Why is Keenum so great?

[Shamoan]

Thanks for the thoughtful response. It just doesn’t seem like much is being done and for us to be that far behind ole miss is extremely alarming.

 

[was21]

Guess he's not as bad as Portera was. He was an Alabama guy from day one although an alumnus of State. He at one time stated that State was big enough enrollment wise and didn't need to increase enrollment.

 

[Shamoan]

dp

 

[Shamoan]

It was suggested that I look at polls, so I did and posted the results

 

[Shamoan]

This is a pretty dumb statement. This is strictly an academic conversation

 

[Shamoan]

We are dead last in the sec academically and have fallen over the last decade. That is fact. I won’t debate fact with anyone

 

[Shamoan]

That is a reasonable response. I have two 4 year degrees and spent 9 years of my adult life in higher education, so i have more experience than most, but I don’t claim to know everything and allowed for those that might know better to fill in my blind spots of ignorance, I assume (based on unnecessarily pissy responses) some of those responses took that as a passive aggressive insult.

 

[Tuco.sixpack]

Lots of interesting comments on this thread for sure. Below are some actual facts about academics and research at MSU that were taken straight from a recent Keenum report.

MSU has its share of problems but he isn't one of them from my viewpoint. In a state where support for higher education has diminished, Keenum has done more for our university during his tenure that most of you will ever realize. The new provost is a good hire for a number of reasons. I have confidence that they will continue to make MSU the best that it can me.

Record enrollment-22,226 (5th straight year of growth)
#1 college choice for MS high school graduates
64% of student body are from MS
Record ACT average for freshman class of 26.1
Record number of freshmen with perfect ACT score-12
Record distance education enrollment-1,861
Record number of Shackouls Honors freshmen-736
MSU-Meridian grew 12% to 654 students
MSU was one of only three universities (DSU/MUW) with enrollment growth (+252 students) in 2019
Record number of new faculty-108
Record fundraising-$113.9M (6th consecutive year over $100M)
Record alumni giving-18% (among best in SEC)

National Science Foundation Higher Education R&D Survey, FY2018
Record R&D expenditures $244.1M
Highest ranked university in the state. MSU accounts for more than HALF of all R&D in Mississippi
Again ranked among nation't top 100 universities
National leader in agricultural research (top 10)-$105.1M
Leading SEC in social sciences research-$41M

 

[mount lefroy]

Lots of interesting comments on this thread for sure. Below are some actual facts about academics and research at MSU that were taken straight from a recent Keenum report.

MSU has its share of problems but he isn't one of them from my viewpoint. In a state where support for higher education has diminished, Keenum has done more for our university during his tenure that most of you will ever realize. The new provost is a good hire for a number of reasons. I have confidence that they will continue to make MSU the best that it can me.

Record enrollment-22,226 (5th straight year of growth)
#1 college choice for MS high school graduates
64% of student body are from MS
Record ACT average for freshman class of 26.1
Record number of freshmen with perfect ACT score-12
Record distance education enrollment-1,861
Record number of Shackouls Honors freshmen-736
MSU-Meridian grew 12% to 654 students
MSU was one of only three universities (DSU/MUW) with enrollment growth (+252 students) in 2019
Record number of new faculty-108
Record fundraising-$113.9M (6th consecutive year over $100M)
Record alumni giving-18% (among best in SEC)

National Science Foundation Higher Education R&D Survey, FY2018
Record R&D expenditures $244.1M
Highest ranked university in the state. MSU accounts for more than HALF of all R&D in Mississippi
Again ranked among nation't top 100 universities
National leader in agricultural research (top 10)-$105.1M
Leading SEC in social sciences research-$41M

But a magazine and a newspaper ran a poll......and that is...fact...and what not....

 

[The Situation]

Guess he's not as bad as Portera was. He was an Alabama guy from day one although an alumnus of State. He at one time stated that State was big enough enrollment wise and didn't need to increase enrollment.

Porters was big on JUCOS, as am I. But we still need to increase enrollment, even if it has to be out of staters. We need to strategically choose where we recruit. East Texas should be one area. I’d also like to see some emphasis on New York and New Jersey. Clemson did this with great success. New ideas have helped transform South Carolina.

 

[BingleCocktail]

That is a reasonable response. I have two 4 year degrees and spent 9 years of my adult life in higher education, so i have more experience than most, but I don’t claim to know everything and allowed for those that might know better to fill in my blind spots of ignorance, I assume (based on unnecessarily pissy responses) some of those responses took that as a passive aggressive insult.

That's pretty solid experience, and your posts reflect it. I've spent almost two decades in university settings (the other half in industry) - I can assure you that you are asking all the right questions that are part of the strategic planning processes at the highest level.

