As you know, we’ve had no end of wonder at the way Ole Miss Chancellor Robert Khayat has expressed himself in recent weeks, and in today’s Daily Journal, there he is saying something weird again. His guest editorial begins:
When the Legislature is in session each year, we in higher education make presentations about the financial challenges our universities face. These challenges include funding operational costs, salaries, building maintenance and construction.
To ensure no misunderstandings, it is important for people to know that we make our requests known for the good of our institutions and not for personal benefit. …
Um, isn’t that answering an unasked question? Protesting a bit much? Guilt spilling itself for fear of being spilt? Something like that?
Another curio: at the end of the (otherwise unremarkable) piece, notice “Robert Khayat is chancellor of the University of Mississippi. Send e-mails to Khayat at mdiggs@olemiss.edu.” Does that sound like his real email address to you? Or is it some intermediary buffer between him and the public?
I dunno, maybe I’m being hyper-suspicious of the guy. ‘Tain’t like he hasn’t given cause . . .
IMO, it is time for him to go quietly into retirement while he still has a good and respectable legacy of achievement. There is no doubt in my mind, that UM has gone as far as it can go with Robert Khayat at the helm.
And when he goes, it is time for a massive housecleaning and changing of the guard within the administration at Ole Miss. Too many have been there too long with few qualifications (other than being a former football player for Johnny Vaught or an offspring of such a football player) and few real achievements. In other words, there is a lot of dead wood in our administration just taking up space and drawing a check.
But, ultimately, the responsibility for poor performance by administrators lies with Robert Khayat, who approves or does the hiring and firing. And Khayat basically answers to no one but the college board — IHL.
I truly wish that each university was run by its own board of trustees, so that there would be more local input and accountability to the alums, students, and supporters. Right now, true accountability seems to be nonexistent. It is extremely frustrating to have no real avenue to voice complaints, other than to the man in charge (Khayat himself) who will do nothing in response. The situation is almost like a dictatorship.
I heard a pretty good rumor that one of the things Trent Lott wants most in life is to be the next Chancellor at UM….I beleive it was in an interview some time back I’ll have to check.
But why does the phrase “out of the frying pan into the fire” come to mind….probably cuz of the chicken frying on the other thread. I HOPE.
Having yet another GOB from the same era as Khayat is definately NOT what Ole Miss needs. We need some new and younger blood to take the progress that has been made, and continue to build upon it. And to do so, IMO, will require more creativity, energy, and innovative thinking that the current folks in charge are not capable of. Our current administration (just as Lott would be, IMO) are in monitoring mode, happy to rest on their laurels, pat themselves on the back, and congratulate themselves on “mission accomplished” —- well short of where we need to be and can be, both in academics and athletics.
And in response to NMC’s specific questions about the “weirdness” of Khayat’s comments, I think he is still reeling from the Scruggs related developments, perhaps just now emerging somewhat from a total state of denial. And now, I think some degree of paranoia is setting in —an early sign of a bunker mentality.
I hope too, Razor. Seems to me the least to expect in a university chancellor is some demonstrated intellectual functioning (some ethics would be good too, now that you mention it). Anyhow, “Trent Lott” springeth not to mind in this connection.
google says…
Diggs, Mitchell
Newswise
Mr. Mitchell Diggs
mdiggs@olemiss.edu
(decided to edit out his phone number)
and diggin a little further he’s listed on several sites/articles as a spokesman for Ole Miss
I can’t get the original Sun Herald interview but the Commercial Appeal references the discussion here, http://tinyurl.com/3lhknc
Of course Trent probably will be viewed not only as toxic post-Scruggs to a lot of UM alums, but to the IHL as well. The GOBs “heir apparent” chances probably aren’t as good as mine upon review…but I knew I remembered that being much talked about when he first resigned.
I would say that Khayat’s remark about personal benefit alludes to the construction of the new law center which will honor Khayat by bearing his name. I’ve heard many,many say that the only reason Khayat insists that the university needs a new law school is that he wants it named after him. Khayat is trying to rationalize and justify his big beg for money for his law school.
You will notice that his the whole essay is about buildings. I wish he could muster as passionate a speech for supplementing his faculty salaries and rewarding those professors who bring excellence to the university, but I don’t really think he cares much about the faculty and staff.
The faculty has for some time complained about low morale because of his oppressive and dictatorial leadership. It is past time for Khayat to leave the university and to take his dead wood administration with him. Perhaps we should start a petition to send to the IHL.
Khayat’s statement sort of has a familiar Clintonesque cadence:
I do not seek donations for personal profit.
compared to
I did not have sexual relations with that woman.
To give you insight into how highly Khayat regards himself, last summer he had door knob hangers made and placed on all faculty office doors. The door hangers listed books that he and a couple of others in his crony administration were reading. The big letters at the top of the door hangers read: WHAT GREAT LEADERS ARE READING THIS SUMMER.
