No Confidence in Dr. Shelby Thames as President of The University of Southern Mississippi

As alumni, faculty, staff, students, and concerned friends of The University of Southern Mississippi, we are deeply troubled by the recent events at our beloved university. On Friday, March 5, 2004, Dr. Shelby Thames suspended two tenured professors, Dr. Francis Glamser and Dr. Gary Stringer. Their office locks were changed, and their research files and computers were confiscated. To our knowledge, no other university officials (i.e. chairs, dean, etc.) were consulted in the decision making process. This is the latest in a long list of autocratic decisions made by the Thames administration with no input from faculty or other stakeholders.

These actions are a violation of academic freedom in that they stem directly from inquiries that these professors made into the credentials of a member of the Thames administration. Unfortunately, this is simply the latest in a long line of abuses of power perpetrated by Shelby Thames. A few examples:

*April 2002: Faculty members send letters opposing Thames as president when he is named as one of four finalists. They characterize him as a "micromanager and taskmaster." More than 85 percent of faculty in a vote organized by the American Association of University Professors say Thames would be unacceptable. Thames is chosen to lead university despite the concerns.

*January 2003: Thames announces that the university's nine colleges will be consolidated into five, meaning the existing deans will lose their positions. The deans must reapply for the fewer positions. The AAUP issues a statement calling the "cavalier treatment of deans reprehensible."

*April 2003: Faculty calls for state College Board to mediate an internal flap. Faculty are concerned about a reorganization that will eliminate dean positions as well as a new evaluation system.

*May 2003: The USM administration butts heads with the student-run newspaper, The Student Printz. "I'm real concerned with what we've taught our students in journalism," Thames states.

*June 2003: Thames announces that the restructuring will result in 18 layoffs. Five top USM administration officials either resign or are laid off.

*December 2003: USM admits problems with a student count that showed it had the largest student enrollment of any state university. Susan Siltanen, director of the Office of Institutional Research, resigns due to the student count inconsistencies.

*January 2004: The AAUP investigates whether a vice president has inaccurate information on her resume about working at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, when she was actually employed at Ashland Community College.

*March 2004: Faculty questions how decisions over merit raises were decided. The university buys a full-page newspaper advertisement to defend the raises.

We, the undersigned, bear witness to this pattern of egregious misuse of power and acknowledge the culture of fear that has resulted from the actions of the Thames administration. Therefore, we strongly urge the Board of Trustees to:

*Fully reinstate Dr. Glamser and Dr. Stringer
*Provide outside mediation to foster communication between the faculty and Dr. Thames
*Begin a full and open investigation into the decision-making processes of the Thames administration
*And, if met with opposition for such an investigation, we call for the immediate termination of Dr. Shelby Thames as President of The University of Southern Mississippi

Please take a stand for the future of Mississippi.

Thank you.