University Business - January 2009 - (Page 9)

60-70 DATA P O I N T —Percentage of English department faculty appointments countrywide that are now part-time. —Modern Language Association of America p e o p l e W AT C H Future Shock MSU Selects One of Its Own to Lead A CAndidAte long ConSidered for president of Mississippi State University has now been given the chance to take charge. An MSU alumnus, Mark Keenum began his new post this month, with the hope that he will bring long-term leadership following the resignation announcement of robert H. “doc” Foglesong in March 2008 after just two years on the job. Foglesong, a former four-star general, made some positive changes during his tenure but left on a rocky note that included a furor over the uprooting of daffodils on campus. Keenum cites his ties with his alma mater and his professional experience in Washington, d.C., as the undersecretary of Farm and Foreign Mark Keenum Agricultural Services in helping him transition. emphasizing MSU’s place as a leading institution for agricultural research, Keenum explains that his vision for the land-grant university is to earn recognition and respect not just nationally but also around the globe. “We take that responsibility very seriously. it’s an important role for our university,” he says. He also pledges to secure a Phi Beta Kappa chapter at his institution. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural economics, Keenum joined the faculty as a marketing specialist with the Mississippi extension Service at MSU in 1984. two years later, he became a research associate with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry experimental Station, also at the university. in the late 1980s, Keenum joined the faculty of MSU’s department of Agricultural economics as an assistant professor and economist, with his research focusing on aquaculture, specialty crops, and forestry. From 1997 to 2006, he also served as an adjunct professor of agricultural economics and taught an annual course on agricultural legislative policy. in early 1989, Keenum headed to Washington, where he worked for many years under Sen. thad Cochran, first as a legislative assistant advising on agricultural affairs, and later as chief of staff. He became undersecretary in late 2006. —Michele Herrmann ‘W SoUND BITe e get tax exemptions not so we can help build the economy of China but so we can help contribute to the economy of the United States. —Harry Lewis, computer science professor and former dean of Harvard College (part of Harvard University), commenting on international student recruiting. ‘ TO INaUGUraTe OUr New MONThLy appearance in this magazine (check out our full bimonthly column online), we will spend part of 2009 examining the burgeoning sustainability movement in North american higher education in order to identify several of the “green myths” that have attached themselves to one of the most powerful leadership priorities on american campuses in years. how powerful is it? Just check the website of aaShe, the association for the advancement of Sustainability in higher education. In November it concluded “the largest gathering focused on campus sustainability to date in North america,” with 1,750 attendees from 400 institutions and 48 states. So what is green myth number 1? we asked someone inside the national conversation on green policy formulation, Norbert Dunkel, assistant vice president and director of housing at the University of Florida, who also serves as the 2008-2009 president of the association of College and University housing Officers-International. without hesitation, Dunkel simply answered, “Sustainable performance contracts.” as he explained the situation, “Several of my colleagues quickly entered into performance contracts in order to renovate buildings without having to outlay the initial capital. … These contracts are not realizing the return due to many variables, and my colleagues must now seek other ways to fund their renovations, including bond financing, higher rents, and added fees, saving operational funds to pay the large costs of their renovations.” So be careful when you hear promises about return on investment. Keep reading this spring for green myths 2 and 3, and curb your appetite for performance contracts as winter winds rattle your windows. —James Martin and James E. Samels, Future Shock columnists, are authors of turnaround: leading Stressed Colleges and Universities to excellence (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009). Martin is a professor of English at Mount Ida College (Mass.) and Samels is president and CEO of The Education Alliance. January 2009 | 9 Green Myth No. 1 universitybusiness.com http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - January 2009

University Business - January 2009
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Behind the News
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
Money Matters
Financial Aid
Community College
From Data to Information
5 Reasons to Switch to Virtual Servers
Finished in a Flash
Internet Technology
What's New
End Note

University Business - January 2009