weeklyreports_07_01

Commission and Omission We visited a question from a reader last week that implicated the following University of West Florida website information. What exactly is Lee P. Gore telling us? At a minimum, he's saying he is General Counsel of University of West Florida. From that, we should be able to infer that he is qualified to be General Counsel. But why not provide biographical details as other associate general counsel did in their biographies?

... breaking news ... BAR COMPLAINT FILED AGAINST FORMER UNIVERSITY COUNSEL PENSACOLA -- usmnews.net has just received materials indicating that a complaint has been filed with the Florida State Bar Association alleging Lee Gore, former University Counsel at the University of Southern Mississippi, and current General Counsel at the University of West Florida, has been engaged in the practice of law without a license.

Dear usmnews.net, Why do you think Lee Gore failed to obtain admission to the Florida Bar Association? As long as Lee has been a lawyer, don't you think he should have understood the importance getting a license where he is working?

Hammond Says Thanks and Goodbye But not to Everyone Former USM AD Jeff Hammond communicated his farewell in a letter published in The Hattiesburg American on 2-July-2013.

Dear usmnews.net, The Voyager article about Lee Gore had to be one of the funniest things I had read in a long time. My favorite quote was "Gore said he felt he moved as far up as he could in the ranks at USM, but felt that he wanted to continue practicing law." Yeah, he had moved as far up as he could at USM. He had been replaced and shown the door!!

Did Gore and Saunders have "itchy feet"? "Have you ever experienced the itchy-feet syndrome? ... [Administrators and faculty] constantly scan The Chronicle for positions at "Greener Grass University," hoping to find some sort of occupational soul mate of an institution or position. Certainly there are times when a change is good or even beneficial, but ... [u]nless you really must leave your current position, you need to be ... selective."

Dear usmnews.net, Why doesn't Southern Miss drop it's sports programs? Since the school doesn't have, and never will have, the resources to compete with the big time schools, it is a complete waste of money.

Recent Government Visitors Government Visitors to usmnews.net: Although many government organizations have visited usmnews.net over the years since it commenced publication, the following list begins June 19, 2013 and progresses to the current week. We trust that these organizations and readers find usmnews.net informative.

Did Saunders Take Her Accreditation Practices With Her To UWF? University of West Florida's The Voyager.net published on April 9, 2013 an article entitled "AACSB reaccredits UWF's College of Business, provides recognition and suggestions."

Dear usmnews.net, The word around campus is that traditionally weak season ticket orders have all but dried up since Jeff Hammond's contract was not renewed. [President] Bennett and the Interim AD [Jeremy McClain] are reaching out trying to persuade fans that Southern Miss sports will be bigger, better, blah, blah, blah and that they need to support the new coaches.

Editorial While we're on the subject of AACSB accreditation� Recently usmnews.net commented on a report in University of West Florida's The Voyager.net, April 9, 2013, entitled "AACSB reaccredits UWF's College of Business, provides recognition and suggestions."

A History Lesson usmnews.net has published some recent editorials and reports concerning plagiarism of the Southern Miss College of Business Academic Integrity Policy. A number of readers have requested citations to earlier reports discussing the matter.

Is Accreditation Meaningful in Higher Education? Too often, accreditation amounts to a fraud on the public. It is frequently understood as a fraud by insiders, faculty and administrators. I believe I established it was a fraud at the University of Southern Mississippi. More about that later.

Special Report Fixing It? Lee Gore Changes Title in Apparent Belated Effort to Avoid Charges of Practicing Law Without a License On July 1, 2013 usmnews.net announced that the Florida Bar Association had commenced an investigation based on claims that Lee Gore, former USM University Counsel (and current General Counsel for the University of West Florida) was practicing law without a license.

Dear usmnews.net, I haven't been to usmnews.net for a while, but a friend said I had to take a look at your Gore story. What's up with that [investigation by the Florida Bar Association for alleged practicing law without a license]? It seems like a minor violation.

Editorial "ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS" Animal Farm by George Orwell Will Lee Gore be allowed to continue to practice law in Florida without a Florida license? Or is he "more equal" than other Florida non-attorneys?

usmnews.net's reports concerning the Florida Bar Association's investigation into claims that Lee Gore, former University Counsel for USM, has been practicing law without a license in the Office of General Counsel at UWF have drawn a great deal of interest from the Hattiesburg and Pennsacola areas. By request, usmnews.net is reprinting Anne Jordan's case Typifies USM by Duane Cobb.

