saunders22

(February 13, 2009) Town Meeting Highlights: 70% Madame President reported that about 70% of the Southern Miss budget is people-related – salaries, fringes, etc. It is her hope that salaries will be untouched for all in the 2010 budget. “We” are already under-paid. While this is “on the table,” if there was a salary cuts or forced furlough, it would affect Martha as well; therefore, this option is clearly a last resort.

(February 13, 2009) Town Meeting Highlights: Spring Break President Saunders announced – twice, for more applause, and clarity – that Southern Miss will be closed the week of Spring Break. The clarity was needed because the second pass at this Saunders said closed “with pay”.

(February 13, 2009) Town Meeting Highlights: Like Saunders through the Hourglass How long will Martha have her liberal arts support base with her airplane? As the much lower paid liberal arts faculty, who desperately want to support one of their own, continue to travel less, teach more and bigger classes, and serve more, when will they tire of the President? She demonstrated her lack of understanding of the classroom trenches when Dr. Bill Scarborough asked a question about the huge money and time-intensive student retention efforts at Southern Miss. Paraphrasing Dr. Scarborough, he asked given the virtual open admissions at USM, given how many students do not attend class regularly, and do not study or seem to care about their grades, why do we want to retain them?

(February 16, 2009) D. for Dissembler Martha D. Saunders Dissembles about USM Plane at USM Town Meeting On 12-Feb-09, USM students, faculty and staff, along with other concerned citizens gathered on USM's Hattiesburg campus (USM-GC joined via webcast) for a Town Meeting to hear USM president Martha D. Saunders (shown below) speak about the budget crisis facing USM. Saunders opened her presentation by stating that "[t]his is a time for candor and for realistically facing conditions in our University budget. It's not a time for hand-wringing or retreat."

(February 17, 2009) Leaders Lead, They Do Not Reiterate From Martha’s blog: Excerpt from convocation remarks... Morale is important. Being clear is important. Being perceived as caring and concerned is important. Flatly saying your precious airplane is not “on the table” when everything else is, is poor planning, bad public relations, and more of a crystal clear insight into your true character than you ever wanted to reveal. You may not have sensed it in the room, but that move cost you. You may not sensed it around campus and the community, but people are talking about you and Southern Miss. They are not talking about grants received, honors earned, or student placement; it is about that silly little airplane.