Weeks of wild rumors and brash speculation were put to an end Thursday when State Auditor Stacey Pickering released a statement officially tying Mississippi State University Interim President Vance Watson to the much-speculated claim of landscaping of Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Commissioner Thomas Meredith’s Jackson-area home.
Watson did not return phone calls after the state auditor’s report surfaced, but he issued a statement calling for the university to move on from the incident.
“We have fully cooperated with the State College Board and with the state auditor’s office in trying to resolve recent allegations,” Watson said. “With the full payment of the funds the auditor determined were due, we hope MSU can move forward.”
Board Search Committee Chairman Scott Ross said the MSU presidential search will continue as planned.
Ross would not address the implications of the auditor’s report on Watson’s candidacy because the BSC has yet to confirm the identities of the finalists.
“Our plan is to stay on the time we originally set [early November],” he said. “We are attempting to schedule dates for the second interviews and the campus visit.”
As the news filtered throughout the MSU community, many people were shocked to find out allegations against Watson were true.
Faculty Senate President David Nagel said he could not comment on the auditor’s announcement, but said he was able to present a recently-passed Faculty Senate resolution calling for the public unveiling of presidential finalists to the IHL Board of Trustees Wednesday.
“Scott Ross took copies of the resolution and left them for each of the members,” Nagel said. “The Faculty Senate has mentioned several times that we prefer an open search. If the names are already known [in the media], why not have them revealed now? It’s hard to campaign anonymously.”
State Rep. Stephen Holland, D-Lee, said Meredith should share the blame for the landscaping scandal.
“It seems like this landscaping debacle has turned into a jungle,” he said. “If Vance ordered it and paid for it, my question is who accepted it.”
Holland said the scandal is a dark day for both Meredith and Watson, and the IHL system itself.
“The aura of secrecy has gotten [Meredith] in a lot of trouble,” he said. “This is a revelation of who the real Tom Meredith is. I think he needs to go.”
Sen. Doug Davis, R-Hernando, said he was shocked when the announcement came that the auditor’s report named Watson as the official responsible for the landscaping.
“I’m looking forward to see what action the College Board takes,” he said.
Davis said Pickering should be commended for the job he and his staff performed.
“Obviously, by what the auditor has put forward, it seems that there was a lapse of judgment on both [Watson and Meredith] sides,” he said. “If a private company comes to my house and does work, I expect to have to pay them.”
Davis said he does not plan on any legislative hearings or actions to occur, but he said he could not rule them out.
“The public’s trust has been abused,” he said. “I don’t see how either person could stay in their current position.”
Student Association President Braxton Coombs said although this is a bad day for MSU, it is still a chance for students to learn from their surroundings.
“Part of our educational experience is to observe what happens around us,” he said. “Although these times can be difficult, it can be an educational experience.”