After Speck reportedly missed getting fired only because of a changed vote, he was given a laundry list of changes that he would have to make if he wanted to stay in his position through the end of his contract in 2015.
Seeing the handwriting on the wall, Speck began to clean out. University officials, on the record, are only saying that Speck is going to be gone for several weeks.
The last straw, the Turner Report has been told, was when Speck, apparently on his own, decided to undermine the university's international mission by having it legislated out of existence. That attempt was thwarted by Sen. Ron Richard, R-Joplin. Neither the Board of Governors nor the State of Missouri's Coordinating Board of Higher Education were aware that Speck, who has been dismissive of the internatinal program since his arrival at Southern, was trying to eliminate the mission.
More to come.
21 comments:
That IS good news.
Thank heaven! It's like an evil cloud has dissipated, and the college is once again in the light.
Well, maybe both you and Speck can teach elementary English at the Possum-Gulch Truck-Driving School once both of you are fired.
It would make a really good buddy movie of the week if nothing else.
Maybe now that the Board of Governors has shown them how it's done, the Board of R8 will follow suit and rid itself of bad leadership. It can be done. It is unacceptable how long MSSU has had to endure this man's lack of effective leadership; it's time to free our friends in the public schools, too, of bad administration.
That is such good news I'm afraid to believe it. As a recently retired employee, I was sick at heart at the ineptitude and overall disgusting behavior of Speck. My anger now is toward the Board who either through ignorance or simply not caring allowed this idiot to continue for so long. They knew there were major problems with Speck, yet they agreed to extend his contract through 2015. I pray this is true and that once again MSSU can shine in southwest Missouri.
Well, it's about time! It's kind of sad, after all the crazy awful things he's put this school through and after all the quality faculty he's run off, that it took them this long, but I'm glad that the board of governors found their "last straw". That camel's back has been broken for too long. Good Riddance!
It's about time!! Maybe now I can finish my Poli-Sci degree with classes that I actually need for it!!
It's about time!! Maybe now they can get some of the classes back that are needed for some of the degrees like Poli-Sci with an emphasis on Policy.
Pitt State rules the Four State Area!
Southern shine in Southwest Missouri? They can not even spell the name right on the signs on Range Line.
Go Pitt State.
Anonymous 7:10, you are so right. Speck is a dissembling, power-hungry, idiot, but it is the Board of Governors where the buck stops and they have been asleep at the wheel for four years while MSSU has been "led" by the poster child for the Peter Principle whose only "initiatives" involve consultants or books. Maybe MSSU will be free from Speck and new board members will help the rest of them get a clue. They might even be able to conduct a competent national search for a new president instead of the joke of a search that gave MSSU Speck. Let us all hope for a brighter future for MSSU.
Wow, anonymous 9:06. Calm down. This isn't about how great Pitt State is. It's about the destruction of an institution of higher education being destroyed by an inept president and a clueless board and the possibility that this destruction will be stopped.
Agreed, it's about time.
There was a story going around that he was fired really for something involving an office chair in the music department. Can anyone verify that or is it just an unfounded rumor?
Anonymous 8:51, I heard that, too. Story is that someone caught him after hours in the music department opening office doors. Supposedly this was so he could "practice" his RTV. I'm not sure I can disclose the final element of the story, but it doesn't involve practicing...
Not so fast, friends! Back off the breast-beating and street-dancing! Even if Speck _is_ out (We hope, but we do not know!), this Board is still composed of many of the same folks who enthusiastically hired him, and they are perfectly capable of hiring another equally inept buffoon to spend another 4-5 years protecting his/her own fragile ego rather than setting a hopeful progressive direction and overseeing positive progressive for a fine institution.
Don't sell these folks short! Stupidity and incompetence don't just heal up in time. We're in the hands of the Board not of a president.
We need to insist on a strong search committee, without inappropriate interference to find someone with a strong reputation for growth, leadership, and positive change.
Why would anyone post blustery insults about the board after they finally do the right thing? It makes no sense and is in very poor taste.
Anonymous 9:31, you are right that we should be supporting and congratulating the Board of Governors in this matter if they actually do the right thing. But they allowed Speck to continue his reign for far too long. Dwight Douglas "ran" things early on in Speck's tenure, but why it took so long for the current Board to understand just how much damage Speck was doing is a mystery. There is justifiable concern over that. I hope they not only do the right thing in removing Speck from office, but take extra care to ensure that his replacement will be a positive, qualified, and competent leader to move MSSU forward. We have no evidence they can do that. Maybe they need professional help. The entire region must trust them to do the right thing for the future of MSSU. I wish them the best in that endeavor.
Hey 9:06, go troll some other website with your PSU trash -- we're not interested over here. Another classless PSU koolaid drinker.
quick to put out an article on someone being fired huh? i guess you find joy in someone else's mistakes. and i see that you still are allowing comments to be made that are "rumors" to help make Speck look bad. figures that you're investigative reporting won't ever change.
Missouri Southern is not even ranked in the top 100 schools in the Midwest. This failure of an international mission has gone on for way too long. It is pathetic to know people still support this dead and failure of a program. It has failed from day one and continues to fail at least 30 years after its inception. The school is 81.8% white, making it one of the least diverse schools in all of Missouri. Speck tried to bring about change and I'm glad to see someone had the common sense to try paving a new way for Missouri Southern. Teacher's didn't get raises? Big deal. When you must make millions of dollars in cuts, something has to go. Just wish he could have axed the pathetic program from day one.
Anonymous 5:19 - Your post is loaded with fallacies and false information. The international mission is not thirty years old - it was established about twenty years ago. As for it being 'dead', I would say it's very much alive and doing well, as we exchange many, many students with other institutions. MSSU not being a top school and not being completely diverse has absolutely no bearing on the program... in fact, I believe that's a non sequitur argument. Speck was a lame duck president, and there's no changing that. Teachers are doing the work, so, logically, the cuts should not have been from their checks unless you want educational quality to go down the drain.
To sum it up, you should do some decent research and try to avoid fallacies when attempting to pose a compelling argument. It's quite simple, really.
Post a Comment