The University of Southern Mississippi

Continuation of January 28^th Faculty Senate Special Meeting

February 2, 2005

Cook Library Room 123

5:00 p.m.

1.0       Call to Order – Meeting was called to order at 5:10pm  Proxies were verified.

2.0       Continuation of Meeting from January 28, 2005 – The senate meeting of January 28^th was suspended after senators met in closed session.  The meeting continued on February 2^rd.  Dave B. read the Faculty Senate By-Laws concerning closed door sessions.  A motion was made, seconded and passed unanimously to close the meeting.  Non-senate faculty were allowed to stay.

When the senate reopened its session, a resolution was read and voted on.  The resolution (attached) passed 39-2.  The secretary of the senate was instructed to immediately send the resolution via email to the Board.  The resolution and an accompanying letter were sent via postal mail to the IHL Board members. 

3.0       Adjournment

A Faculty Senate Resolution to Urge the IHL Board of Trustees to Begin the Search Process to Select a New President for USM

At a February 2, 2005 special meeting of the USM Faculty Senate, faculty senators passed the MOTION that follows by a margin of 39-2. 

THE MOTION

We respectfully request that the IHL Board of Trustees begin as soon as possible in spring 2005 a national search to find a successor to Dr. Shelby F. Thames, current President of The University of Southern Mississippi (USM).  The four-year term for Dr. Thames will conclude in May 2006, and the goal of a national search should be to have the successor to Dr. Thames identified in time to have a smooth transition of leadership during the latter stages of spring 2006.  This target date will also mean that the SACS reaffirmation of accreditation process for USM, scheduled for spring 2006, will be complete before a new president takes office.

In making this request, we want to assure members of the Board of Trustees that USM faculty members will do all they can between now and the end of spring semester 2006 to help remove USM from SACS probation and have SACS accreditation reaffirmed in spring semester 2006.  We also want to state clearly that the Thames Administration has been marked by controversy and misjudgments, and we believe that a second four-year term for Dr. Thames is not in the best interests of USM or higher education in Mississippi.

Members Present  and Those Represented by Proxy (In Parenthesis):

College of the Arts & Letters

Joe Brumbeloe (Kimberley Davis)

Amy Chasteen-Miller (Steve Oshrin)

Phillip Gentile (Jennifer Torres)

Kate Greene 

Stephen Judd (Amy Young)

Bill Powell

Bill Scarborough

Paula Smithka

Jennifer Torres

Anne Wallace

College of Business

James Crockett

David Duhon

Bill Gunther

Laurie Babin (David Duhon)

College of Education & Psychology

Taralynn Hartsell (Mary Beth Applin)

Melanie Norton

Joe Olmi

Janice Thompson

Daniel Tingstrom

College of Health

Bonnie Harbaugh

Susan Hubble

Margot Hall

Mary Lux

Mary Frances Nettles

Tim Rehner

College of Coastal Science

Chet Rakocinski (Dave Beckett)

Don Redalje (Dave Beckett)

College of Science & Technology

David Beckett, President

Randy Buchanan (Bill Gunther)

Peter Butko

Raymond Folse  

Mary Dayne Gregg (Jay Norton)

Myron Henry

Gail Russell

Alan Thompson

University Libraries

Mary Beth Applin

Jay Barton Spencer 

USM-Gulf Coast

Allisa Beck (Mary Beth Applin)

J. Pat Smith

Wil Watson (Kay Harris)

Kay Harris

Members Absent:

College of the Arts & Letters: John Meyer

College of Business:

College of Education & Psychology:

College of Health:

College of Coastal Science:

College of Science & Technology:

University Libraries:

USM-Gulf Coast: