Yesterday the attempt by Shelby Thames, President of the University of Southern Mississippi, to fire two tenured professors for investigating the credentials of a Vice President was on the agenda of the Mississippi College Board. After the Board discussed the matter in executive session, College Board President Thomas Brandon announced that the state Attorney General’s office was being asked to monitor the fairness of the dismissal process. The AG’s office selected an outside counsel to participate in organizing the university-level hearings for Frank Glamser and Gary Stringer.

According to a source who attended the meeting, the College Board President clearly intended the decision as a signal to Thames to follow proper procedure and refrain from further arbitrary actions or posturing in front of the media. Whether this will have any effect on an administrator with a proven record of ignoring stop signs remains to be seen.

The hearings are supposed to take place between April 5 and April 9. Even if they are delayed, we’ll know soon enough whether the College Board was being prudent—or merely temporizing. Stay tuned.