USM students protest provost candidate

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - Dozens of students gathered in the free speech zone on the University of Southern Mississippi’s campus, protesting a finalist in the school’s search for a new provost.

However, Dr. Lance Nail, one of four possible candidates, is at the heart of the controversy on campus over his alleged involvement in various scandals during his time as dean at Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University.

Our sister station in Lubbock, Texas, KCBD, reported Nail resigned after a Title IX investigation found he “failed in his responsibilities as the Dean of the College.”

Now, USM students are saying, in addition to student safety and comfort, they are worried about the optics of another scandal.

“The collective response really from students is that we’re shocked that he made it this far with this in his history,” said Emily Goldsmith, a USM English graduate student. “We feel like USM doesn’t need another scandal. It doesn’t look good for our campus.

We care about where we’re getting our degrees, like, I care where I’m getting my doctorate, they care about where they’re getting their undergraduate degrees.”

A change.org petition titled ‘STOP USM From hiring Dr. Lance Nail as our New Provost’ has been created.

Want more WDAM 7 news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Copyright 2023 WDAM. All rights reserved.