You may have heard of one of my old schools. Brett Favre made it famous for some. Clarence Weatherspoon also had a bit of time in the sun there. Bear Bryant used to call it "MISSippi Southern". A fella named Clyde Kennard was packed off to jail (where he died) for trying to integrate it. If you are a Faulknerd you've likely read the work of one of the professors (Noel Polk). If you are into polymer chemistry you may have chanced upon the school as well. Some decent historians work there, too. But if you follow academic hiring and firing practices, or are always on the hunt for free speech issues, then you will probably be reading lots about it soon.

It is the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg and, as Scott notes, it is the scene of controversy. Two tenured profs have been more or less fired for, it seems, having said too much (or the wrong sort of thing) about members of the administration.

I'm no lawyer, but I figure this story is just beginning.

Carlton is a lawyer and he is also in a position to know a bit about this story. We shall see if he blogs on it. Scott promises to stay on top of things, as will I.

EDITED TO ADD: My thesis director (and Bancroft Award-winning historian) Neil McMillen was quoted in one of the news reports, and one of my old landlords (Michael Adelman) is lawyering for the professors. It isn't a big town.