In a letter to the editor Oct. 9, Greenwood attorney Solomon Osborne asserted his right to express his views if he thinks “the president of a publicly supported university is harming the university.” I don’t know of a single taxpaying citizen who would disagree with him. The fact that his “views” were directed at the current president of Mississippi Valley State University was not problematic either. As the university’s president and a seasoned university administrator, Dr. Donna Oliver is no stranger to criticism, I’m sure.
What strikes me, though, as misguided and personal is Osborne’s justification for referring to the president as an “idiot.” As one who fought for the Valley – one concerned about its academic programs, its progress and ability to move forward – how does Osborne justify effectively sabotaging, with one characterization, the ability of the current and future presidents to effectively serve the institution?
Understand, Oliver’s predecessor, Lester Newman, did not leave for her the legacy of community involvement, commitment and prestige that he inherited from William Sutton. On the contrary, he left a declining enrollment, dwindling alumni support and alumni infighting, faculty and staff morale at perhaps its lowest, and a campus climate so volatile that it gave rise to a vote of “no confidence.”
Add to that the fact that the precursor to Oliver’s arrival on campus was a rally on the steps of H.G. Carpenter Auditorium that included elected officials (local and state) and a call for a “human chain” to keep her off the campus. Even today, in the third year of her administration, there are those from the “human chain” group determined to force her out (overtly and covertly) to create a “piggy bank” or employment agency for friends and family at MVSU that mirrors the one they’ve created in the public school system.
In spite of all of that, Oliver has actively involved herself in the community, opened her doors to faculty, staff and students, and established MVSU as a “presence” among the state’s colleges and universities — actions which have served to make her even more of a target.
In the interest of full disclosure, my wife, Curressia, is dean of the graduate school at MVSU. And to be fair to the discussion, Oliver has done some things with which I don’t agree. I think that sending the home football games to Greenville during the 2010-2011 season was ill-advised. I think that a fundamental “missed opportunity” is that of cultivating leaders on the campus and giving more opportunities to people who have patiently waited for their “turn.” I believe that there are talented, loyal, intelligent, professional faculty and staff on the campus who cannot “shine” because they are supervised by individuals who have come to “save” them and discount their value.
I am certain that there is work to be done, wounds from the previous administration to be healed. Healing those “wounds” is critical, because faculty and staff are the “first line” of recruitment and retention. Until attention is given to faculty and staff morale, there will continue to be recruitment and retention issues.
However, my right to disagree with the president’s decisions does not give me the right to personally attack her or to personally compromise her ability to do her job. Even in my dispute with former President Lester Newman, I did not attack the person.
Those who “love” the Valley and whose love comes from a sincere desire to see the institution grow and prosper should demonstrate that love by being fair to the institution’s chief executive officer and respecting the position. Rather than reaching “at” Oliver with assumptions, conjecture and misinformation, reach out to her for information that is factual, and reach out for opportunities to assist her in her quest to ensure Valley’s longevity.
Oliver’s failure is not an option – not if our commitment to Valley is real.
As points of information:
• The expenditures for the president’s housing at MVSU (and housing for presidents at all state institutions of higher learning) are designated and can only be used for housing.
• The president cannot “give away” academic programs. However, when those programs suffer from lack of enrollment and do not graduate the required number of students over a period of years, they may be classified as non-productive and discontinued.
• Faculty and staff who feel mistreated have full access to due process through the campus grievance procedures as well as the legal system.
The saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me,” may hold true in children’s rhyme, but it is far from true in the real world, a world where those who advocate closure or merger only need a spark to ignite their causes. Be assured, the enemies of MVSU are quiet, but they’re not asleep. Rather than creating an explosion, they are waiting for us to implode — to self-destruct from within. Undermining the office of the president by referring to Oliver as an “idiot” is as devastating to Valley’s existence as a bill from the state Legislature for closure or merger.
Oliver should not be made to feel isolated — not when there are hundreds of alumni and friends of the Valley whose concerns exceed personal agendas and vendettas. She has the toughest job in this entire county and, arguably, the toughest job of any president in this state’s college and university system. But it is not a job that she cannot perform.
If we can come together, with a spirit of cooperation and genuine concern for the generations that follow us, MVSU’s best days are yet to come.
• Troy D. Brown Sr. is a contractor for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a former dean of student affairs at Mississippi Valley State University. He is an independent candidate for state representative in District 32.
