Departing over daffodils?

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

THERE ARE MANY REASONS A university president might resign, but flowers are not usually one of them. According to The Reflector, Mississippi State University's student newspaper, a combination of questions over academic freedom and the uprooting of daffodils on campus contributed to President Robert "Doc" Foglesong's announcing his resignation on March 7, which is effective June 30.

Foglesong is a former four-star general who has led the institution since 2006. The official release announcing his resignation outlines the many positive changes that have taken place on his watch--including

increased enrollment, higher ACT scores, more faculty, and more funding for research. It concludes, "Now it's time for somebody else to make the next round of changes and set a new standard."

Published reports seem to agree that Foglesong has accomplished a great deal during his tenure, but some reports call the search that found Foglesong "secretive," and the student paper reports that on the day his resignation was announced the faculty senate voted unanimously to "form a standing committee to assist in the transition and the presidential search process that the university will be facing." That makes one wonder: Was the deck stacked against this nontraditional president from day one, or were communication issues affecting more than just flowers?

As for those daffodils, efforts to improve landscaping on campus were interpreted as an attempt to exterminate the flowers, leading to a passionate outcry on campus. A "Save the MSU Daffodils!" group on Facebook had 1,189 members in mid-March (the opposing group, "MSU Students with Better Things to Do Than Complain about Flowers," had only 119 members).

"The level of passion reached a level we hadn't expected," says Maridith Geuder, director of University Relations. Perhaps trying to find the bright side, she added, "But that's part of the educational mission--to inspire students."

After the student paper reported on the daffodil situation, Geuder released an official report outlining the landscaping changes taking place. She confirmed there are still daffodils blooming on campus and that the bulbs that were dug up are being sheltered in anticipation of replanting in the fall. "I would question how many universities get impassioned about landscaping," Geuder reflected. "And maybe we do need to be more proactive in communicating landscaping changes."

The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning governs public IHEs in Mississippi. At press time, spokeswoman Annie Mitchell said no discussion of Foglesong's replacement had yet taken place. The next regularly scheduled board meeting was March 20.