weekly_report_12_01

We Won! Time to ante up another hundred mill! News Flash: USM beat UAB 62 - 27. The following are a few comments from fans:

Rodney Bennett's Extravagance Part 7 - While we celebrate Christmas, Let's rejoice in the gifts granted by taxpayers and students to President Bennett and his cronies. Of course, if you're a student or taxpayer don't expect a thank you note - unless you count the notice of increase in tuition if you're a student and the increase in taxes if you're a taxpayer.

Dear usmnews.net, If you read the sports blogs and listen to the "faithful", you might think Southern Miss [football team] just won the [national] championship. While I understand the need to "feel good", the facts are that Southern Miss has a two year won-loss record of 1 and 23. Under Coach Monken, the team has a record of 1-11. With salary and benefits we are paying him something approaching a million dollars for one win.

Will USM disappear or merge in the next 10 to 15 years? Here's some food for thought from The Chronicle of Higher Education: Last month Clayton M. Christensen, a Harvard Business School professor and champion of disruptive innovation, suggested in a New York Times essay he wrote with Michael B. Horn that the "bottom 25 percent of every tier" of colleges will disappear or merge in the next 10 to 15 years

Dear usmnews.net, I'm surprised you didn't report on Stephen Bushardt being replaced as chairman of the Department of Management and Marketing at the University of Texas at Tyler. Any thoughts on what happened.

Guest Editorial True Measures of University Research Success A recent article in The Hattiesburg American ("State universities play a key role in innovation efforts") is common fare found in THA and enlightening as to what is falls into the category of "news".

Editorial A Trophy? Why? A December 11, 2013, Hattiesburg American public relations release for USM said, "University of Southern Mississippi President Rodney Bennett proudly displayed the school's Halbrook Award trophy during this morning's media roundtable..."

Dear usmnews.net, I read the Hattiesburg American interview with [Athletic Director] McGillis. I have a lot of questions, but one seems to overlay the entire exchange. How incompetent is he [McGillis]? Take a look at this exchange [quoted from THA's interview with McGillis] and see if you don't have the same question.

Dear usmnews.net, What do you think about Harold Doty's award winning paper "Career Authenticity Based Voluntary Career Transition: A Grounded Theory Study?" I have to admit I wasn't very impressed, but would appreciate hearing what you have to say.

Guest Editorial Mission Impossible Getting a Straight Answer out of AD Bill McGillis Yesterday I read Dear usmnews.net and clicked on the citation to Jason Munz's [Hattiesburg American's sports writer] interview with Southern Miss athletic director Bill McGillis. It appears the Rodney Bennett administration is pushing USM's new athletic director, out front to deflect criticism of the institution's disastrous athletics program.

Editorial USM Foundation: An Enigma, An Absurdity Will USM Gets What It Deserve By Manipulating Language? USM Foundation wants it both ways: it wants to deny its relation to USM when it wants to conceal information from open records requests, and it affirms its relation to USM when it wants to collect money from donors.

Questions from usmnews.net's readers Lately usmnews.net has been receiving a number of questions from its readers. From time to time, usmnews.net will publish some of the questions and provide answers. Question 18: It's been a while since you've posted any questions. Anything going on?

The PC Police From today's (December 16, 2013) Chronicle of Higher Education: U. of Colorado Professor Reportedly Is Forced to Retire After Prostitution Skit "Patricia A. Adler, a longtime sociology professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, reportedly has been asked to retire at the end of the semester after university officials found a skit she used in a lecture on prostitution to be objectionable ...".

Holiday Predictions for 2014 usmnews.net continues to receive predictions for 2014. Please feel free to share your predictions with our readers. 6) Southern Miss' MBA program will continue to be unranked. However, that won't stop the University from paying for billboards to tout the program.

The PC Police Part 2 On December 17, 2013, The Chronicle of Higher Education offered another report on administrative disciplinary action against Professor Adler. (A comment by the editor of usmnews.net follows the report):

Editorial Innovation? Dear Dr. Bennett, Instead of throwing the word "innovation," around, why don't you tell us, in detail, what you have accomplished. Let's hear about your failures, too. You'll claim successes-your PR blather -- but let's hear about them in detail. Now, do the same with failures. If you don't reveal your failures, you and those who will soon sit in you seat will continue to make the same mistakes over and over. Want an example?

How to create many, many local tyrants! A report in The Chronicle of Higher Education today, December 19, 2013, advises how Kansas, and other administrative overseers, can create many, many, local tyrants.

Dear usmnews.net, I saw a number of reports that Alcorn State's president had resigned. The fact that the IHL couldn't or wouldn't just let him resign with a claim that it was time to leave because he had accomplished everything he set out to do, was tired, etc. (a la Martha Saunders) speaks volumes.