Some Interesting News at MSU

The political cartoon that came with the University Paper on Friday.

The "doc" is making quite a stir at MSU.

He doesn't proofread his emails:

"
He has decided to kill all the daffodils
"Felder Rushing is a newspaper columnist, radio host for Mississippi Public Radio and retired MSU Extension Horticulturist. He can be contacted at felder@felderrush
ing.net.

I have gotten quite a lot of e-mails about daffodils being killed on Mississippi State University's main campus, including e-mails from students, faculty, graduates and employees afraid to speak publicly because of job security concerns. The relatively minor hubbub would be comical if it weren't indicative of a deeper issue.

This isn't about flowers. It's about a short-term administrator's inability to control whimsical personal urges and his attempt to "bunker down" when his orders are questioned.

No one is questioning the right of MSU President Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong, a former four-star general, to make aesthetic decisions related to the beautification of his university or his outstanding leadership and contributions to MSU and our state's citizens.

However, a number of people have rightfully questioned his horticultural judgment, and his underlings are falling on their own swords to cover for him in this silly, unnecessary debacle.

How many football fans would tolerate his calling plays for Coach Croom?


As a proud veteran whose family has served honorably in American military service since the 1700s, I am aware that few generals without oversight take counsel well, much less admit missteps. So I am not surprised that this one man's whimsy and intractability is laying waste so much goodwill over something this easy to correct."


He has decided to piss off all the architecture students

"This letter is an open and public request by us, Mississippi State University School of Architecture students, for clear reason and prudence to be restored to the Office of the President at MSU and for the IHL to reconsider its decisions on the leadership for our fine university. We speak from the position of design-oriented students offended and appalled by the way this university administration has conducted itself over the past year. The cult of individual power and secrecy promoted by Dr. Robert H. Foglesong is damaging the rationalization of the university system that the democratic process provides.

In our four years at MSU, no other administrator has micro-managed the aesthetics and pedagogy of the university in the way it is now being done. President Foglesong leads our university with a dictatorial attitude that disregards and disrespects the views of faculty professionals.

Our School of Architecture has been under a barrage of intolerable orders from the Office of the President.

First, the president has demanded the removal of many student-designed installations from around our building, including many from previous years, that are exhibited for pedagogical purposes. Specifically, we have been told to remove student work from certain windows because they are visible from the exterior. Publicness is an essential characteristic of the pedagogy of design work and these specific projects were designed for the particular light that comes through these windows. President Foglesong's requests have not relented, even under explanation from other administrators as to the purpose of these projects."

Fifth, the immature and irrational nature of President Foglesong's replies to many students and alumni over the removal of daffodils is only an instance of a larger issue of belligerence and an atmosphere of fear. Faculty complaints about his domineering leadership style have been widely known since November (See The Reflector's article "Faculty Senate fed up" printed on Nov. 20).

All of the aforementioned instances serve only as examples to which we as students are directly connected. Many other instances of systematic oppression of those who disagree with this president are known to faculty and administrative staff. The irrationality being perpetuated by Dr. Robert H. Foglesong is inexcusable, especially for a president who professes leadership yet fails to recognize the fundamental purpose of a university as one of the few places left for open, uncensored pursuit of knowledge."

The school paper has openly declared war. Even moving the paper from MSU's web server to their own private server.

Two Facebook groups have been started wanting to "get rid of Foglesong"


Alumni and staff are writing letters like this


"There is one other large matter regarding your apparent attitude and behavior that I wish
to address. This issue regards what I think of as the "Agricultural Aspect" of the fact that
you have been appointed to head the State's largest Land Grant University. A leading
part of the Charge of any Land Grant Institution of Higher Learning is Research and
Education in the Agricultural Sciences for, among other purposes, the continued
improvement of man's existence and stewarding of our Natural Environment/Resources
for the purpose of our being able to lead better lives: both spiritually and physically.
With your obvious complete ignorance of the life-cycles of plants, as demonstrated in
your ordering of the eradication of Spring Flowers because you do not like the
appearance of their foliage after they bloom, I would find it not a far leap of the
imagination to hear that you have ordered the destruction of Grain Crops on the
University Agricultural Experiment Station Lands because their foliage has turned brown
and drooped to the ground at the end of the Growing Season, and you do not like that,
either."

This crap about the flowers is getting reported in the news in Jackson (embarrassing)

Foglesong had to write a response and put it on his website.


Then there has been a blog created just to gripe about him:


Then there are the series of back and forth emails he has about all his crap.


This is an email exchange with a horticulture student:
Dr. Foglesong,
With all due respect, I am very disappointed with the lack of communication with concerned students and student groups on the subjects of the daffodils. I understand that the initial decision was made to improve the aesthetics of the campus. However, I believe that as the president of the university that it is your responsibility to address these subjects rather than ignore them. Students have been aware of this issue long enough that something could have been done if we had been listened to.

We formed a Facebook group this weekend in order to raise awareness, and it has already reached over 500 members with over 1000 more who are being invited to join the group. I have personally spoken with several faculty and alumni that are upset by the removal of these beautiful flowers.

Please understand that this is not our challenging your authority, but we do know that you are not a horticulturist or a landscape designer. We, the concerned, are those things. It is from our knowledge of plants and planting design that we beg of you to please stop the removal of the daffodils.

Thank you for your time,
(Name here)"


His reply:

With all due respect, this campus looks better than it's ever looked because we have a committed and dedicated landscape office populated with experts who have professional experience to back up their decisions. This university has been straight forward about out intent to replace/replant flowers — not just daffodils — not unlike you would do in your front yard when flower beds need maintenance. We spend most of our time managing a $500+M operation to ensure we provide you a credible degree that permits you to be a successful professional when you leave here. I wish you were as worried about the proposed cut in our budget this year, or the safety issues that concern us around the campus, or the infrastructure that needs replacing badly in many of our buildings, or whether we can help needy students attend our school, etc. I can't tell a daffodil from a dandelion, but I can tell you what our priorites are around here. Learning, research, services to our citizens, your safety, our campus security, and a lot of other issues occupy my time. That's why I let real experts make decisions about flower beds.

Foglesong"

Of course that got all the Horticulture faculty hot.

And Finally here is the fight with the faculty senate.






I guess this goes to show that you can't run a university like a military base. :P