Editorial Reporters, Where Are You? I wonder why reports at PNJ.com (Pensacola News Journal, A Gannett Company) and The Voyager, the student newspaper for the University of West Florida have not reported that the University's General Counsel Lee Gore is under investigation for charges of practicing law without a license?

Questions from usmnews.net's readers Question 12: Many of your articles are pretty hard hitting. Do you ever get any hate mail?

Editorial -- Journalism 101 Fundamental Journalism: Research and ask relevant questions. For example, before conducting an interview, it is axiomatic to research the interviewee.

Updated 18-July-2013 HELP WANTED A Look at Business Dean Openings from Around the Country With four current/former CoB deans moving around in the academic world, some USMNEWS.net readers have requested an ongoing report that tracks current b-school dean openings.

Dear usmnews.net, Below are links to the WUWF.org website (NPR affiliate), in particular the video of the last BOT meeting [Board of Trustees] on 11 JUN 13. The opening sequence centers on Lewis Bear, who is the current chair of the UWF BOT. To his right is President Judy Bense and to her right is Lee P. Gore, then called the General Counsel, more recently "Special Assistant to the President".

In light of the interest from our colleagues at UWF concerning Provost Saunders and Special Assistant to the President (formerly General Counsel and still appearing on the General Counsel section of the UWF webpage), usmnews.net is reprinting reports and editorials requested by UWF readers. One seems to have been of particular interest: Lee Gore “Every professor’s first name is ‘Plaintiff’"

Dear usmnews.net, Do you have a picture of Lee Gore, the guy who's [allegedly] practicing law in Florida without a license? I was at USM for years, and was trying to see if I knew who he was. I don't think I ever saw him. I don't know. But a picture sure would help.

What Rules, Laws, and Ethics? Current UWF General Counsel (more recently labeled as a Special Assistant to the President) and past USM General Counsel, Lee Gore is being investigated by the Florida Bar for practicing law without a license. Knowledge of rules, laws, and ethics might be occasion for proper behavior. Not to Lee Gore.

In the category of still looking Lost Horizons In June 2008, Mary Morgan Anderson claimed an Accounting Horizons publication for her vita. Under the CoB journal rankings, Accounting Horizons is an A-level pub. ... Did Anderson tell the "whole truth" about her academic research record in the testimony above? Reporters at USMNEWS.NET sought to investigate that very question as it relates to the illusory Accounting Horizon's article. A diligent search of Accounting Horizons has not identified a single publication under Dr. Morgan's name.

Is This What You Call Professional? Consider the following sworn testimony of Martha Saunders. This testimony reflects what happens when former USM General Counsel Lee Gore provides legal advice to former USM President Martha Saunders. Can you expect the same repulsive behavior from Lee Gore and Martha Saunders at UWF?

Special Report Gaming the System An Investigative Series on CoB Faculty Research Credentials Scholarly Open Access, Critical Analysis of Scholarly Open Access Publishing, reports “... a list of questionable, scholarly open-access publishers.” These publishers are so suspect that it recommends “... scholars not do any business with these publishers, ...".

breaking news Jeff Hammond is Back Close on the heels of Rodney Bennett announcing that Bill McGillis was hired to replace Jeff Hammond as Athletic Director for USM, Jeff Hammond has accepted the newly created position of Special Assistant to the President for Military and Veterans Student Affairs at Southern Miss.

Dear usmnews.net, Some things just strike me as odd. Jeff Hammond who has been accused of harassing and threatening female employees has been assigned to work with veterans and their families. Some of those veterans and family members are going to be females. Some of those female veterans may be emotionally fragile after having served in a war zone. Is Jeff going to scream and yell at them, too?

reprint by request Special Report Tedious An Investigative Series on CoB Faculty Research Credentials USMNEWS.net hears from readers from time to time, and one theme that has come across over the past three years pertains to the research records of former CoB accounting professor Stanley Clark and CoB accounting professor Charles Jordan.

And now for something really stupid... Football season is upon us. Will President Bennett use the very expensive airplane past President Saunders bought with student and taxpayer money, to continue junkets for IHL members, politicians and family members?

Dear usmnews.net, I'm hearing from some of the people in and around the round building that Dr. Bennett is little more than a figurehead and others are making the real decisions. They say he is a very pleasant figurehead, but ..

How does a Q&A dialogue unfold when an attorney catches a witness lying? Here's one of many examples from our usmnews.net's archives of how a Q&A unfolds when an attorney catches a witness lying. The following is the actual sworn testimony of Roderick Burl Posey, Professor, School of Accountancy, College of Business, University of Southern Mississippi, taken on June 10, 2008