The CheckerBoard

Good find. Dave Hart working to get things done

From their website, I ascertain that they are seeking to ensure that the cutting of corners in class work (tutors doing work, professors turning a blind eye to attendance etc.) is completely eliminated. That right?

In what way does this decrease the influence of Susan Martin? I'm not very familiar with the structure of the board, and I don't know what capacity she serves in.

Just curious.

I've heard she's everything we should hate.

I hope this really means change. It is rediculous that it ever came to this situation. They brought down a HOF coach and one of the winningest football programs in SEC history. Everyone at UT who brought this on should be fired immediately. And personally, I will never forgive them. They have primarily caused me to hear 5 years of $#it from fans of other football powers. I hope the door hits them in the rear on the way out.

This was actually brought up at the last BoT meeting in November/December. This was just the official vote. I think it was overshadowed (at least in Chattanooga) by the naming of a new Chancellor at UTC to replace Dr. Brown...

A new Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) was appointed in July. He is Don Bruce a professor in the Center for Business and Economics Research - MBA programs plus. He cosigned the athletics department memo with Dave Hart.

Here is my interpretation.

Dave Hart came in and saw that the regime that did a hostile takeover of the AD in 2001, had run it into ground - like Tony Soprano becoming your partner in your restaurant. They had drained their reserves and were bleeding red ink. The product sucked. On top of that, they were on NCAA probation.

Hart saw an opening and took it. He used consolidation of the men's and women's department as a means of not only doing the necessary cost-cutting, but he used the pain to focus on the mismanagement of the AD by the faculty senate.

The Don Bruce hire signaled the intent to run the AD as a business. It is also why Doug Matthews became so high on Hart. I suppose Doug also knew that the governor was getting ready to make his move.

Then DD took everything to its logical end. This created more pain and even more urgency to do something.

The coach search generated feedback about how mismanaged everything was. The AD took his pound of flesh by getting $6 million a year from UTK. Then Charlie Strong turned us down. A black coach turned down a chance to coach at one of the premiere pprograms in the SEC (country).

The die was cast.

On January 11, the provost Office posts a job opening for an assistant provost whose primary duties included managing the Thorton Center - the Holy Grail in this political battle.

In early February, Governor Haslem - out of the blue - makes an announcement that goes rapid-fire throughout all state media to state the obvious, the financial health of the football team is critical to financial health of the AD and the school. That didn't need to be stated because almost everyone already knows it. It was a message to whomever was not "getting it" in the faculty senate (Susan Martin??).

Then the UT Board of Trustees (BOT) issues its revision of the mission for the UTK AD Board of Directors.

The plan will not revert to the previous system of having the AD report to the UT System President and ostensibly leaves the UTK chancellor in charge . In theory but not in reality.

The board is cut from 41 to 18 members (23 seat cut). I have not seen the before-and-after, but I bet most of the 23 were faculty members. Presumably that leaves a solid majority of voting members who actively support the AD.

The statement clearly states that from now on the board will only be in charge of broad policy directives. Think "advise and consent".

The mission clearly states that these changes "obviate the need for an executive committe". In other words, Hart and Bruce is telling Cheek and Martin that the executive committe (Hart, FAR plus whoever) will now run the AD. The board will sit on the sidelines and offer suggestions. Think board of directors in a corporation with a CEO, COO, CFO, etc.

This is a complete reverse hostile takeover. Somewhere in here is likely a new process for streamlining approval of the 4-5 tweener blue-chips every year in recruiting

I t will be interesting to monitor the firing of the Assistant Provost to who will oversee the Thorton Center.

I can only guess about specifics, My guess is that Susan martin is out of the sports management business and is back in the Provost business full-time. There is nothing to explicitly suggest that the Thorton Center will be taken away from the Provost office. I am betting there will be a change in attitude. The office will be more concerned with helping athletes than enforcing their attitudes.

One ofthe recent minutes from the Athletic Committee of the faculty senate explicitly states their intent to move Thorton Center resources and focus away from helping athletes with the highest need to athletes with the lowest needs.

In what world does that make sense?

If the changes mean what I think they do, the glass ceiling on the program has been broken. Under the previous regime we were never going to be above a Top 25 team.