STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428
E-MAIL: mccaleb4thdist@aol.com
WEB SITE: www.mississippiwebsite.com
STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428
E-MAIL: mccaleb4thdist@aol.com
WEB SITE: www.mississippiwebsite.com
July 20, 2001
By MARY KAY DIRICKSON
THE SUN HERALD
Monday, April 30, 2007
JACKSON - Late Thursday night, University of Southern Mississippi President Horace Fleming turned down a contract that the College Board offered him.
I feel Horace Fleming made the right decision.
The university will survive and go on, I spent
over 20 years in the Naval Seabees and I learned that everyone could be
replaced.
After an executive session that lasted almost six hours, the board emerged to announce it had offered Fleming a one-year deal.
The board was more than fair in their decision.
In fact I am surprised they offered the one-year
extension.
"The board has not given me what I
need to be effective," Fleming said of the contract. "But I'm a Golden
Eagle for life."
What does Horace Fleming need to be effective?
He has had four years to be effective, what is he
lacking?
Although neither Fleming nor board members would elaborate on the discussions, Fleming said they differed on issues of "leadership and approach."
His "leadership and approach,” or the
College Boards, “leadership and approach,”
"The board will have to take responsibility for the kind of leadership that the University of Southern Mississippi has," Fleming said. "We've done a lot in four and a half years. Spiritually, I'm pleased."
It’s good that Horace Fleming believes he has
done a lot for the university as he steps down.
Although disappointed, Fleming's supporters said they thought he made the right decision in turning down the board's offer.
I find it odd that Fleming’s supporters are not
speaking out more aggressively about the Boards decision.
They were so vocal about keeping him for another
four years.
Kris Powell, a senior at USM and one of the half-dozen students who stayed at the board meeting until 9:30 p.m. to hear the verdict, said the board was trying to tie Fleming's hands.
Where is the proof that the board was trying to
tie his hands.
It seems to me that Fleming did whatever he wanted
to do, perhaps this is the reason he will know longer be the university
president.
"If the board was taking the best interests of USM to heart, they would have renewed his four-year contract," Powell said.
I would say Powell is guessing about the best
interest of the university.
The next president may exceed in his or her
ability to move the university ahead.
I just want to get paid for the work completed for
USM/WRANPS, perhaps the next president will help me.
Virginia Shanteau Newton of Gulfport was the only dissenting vote. She said that she wanted to give Fleming a four-year contract.
I am sorry Newton was not successful in getting
what she wanted.
But it may work out to where she will be able to
work with the next president.
"I certainly wanted to renew his contract," she said after the meeting. "There are problems on campus, but they could have been addressed. I think all South Mississippi will be disappointed to lose Dr. Fleming."
I am one that is not disappointed; I have tried to
get Fleming to work with me on getting paid for work completed for USM/WRANPS
but without success.
If there are problems on campus, the next
president may be able to fix the problems.
Gene Warr, chairman of the citizens' planning group Coast 21, said he was disappointed because he thought the school might lose momentum. He is also worried that some of the board-endorsed projects that Fleming spearheaded, such as a four-year campus on the Coast and the university center, will not happen.
There are many places to build a four-year
university in Mississippi; Long Beach is not the right place.
Look at the campus in Hattiesburg, it needs to
expand but is limited to land space, it’s the same here.
I believe Gene Warr is thinking more about money
and not that the Coast needs a four-year university.
"They have told us that is not an issue," in Fleming's dismissal, Warr said. "We'll see."
I am sure it is an issue, but the degree of the
issue may be small.
Let’s not forget that there is still a lawsuit
by the colleges still pending.
Fleming will continue to be president for another two months while the board decides how to handle the transition to an interim president. He has no immediate plans.
Two months should be enough time to place an
interim, or the next full time president at USM.
Dr. Fleming should not have a hard time finding
another position, but it may be hard to find another position, which pays
$200,000 per year.
"I'll probably play a little golf," Fleming said to the cluster of cameras that gathered around him after the press conference. "I play very poorly, but it'll be good to get outside."
I would think Fleming would stay as a lobbyist
since he is already registered as a lobbyist.
Thursday's vote comes at the end of a month of public controversy about Fleming.
Yep, it’s over; done, finished, let’s move on.
The board reportedly came to an agreement at its last meeting and sent board Commissioner Thomas Layzell to ask Fleming for his resignation.
I would have liked to be a bug on the wall at that
meeting.
Know one likes to be the bearer of bad news, but
someone has to do it.
When rumors that Fleming might lose his job started circulating, his supporters launched an informal campaign to save him.
Are Fleming’s supporters going too support the
next president or reject the next president?
Organizations all over South Mississippi passed resolutions asking the College Board to give Fleming a new contract.
The key word here is, “Organizations,” these are peopling which look at the money and how Fleming leaving may upset their plans for the Coast.
In the weeks since Layzell met with Fleming, the debate over Fleming's job performance became public. Alumni, faculty, staff and students all made their opinions known.
As they should, there is nothing wrong with
supporting a current president of the university.
As they waited for the board's decision, some of Fleming's supporters hashed over their reasons for wanting to keep him.
I wondered about that myself myself.
Chevis Swetman, chairman and president of the Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, said the argument that Fleming had spent too much money on technology was dead wrong.
But does the Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce know
how much money was spent on technology.
"Four years ago, technology at that campus was nonexistent," he said. "Dr. Fleming saw a problem and he fixed it."
Being the president
of a university, fixing problems is only one part of the job, and I commend him
for that.
The board's method was also discussed.
I am sure they discussed a lot of things in there
meeting.
"I think the board doesn't have the best system for evaluating these people," said USM-Gulf Park history professor Pat Smith.
It sounds to me like professor Pat Smith knows the
only way to evaluate people; I think not.
Susan Hubble, Faculty Senate president, said she wanted to work with the board on improving their evaluation process.
I would like to know what the problem is first.
Does the evaluation process need to be changed,
and if so why?
Hubble said it would be better if campus groups such as the faculty and staff were asked for their input. She said that if they were able to answer a questionnaire and deal with their concerns in a more formal manner, it would help keep the review from becoming a media circus.
I agree, input is very important in some cases; maybe this is one of them.
Smith said it would be hard for the board to find an adequate replacement for Fleming.
I find this hard to be true, I feel confident a replacement will be found.
"What kind of person are they going to find?" he said. "The real concern is that we have two real hard years financially ahead of us."
But life will go on; the university will survive
as always.
Mary Kay Dirickson can be reached at 896-3105 or
at mdirickson@sunherald.com
STEVEN A. McCALEB
COMMENTARY
MY OPINION