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.