Now I ask, how much did that cost to print and have delivered around campus? Is that what our monetary gifts are paying for? And I was told the faculty was not impressed.
No really, Nomiss 10 — he actually did that?
What an eedjit.
Vomit>
Jsh @ 12: that was pretty much the reaction of the faculty too.
I just wish there were more teachers and classes offered. Trying to enroll for next semester is proving difficult.
I just wish there were more teachers and classes offered. Trying to enroll for next semester is proving difficult.
That says it all. Tuff luck, dmwriter and classmates. Screw education, Khayat prefers (1) physical monuments to his own and his equally ethically-challenged playmates’ egos and (2) football coaches.
The rest of the state powers apparently see nothing wrong with this picture, so you students can just lump it — and be in for some shocks if, for instance, you want to go on to grad school out of state.
I just want to say that the Honors College, which was built under Khayat’s administration, has made a real and remarkable improvement in what is available for the higher-achieving students at Ole Miss, to a great degree. It’s a big thing and straight-up improving academics. I’ve seen it close up through my daughter’s experience, and there was nothing remotely like it at Ole Miss before it existed.
NMC, agreed…the honors college is impressive. Although not in it I have been allowed to take some classes and they are amazing. One was law, literature, and politics talk about good stuff. They also offered this class in Ireland, maybe other places I don’t know. See you guys later.
NMC maybe at courthouse.
Lotus … Khayat is a public figure and lots of folks have opinions (good and bad) about him. He raised 500 million for education – during a multi-year fundraising campaign. the campus has also undergone major cosmetic improvements under his administration. IMO, the other folks have him pegged wrong. He has been a capable chancellor … especially compared with those at MSU and USM during his administration.
good guess dmwriter
Compared to previous Chancellors, I would agree with Gearhart. And my comments were not intended to imply, nor did they say, that Khayat has not done good things at Ole Miss. He has indeed. BUT, there comes a time when change is needed —when progress starts becoming stagnant, and complacency sets it. And Ole Miss, IMO, is at that point. There is no sense of urgency when there needs to be. We were behind in academics and athletics when Khayat took over as chancellor, and despite much progress, we are still far behind where we need to be and are capable of getting. The current leaders have us going in directions now that seem to benefit only a few, when the needs of the masses are still great. We need a new direction and a new spark of energy to get to where we need to be.
Lets honor and thank Khayat and others for the good work they have done and great contributions they have made to Ole Miss. But, lets not linger too long with the high fives and butt slappings. Its time to keep moving.
I’ll have to throw in with Gearhart. Khayat turned around a school that was going nowhere and has made it much more successful. If only he’d keep his mouth shut….
Lotus, your second paragraph @ 15 is totally correct. And gearhart, I know this man very well, and the others do not have him pegged wrong.
I think that when Khayat began his tenure as chancellor, he was authentic in what he wanted to do for the unversity. As time went on and he became idolized by alums who handed him money hand over fist, he began to idolize himself, IMO, and to revel in his own power. And remember that he did grow up in an atmosphere of unethical politics where loyalty to your leader trumps all, and he sees himself as the “great leader.”
At some point, Khayat moved from leadership to the university to seeing himself as the university and expecting loyalty and homage to himself. Many people I know are very loyal to the university, but do not care for him or his style of leadership. But in Khayat’s mind, He is the university. If one is not loyal to him or does not give homage to him, he considers that person disloyal to the university. Because his identity is so embedded with that of the university, he has lost perspective.
That loss of perspective has caused Khayat to become obsessed with image. Thus he controls the university to the point of being oppressive resulting in low faculty morale.
Gearhart, yes, Khayat has raised a lot of money for the university. And that’s basically what Khayat’s strength is—fund raising. But you have to consider also that much of the success in this fund raising has come from the alums who have made a lot of money and are willing to give generously. The early 90′s were a unique time in this country’s history in terms of technology and commercial and industrial growth which afforded a lot of people a lot of wealth. Give those alums credit for wanting to give to the university.
NMC, It was a highly educated guess. I am a REPORTER!
While we are discussing Ole Miss everyone got to http://www.thedmonline.com and look at todays story about on campus housing. Also look at the bottom of the page (under multimedia) for a video package on the new dorms.
Maybe Bobby K over extended the schools check book, or some larger donor is going to prison and the line of credit is running thin.
Gearhart #18, Dr Lucas at USM during part of Khayat reign I think was as good if not better. No one has ever questioned Lucas’ ethics or intergrity. Lucas never embarassed USM. Khayat has become an embarassment to Ole Miss and the whole state. It is past time for him to depart.
