davis7

(May 4, 2009) Dear Donna, By now many USMNEWS.net readers have learned that you (CoB decision sciences professor Donna Davis) have been named chairperson of the CoB's new department of business economics and decision sciences (BEDS). Regardless of how the selection of you occurred, most CoBers outside of ECO are pulling for you to make a positive change in the BEDS. It is probably a safe bet to also state that many, if not most, long-time readers of USMNEWS.net are hoping that you will be able to corral the often wayward economists in a way that allows the rest of the CoB to become more productive. New CoB dean Lance Nail certainly needs ECO's better angels to prevail.

(May 11, 2009) GH Chatter By many GH chatter accounts, the recent report speculating that the selection of Donna Davis to chair the new BEDS may have involved a circumvention of faculty governance was spot on . . . well, at least partially so. Word around JAG is that ECO's Akbar Marvasti wanted to chair the new BEDS as well, but he was unable to overcome a particularly "sensitive issue" that some of the powers-that-be deemed would put USM at too much risk, at least in terms of a Marvasti-chaired BEDS. Thus, according to new accounts at least, Davis easily ascended to her new position atop BEDS. Very interesting.

(May 27, 2009) Davis and George Elected to Faculty Senate According to the May-09 Faculty Senate meeting minutes, the CoB's Donna Davis and Babu George have been elected to the USM Faculty Senate. Of course, when her name was placed on the ballot, Davis, a professor of decision sciences, was a rank-and-file faculty member. Now she is the new chair of the new department of business economics and decision sciences (BEDS). Surely, then, her election victory will have to be voided and her seat vacated.