playing fast and loose with the rules is nothing new for Mr. Nicholson. usmnews.net’s first contact with Mr. Nicholson occurred in 2000 when he was called on by Patty Munn and agreed to “fix” a complaint filed by the editor with the IHL. Links in this article connect to this history.
The photograph of Mr. Nicholson was taken in 2015 at the Lamar County Detention Center
March 4, 2018
BREAKING NEWS FARHANG NIROOMAND SUED FOR DISCRIMINATING AGAINST AND HARASSING FACULTY AT UH-V usmnews.net has received a report that three senior faculty have filed civil complaints against University of Houston - Victoria alleging Farhang Niroomand, former Dean, created a hostile work environment, engaged in racial discrimination, and threatened senior faculty at UH-V. These allegations come as no surprise to faculty and former faculty at the University of Southern Mississippi where Niroomand served as an associate dean for many years. Both junior and senior faculty were the victim of his intemperate behavior.
Corrected Updated 14-June-2017 The BSD Pay Project A Compilation of the Salaries of Southern B-School Deans
June 22, 2017
Farhang [Niroomand] Bullies Senior Faculty, Too Readers want to know if Farhang Niroomand's "coercion" of untenured faculty is anything new. The answer is "no." Nor is Niroomand's bullying limited to untenured assistant professors. The following is the sworn testimony of a professor in the CoB at Southern Miss. At the time Niroomand was Associate Dean in the College of Business. The testimony was not questioned or refuted by Southern Miss or its legal counsel.
June 21, 2017
Updated 14-June-2017 The BSD Pay Project A Compilation of the Salaries of Southern B-School Deans Recent reporting here at USMNEWS.net regarding the salaries of three former USM b-school administrators – Harold Doty and Lance Nail, both former deans, and Farhang Niroomand, a former associate dean – has drawn interest among USMNEWS.net readers. In response to this interest, USMNEWS.net has begun compiling a list of southern b-school deans and their salaries,
June 19, 2017
Farhang [Niroomand] Bullies Junior Faculty Readers want to know if Farhang Niroomand's "coercion" of untenured faculty is anything new. The answer is "no." The following is the sworn testimony of an associate professor in the CoB at Southern Miss. At the time Niroomand was Associate Dean in the College of Business. The testimony was not questioned or refuted by Southern Miss or its legal counsel.
June 18, 2017
Updated 14-June-2017 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. Long-time readers of USMNEWS.net are aware that Faye Gilbert is the current dean of the CoB. Another former CoB administrator, Farhang Niroomand, currently holds the dean’s post at the University of Houston – Victoria. Each of these is listed among all southern university/college business deans in USMNEWS.net’s series on deans’ salaries entitled The BSD Pay Project.
A former colleague of Dean Farhang Niroomand sent the following editorial/parody. Many of us who have had the misfortune of working with Niroomand first laughed, then recalled the bullying and threats used at Southern Miss to keep subordinates in line.
UH-V SBA Faculty Loyalty Pledge I, ____________________, hereby pledge my allegiance to Farhang Niroomand, Dean of the School of Business Administration at the University of Houston – Victoria. In doing so, I affirm that it is only through the infinite benevolence of Farhang Niroomand that I have a salary, health benefits, and a retirement plan with which to support myself and my family. I also recognize that any raise I am to receive, whether secret or made public, comes only through his grace, and that I am entitled to nothing, including the air that I breathe, which comes only through his grace as well. Whether I teach online or face-to-face, in Victoria or in Katy, I am forever indebted to my supervisor, Farhang Niroomand.
June 15, 2017
If you doubt that the parody, UH-V SBA Faculty Loyalty Pledge, is in effect what Niroomand expects of junior faculty, take a look at a copy of a letter from AAUP President of the Texas Conference to the Provost at UH-V "convey[ing] ... concern about reports of coercion of untenured faculty members in the School of Business Administration (SBA) at the University of Houston-Victoria (UHV)." As the letter says, "That this pledge of support was placed before untenured faculty members, several of whom, we understand, are eligible for promotion and tenure this year, and that members of the SBA administration were reportedly present when these signatures were solicited, heightens our concern." As the letter indicates, "... such a request [is] contrary to the fundamental principles of academic freedom."
More than 100,000,000 hits
June 16, 2020
Farhang Niroomand Accused of Sexual Harassment
The Victoria Advocate is reporting that University of Houston - Victoria Professor Olga Chapa has accused former business school dean Farhang Niroomand of sexual harassment.  Dr. Niroomand was an associate dean at the University of Southern Mississippi College of Business until being “relieved” of administrative duties under questionable circumstances.  After a tumultuous few years at UHV, including AAUP’s “… concern about reports of coercion of untenured faculty members”, and discrimination lawsuits by three faculty, Dr. Niroomand returned to teaching. 
Farhang Niroomand, appearing in a wildly sterotypical costume, complete with sombrero, poncho and a firearm
Publications
How An Unlimited Supply Of Borrowed Cash Is Destroying Higher Education
Both of us grew up poor. College was our way out of poverty. Now, we see too many young people locked into poverty by a college education. "You have to go to college" was an article of faith when we were growing up in poor families. Now we wonder if our ticket out of poverty still has the same value. Far too many of this generation are leaving college with substantial debt and few meaningful job opportunities.

