Over the past several years, usmnews.net has published literally thousands of reports from current and former faculty
who share my belief that USM has ineffectively and inefficiently 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.)
More than 85,000,000 hits
"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, current Dean,
University of Texas at Tyler
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.)
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.
usmnews.net
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."
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.
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.
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.
June 15, 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.
June 18, 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 19, 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 20, 2017
June 21, 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 22, 2017
June 27, 2017
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.
July 23, 2018
The photograph of Mr. Nicholson shown to the right was taken in 2015 at the
Lamar County Detention Center
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Chauncey M. DePree, Jr., BA, MS, DBA
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.
February 8, 2019
Recent Publications
Breaking News -- Carl Nicholson, former president IHL, former president USM Foundation,
and former CPA sentenced for criminal violation of tax laws U.S. News & World Report and
WDAM TV are reporting that earlier this morning U.S. District Court Judge Keith Starrett
sentenced Mr. Nicholson to five years in federal prison, ordered him to pay restitution of
$629,432 to the IRS and a $25,000 fine. Mr. Nicholson could have received up to thirty five (35)
years in prison and $2,750,000 in fines. On February 8, 2019, Mr. Nicholson was convicted on
eleven (11) felony counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States government, four
(4) counts of false statement on income tax returns, and six (6) counts of willfully
aiding/assisting in preparation of false tax returns. According to U.S. News & World Report,
during sentencing Judge Starrett stated "Somewhere along the way you forgot your moral
compass. This is one of the most egregious (tax crimes). You knew what you were doing. You
were cheating the government and stealing from your partners. It is sad that it has all come to
this."
May 23, 2019
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.
Editorial
September 23, 2019
Rod Posey
Jim Crockett
Marvin Albin
Patty Munn
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
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