Credit for the success of the University of Mississippi’s SMB Honors College goes to its founding director, Dr. Elizabeth Payne, who came to ole miss from directing the Fullbright Honors College at the University of Arkansas. When she arrived at ole miss, the honors college was a building only. When she arrived as director in 1997, she and a receptionist were the only full-time staff at the honors college, so Dr. Payne recruited students for office work, computer support and other tasks. Dr Payne provided the leadership for the development of the SMB Honors College curriculum, hired its staff, recruited the nation’s top students, and went on a PR campaign to expose the college and its offerings to the state. She created the academic study abroad program within the honors college, a program which set this college above others.
Dr. Payne also trained faculty to supervise student applications for national awards, such as Rhodes Scholars, Truman scholarships, and Goldwater scholarships. She also mentored award winning students and supervised their winning applications. During the five years that she was the director, she supervised the application of one Rhodes Scholar, as well as the applications of two other students who were semi-finalists in 2001. As the Truman Faculty representative, she mentored three Truman Scholars in their competion and recruited a fourth to the university. She also recruited a student who won the Marshall Scholarship. She mentored and supervised the applications of three Fullbright Schoars and four Goldwater Scholars. Within six years after she began as director of the SMB Honors College, in part due to her efforts, the university produced a Rhodes Scholar, a Marshall Scholar, four Fullbright Scholars, four Truman Scholars, and five Goldwater Scholars.
It was Dr. Payne who spent days with the Phi Beta Kappa committee, describing the SMB Honors College and answering their questions about the honors college, a college that earned rave reviews from the Phi Beta Kappa visiting committee.
I saw first-hand the vision, leadership, and hard work that this one person put in to creating and establishing this honors college. Therefore I can state that while Khayat raised the money, the credit for the success of the SMB Honors College goes to Dr. Payne.
Does fund raising and leadership not go hand-in-hand Nomiss?
Nomiss 22/25: dr. payne has done wonders for the university as well. However, other than raising a little money, you don’t give “K” ANY credit for the honors college? what about PBK? what about the aesthetics (sp?) of the university? who hired dr. payne (this is an honest question, just curious) check out my original post. what i stated in my #18 is that i think he has proven he is a “capable chancellor”.
My question was serious, however not very clear. Without “K” could Payne have done such a great job?
nomiss, I agree with you about Dr. Payne and the Honors College, except that the credit goes beyond just her. There is a lot going on involving faculty commitment to the classes and continued growth that has continued since the administration of the Honors College changed and that involved real commitment to the program from top down in the University, which I credit in part to Khayat.
I give more credit for the honors college to the Barksdales, rather than Khayat. The Barksdales asked what they could do with their money that would make the most impact at the university, and Khayat suggested the establishment of an honors college because that was something that the faculty had told him was needed to compete for the Phi Beta Kappa award. The Barksdales were very interested in providing what the honors college needed. They became very invested in it personally, and they still are very committed to the honors college.
But so far as leadership in creating the core of the honors college that the Phi Beta Kappa committee saw, Dr. Payne’s vision and leadership was responsible. That’s not to diminish the work and commitment of the faculty, especially those who had worked so hard on the Phi Beta Kappa application for so long and fully and enthusiastically supported Dr. Payne with their work.
Dr. Payne was hired with the expressed goal of establishing a “world-class” honors college with an academic program that would help the school achieve Phi Beta Kappa membership, a goal that had been previously attempted without success.
Frankly, I don’t think Khayat had any clue as to what a superior honors college involved insofar as its creation, direction, and administration.
DM, your question, without Khayat, could Payne have done such a great job? The answer is yes; she did such a great job at the University of Arkansas where she was the architect of a nationally acclaimed honors curriculum at the Fullbright College of Arts and Sciences, a program which the Walton family endowed with $200,000,000. She brought to UM the benefit of a vast network of academic scholars based on her previous academic work. For example, she was well known by the national award committees for her work she had done with award-winning students in Arkansas. It was Dr. Payne who nominated Khayat for membership on the Truman Foundation Scholarsip committee on which he serves today.
Once the Barksdales donated the money, Khayat did see that a building was available for the honors college. It was Dr. Payne’s idea to add the deck on the back which the students really enjoyed. It was her sofa that was installed into the students common area. She chose the laminate to go on the lounge and dining tables and on the countertops. She put in vines in the courtyard that are still growing there today.
When she left the honors college, Dr. Payne left everything established and intact, including the templates on the computer for recruiting letters, etc. She hired and trained the full-time staff who are still there today.
Thanks nomiss. I tend to agree with you but I love playing devils advocate.
Just out of curiousity why the name nomiss? It sounds anti Ole miss.
After an initial interview with the search committee, Dr. Payne was recommended to the provost as the #1 choice for the position of director of the new honors college. She was hired by former Provost Gerald Walton.
I am definitely not anti-ole miss. I live in north mississippi–nomiss for short.
Of course, sorry about that. Today has been a great blogging day for me, hopefully I didn’t step on any toes.