USNWR rankings, NSF rankings (a.k.a. HERD rankings), R1 Carneige ratings, and the like are all interesting measures and bragging points. You can see scores of these lists in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The reality is that they are great for marketing. Yet solid (read: smart) leadership at an institutional level will have realized that their university is unique. Comparisons to other universities, while inevitable, are not always the most meaningful.

Consider this in MSU's case- Find another institution that is:

1) A public land-grant institution (76 total); and

2) Located in the Southeast US (reduced to 19); and

3) The state flagship land-grant located in a state with a population base of under 5M (reduced to 5)

This leaves Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, LSU, and MSU. MSU has the smallest enrollment of the 5 at ~22K. Add in state ecosystems, academic and research disciplines, and one can quickly see how a very unique animal is created making comparisons pointless after a while.

I, for one, think USNWR rankings are a mirage. Aligning a universities priorities to land in the USNWR "Top xx" (or any other rating system) could be a dangerous gambit over the long haul that could end up with a university strategically painting itself into a corner. Selected dashboard metrics that are the core of the university mission and consistently monitored are the the best route. Interestingly, it is quick to see through this this the true "business" of higher education, and why higher education is in rapid decline in the United States. (Tip of the hat to the poster that said we still need plumbers and mechanics, which recognizes true shortages in workforce development)

 

[BingleCocktail]

I'm a bit dubious of the MSU accounts for more than half of all Mississippi R&D. I believe this is over half of all University R&D, and ignore private sector R&D

According to NSF, MSU is $244M while OM, USM, and JSU ($217M combined). Link: https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/herd/2018/html/herd18-dt-tab021.html

 

[Tuco.sixpack]

I'm a bit dubious of the MSU accounts for more than half of all Mississippi R&D. I believe this is over half of all University R&D, and ignore private sector R&D

According to NSF, MSU is $244M while OM, USM, and JSU ($217M combined). Link: https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/herd/2018/html/herd18-dt-tab021.html[/QUOTE



National Science Foundation Higher Education R&D Survey, FY2018
Record R&D expenditures $244.1M
Highest ranked university in the state. MSU accounts for more than HALF of all R&D in Mississippi
Again ranked among nation't top 100 universities
National leader in agricultural research (top 10)-$105.1M
Leading SEC in social sciences research-$41M

 

[Tuco.sixpack]

I'm a bit dubious of the MSU accounts for more than half of all Mississippi R&D. I believe this is over half of all University R&D, and ignore private sector R&D

According to NSF, MSU is $244M while OM, USM, and JSU ($217M combined). Link: https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/herd/2018/html/herd18-dt-tab021.html[/QUOTE

Read my original post again...

National Science Foundation Higher Education R&D Survey, FY2018
Record R&D expenditures $244.1M
Highest ranked university in the state. MSU accounts for more than HALF of all R&D in Mississippi
Again ranked among nation't top 100 universities
National leader in agricultural research (top 10)-$105.1M
Leading SEC in social sciences research-$41M

 

[Tuco.sixpack]

Read my original post again...

National Science Foundation Higher Education R&D Survey, FY2018
Record R&D expenditures $244.1M
Highest ranked university in the state. MSU accounts for more than HALF of all R&D in Mississippi
Again ranked among nation't top 100 universities
National leader in agricultural research (top 10)-$105.1M
Leading SEC in social sciences research-$41M

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Agreed. MSU really needs to upgrade its national recruiting of students. The university has otherwise done a good job when it comes to the southeast.

 

[docdawg]

Keenum needs to stay where he is. Our academics are not slipping. Don't look at US News or WSJ rankings. That's the equivalent of your child getting notice that they have qualified to be in the "Who's Who" book in high school. Check our ACT scores, check our graduating GPA, check our time to complete degree rankings, and check our retention numbers. Yes, we were the last SEC school to get a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, but that also shows you the strength of where we are now. That application to PBK checked and reported every aspect of the university, from academics to athletics to budget and to facility construction materials. I kid you not: each building's primary construction materials were reported. The application was a few hundred pages long. Getting into PBK 50 years ago could not have possibly been tougher than it is now. Keenum's strength is his ability to read the political tea leaves and act accordingly. That's why he's great for MSU and why he gets elected by his peers to lead on all these national committees.

If you want Cohen and JoMo gone, that's one thing; but don't cripple the rest of the University by trying to achieve that.

 

[BingleCocktail]

Understand your point. However, my point is that it is misleading as written.

 

[BingleCocktail]

Porters was big on JUCOS, as am I. But we still need to increase enrollment, even if it has to be out of staters. We need to strategically choose where we recruit. East Texas should be one area. I’d also like to see some emphasis on New York and New Jersey. Clemson did this with great success. New ideas have helped transform South Carolina.

East Texas would be an ideal area, since Houston is where many of our graduates land, particularly in engineering.

The Northeast in general is a good place to recruit, however, unlike South Carolina, there is not a significant enough industrial place within Mississippi to warrant retention of the workforce that would be created.