miscellaneous15

(December 7, 2007) Breaking News Cyree Named Interim Dean at Ole Miss OXFORD – Former USM finance faculty, Ken Cyree, has been named Interim Dean of the business school at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Cyree replaces former Ole Miss Dean Brian Reithel, who had served as the business school Dean since 2003. Sources tell USMNEWS.NET that Reithel became embattled when he defied Ole Miss business school professors’ decision not to support Reithel’s major online education initiative. This is an interesting turn of events, given that, according to sources, USM’s CoB faculty simply “roll over” to demands for more online course offerings, even if educational quality suffers in the process.

(January 9, 2008) 31st & Pearl Perfectly Played Is it just us, or do you and other readers of usmnews.net see the genius in the way former CoB professors, Stephen and Dana Haggard, navigated the academic labor market from 2005-07? A dual hiring situation is always difficult, but the Haggards managed one in 2005, coming out of the University of Missouri and landing in USM.s CoB. Then, after one year, they both moved up to Missouri State University, free and clear of the disaster that the CoB has become since 2003, if not before. Now at MSU, the Haggards are together with another former CoB job candidate, Doug Witte, who is on the Missouri State finance faculty.

(January 10, 2008) Special Report "Critical" Condition An Investigative Report on the CoB's Plans for Online Education The recent proclamation by Interim CoB Dean, Alvin Williams, that the CoB's need to move its courses and programs online is "critical" has been met with skepticism by many of the CoB's faculty. Sources tell usmnews.net that it is not known whether Williams believes his own proclamation, or whether he was simply parroting the desires of new USM President, Martha Saunders. What is known, however, is that the Ole Miss central administration recently sacked its business Dean for bucking the OM business faculty's decision not to support online courses and programs for OM business students. The decision to remove OM's dean resulted in former CoB faculty, Ken Cyree, ascending to the position of Interim Dean of OM's business college.

(January 15, 2008) 31st & Pearl More "No" No Good In case you are joining us late in the game, the CoB's 2007-08 job searches are now well under way and the"politely decline" routine from candidate pool finalists has begun anew. Already the finance group has received the "thanks, but no thanks" play two or three times, and management has been kicked to the curb by at least one candidate thus far.

(January 22, 2008) Breaking News ECO Search Committee Chooses Finalists HATTIESBURG – USMNEWS.NET reporters have learned that the ECO search committee has chosen four finalists for on-campus interviews. According to sources, none of these finalists has a USM degree, suggesting that ECO, unlike FIN, is not part of the 2007-08 "Bring 'Em All Home" Program. USMNEWS.NET readers will recall that FIN has already hired Kimberly Goodwin, a graduate of USM's College of Business. Sources say that Goodwin holds an MBA from USM.