The Federalist, 12/27/2019
In Ethics Seminar, Lawyers Say They’d Report A Client For Legally Owning A Gun
If your lawyer believes that having a firearm license defines you as dangerous, you may be at risk of losing your Second Amendment rights and even your freedom. You may not know about his belief or recognize the risk until it is too late....

The Federalist, 05/02/2019
The Failure of Higher Education -- Accreditation
American higher education is failing. There are numerous reasons for this, such as the pervasive deconstructionism in the academy exampled by young rioters destroying monuments to the very heroes who in the past supported similar causes to those of our modern-day “revolutionaries.” Rarely discussed, however, are the negative externalities of careless accreditation.

Minding the Campus - Reforming our Universities 8/15/2020


You have to read Alvin Williams’ deposition to understand him, and the modus operandi of far too many university administrators.   See, e.g., "Does Evil Lurk In Our Community?  And Transfer to the University of South Alabama?" For additional details, read  Are AACSB and University Administrators Trustworthy, Miscreant Authorities or Just Plain Dumb? (free download) 
Alvin Williams


usmnews.net
How Much Does Borrowed Money Cost?
A friend was in the process of borrowing money to buy a home. The banker advised him what the monthly payment would be. It seemed to be on the high side, so he whipped out his calculator and multiplied the monthly charge by the number of months. He couldn’t believe it! The home he wanted to buy was going to cost almost twice the negotiated price. 

Simple Money, No. 11, February 2021
IX
IX is a novel set in the sometimes silly, sometimes serious, sometimes tragic world of higher education. Young adults pay fortunes for credentials but often wind up embracing Zinn-Alinsky principles of Progressive Social Justice. All the while administrators and their ally faculty live the high life, spending money like drunken sailors. Today, there's an added twist:

Kafkaesque "trials."

Story tags

kafkaesque trial, micro-rape, university, accreditation, students, critical race theory

Categories
Thriller

Click here to read. 

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Questions

After his
retirement in 2015, the IHL has summoned Joe Paul to serve as Southern Miss’ eleventh president. A Southern Miss alumnus Dr. Paul has served various administrative functions for more than 40 years. He replaces Dr. Rodney Bennett who was touted as “…  the first African-American  president of a historically and predominantly white higher education institution in Mississippi.” 
Editorial, October 31, 2022
Editorial, December 3, 2022
Joe Paul makes $650,000 per year

PressRegister.com reports that Joe Paul, Southern Miss’ new president, makes $650,000 per year.  Compare this to the average salary in Mississippi of $72,613 USD per year, with the most typical earnings of $47,012.  

Is he worth it? While usmnews.net has its opinions based on years of academic experience, it seems fair to say that given his self-professed love for Southern Miss and its students he might lead the way for other college presidents and administrators to accept a salary equivalent to an average professor. By doing so, Dr. Paul could set a public example and take a first step toward reducing the terrible burden on students and their parents.

Readers, let us know what you think.  Send any comments to marcdepree@gmail.com.
Now for the legalisms.  Any material published as  a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Philip Windsor, CEO of Windsor Tobacco Company, discovered his inventory had been altered, killing smokers in weeks, not decades, threatening his multibillion-dollar business. The initial deaths seemed isolated to a couple of farmers, leading him to believe there was time to learn how to decontaminate inventory. The tobacco, however, crept into commercial cigarettes. At first, deaths went unnoticed hidden in misdiagnoses. Secrecy, however, quickly became untenable. Action had to be taken to save tobacco in warehouses and in fields. Evidence pointed to the culprit, a Kentucky Tech University plant geneticist who was experimenting with tobacco. Dr. Karl Hauer had no idea of the danger he was in until he found himself bound, gagged, and at the mercy of people who thought he had caused their problem.

Ultimately, the most horrific losses occurred in
China. By the time the Chinese Communist Party leaders took action millions of smokers died. CCP was completely blindsided. Chaos followed.

TobaccoPharm
By Marc DePree

FICTION
NON-FICTION -- Business
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New Reports and Opinion Pieces from Around USM
New Reports and Opinion Pieces from Around USM
“More Cash Is Better Than Less” is designed as an interactive E-book including spreadsheets to allow readers quickly and efficiently to evaluate the profitability of any set of mutual funds. Therefore, it is not available in paperback or hardback form. “More Cash” can be read on any computer, tablet, or smart phone. The authors are available to answer questions. A convenient contact form is provided at conlinhoward.com.