ARTICLES CONCERNING
EVALUATION, TENURE AND FINANCIAL REWARDS
(November 19, 2008 ) Politically astute (note from the editor -- the following letter was written in response to an email
received from an untenured assistant professor. The professor in question did not respond to the letter nor did he communicate
further with usmnews.net.) Dear Dr. _______________, We are planning to request publication information (vitae) from
the faculty via usmnews.net to follow up on your suggestion. We were in the process of updating your information and
realized that to do so would not only identify, but highlight you. The question our colleagues at USM’s CoB would likely
ask is why did Dr. ___________ provide information to usmnews.net? I do not believe my concerns are unfounded. Not
long ago, another untenured assistant professor who communicated with usmnews.net providing thoughtful input and
advice was handed a terminal contract, only six months before he went up for tenure. To be clear, the young faculty
member had an almost certainly tenurable record.
(May 13, 2009) Five CoB Faculty Awarded Tenure for 2009-10 JACKSON – At the May-09 IHL Board meeting, set to occur
tomorrow (13-May) and Thursday (14-May), five CoB faculty will be awarded tenure, which will begin in the 2009-10
academic year. These individuals are John Clark (FIN), Fujun Lai (DS), Farooq Malik (FIN), Lance Nail (FIN), and
Michael Wittmann (MKT).
(May 19, 2009) GH Chatter The 2008-09 tenure class was certainly a motley bunch. About the only one not surrounded by
controversy is Fujun Lai of decision sciences. Chatter has it that John Clark's (FIN) tenure faced some behind-the-scenes
opposition from the first floor (of JAG) of all places. Clark is known for maintaining a "relaxed" work schedule, to put it
mildly. His relatively new FIN colleague, the newly tenured Farooq Malik, has also developed the reputation of coming
in to teach and then leaving (the JAG). Chatter has it that Malik is as much "the ghost" as anyone else in the CoB. As for
the remaining non-administrative member of the 2008-09 tenure class, some are surprised to see that Michael Wittmann
is teaching a full load this summer. Chatter has it that those who hold distinguished professorships, like Wittmann,
should instead be engaged in research during the summers.