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Board of Trustees Shakes Up Athletic Board

  • tntoak said...

    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...

    This story is an ongoing story that is at least 12 years old. Yet, John Adams and company barely reported anything on this subject. Is this not their job.

    Doug Matthews, a former UT DC, a sports radio host and alumnus of Vanderbilt, says flat out it now harder for an athlete to get admitted into UTK than into Vanderbilt.

    Have you read any articles about all this since Linda Bensil Myers left? Why not?

    Why is KNS not reporting a major restructuring of the AD Board?

    This post was edited by UTSwamper on 3/5/2013 at 12:26 PM

    UTSwamper ●

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    UTSwamper ●

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    UTSwamper ●

  • I have no doubt that he is a good man with good intensions. I do doubt it is nearly impossible to serve the best interests of the UTAD if one subjugates his priorities to another organization - especially if that the second organization perceives the AD as "the problem".

    UTSwamper ●

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    UTSwamper ●

  • UTSwamper said...

    I continue to fault them for failing to meet their fiduciary responsibilities.

    The replacement value of the UTAD hard assets is well over $1 billion. When they took over the UTAD, the revenue in current dollars was about $120 million, generating profits and had reserves of about $50 - 100 million. Now the revenues are off by 20% and they are running at a loss. For that alone, they should have the management taken away from them.

    And again, the department was put on probation on their watch.

    Agree - on all counts.

    DCVOL

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    wataugavol ●

  • McLeanVol95 said...

    Dr. Polite is a family friend and former Assistant under Bobby Bowden at FSU, so he has close ties to college football. He is an excellent professor and works to ensure that many of UT's student athletes are working to get their degrees just like any student at UT. I dont have any connection with the Drake Group but I can vouch that Dr. Polite is a great asset for the UT faculty and the UT Athletic Department and Board

    McLean, Have you taken his class to know if he is a good professor or not? I graduated with a degree in Sport Management in 2010 and I can tell you that he was the worst professor I had. He played favorites and also talked about race issues 90% of the time. He loves to hear himself talk, and doesn't pay attention during student presentations. I know for a fact that he got kicked out of the Football Complex during the pro day a couple years ago because he didnt have credentials and was poking around. He is a huge name dropper, and frequently made us read articles about things he was involved in. I had pleasant conversations with him, but it was evident he didn't take the time to remember my name, or conversations we had had previously.

    This post was edited by Jtex87 on 3/5/2013 at 1:23 PM

    Jtex87 ●

  • UTSwamper said...

    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.

    Thanks for your opinion and summary... it does help, but seeing how I probably like many are far removed from keeping up with it... but there's still a lot of reading inbetween lines envolved to totally understand.... I have a few questions:

    1) Will this re structuring ultimately mean the running off or firing of Susan Martin?
    2) How in the world did the coup of the AD by the UT Faculty Senate allowed to happen?
    3) Since all things UT should be public record and available....is there any way to get an accounting faction on the amount of money this coup regime pi$$ed away?

    After all...people always seem to complain about the money in college sports.... but when the money that Football generates flows back the other way into the university and its programs or personnel...via this UT Faculty Group and Susan Myers... and thus is wasted....is there not or should there not be Back Lash????

    I want to know how much money they mismangaged and how it was allowed to happen? Mayb this would tie in Cheek or others that need to "get gone"

    If you don't mind answering or giving your opinon on the answer... I would certainly appreciate.

    pcox21

  • Outstanding summary from the Swamper.

    Beyond me why this isn't front page news in every Tennessee metro daily. Way bigger news than whoever the new Chattanooga chancellor is.

    This post was edited by Chartervol on 3/5/2013 at 1:32 PM

    Chartervol

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    RockytopATL

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    tntoak ●

  • Is there going to be a story on this from W/R/K?

    jamest89

  • pcox21 said...

    Thanks for your opinion and summary... it does help, but seeing how I probably like many are far removed from keeping up with it... but there's still a lot of reading inbetween lines envolved to totally understand.... I have a few questions:

    1) Will this re structuring ultimately mean the running off or firing of Susan Martin? 2) How in the world did the coup of the AD by the UT Faculty Senate allowed to happen? 3) Since all things UT should be public record and available....is there any way to get an accounting faction on the amount of money this coup regime pi$$ed away?

    After all...people always seem to complain about the money in college sports.... but when the money that Football generates flows back the other way into the university and its programs or personnel...via this UT Faculty Group and Susan Myers... and thus is wasted....is there not or should there not be Back Lash????

    I want to know how much money they mismangaged and how it was allowed to happen? Mayb this would tie in Cheek or others that need to "get gone"

    If you don't mind answering or giving your opinon on the answer... I would certainly appreciate.

    I am as far removed as anyone. I am a long-time listener of Doug Matthews' radio show because he has maximum knowlege of football and the program, but he has minimum hype and BS. A couple years back, he went off on Hamilton which was totally out of character for him. Then he bgan explaining how and why Hamilton and his supporters might bring the AD to its knees. He also explained the changes that took place 10-12 years ago. Over the past 6 months or so he has been giving the ins and outs of things.

    i simply used google searches which took me to minutes of the faculty senate and the athletic committee which led to more google searches. A couple of months ago, Matthews begn hinting that he expected big changes soon; so I began searching the board of trustees. By the way, the KNS rarely (once?) came up in any of my searches.

    Susan Martin, as Provost, is in a fairly protected position relative to being fired. College politics is another issue. I assume Governor Haslem is pretty good at the whole politics thing. My takeaway is Haslem has simply out maneuvered her and those who consider the AD to be a problem fixed rather than an asset to be curried.

    Prior to the original hostile takeover, the UT AD reported directly to the pressident of the whole UT system. There was a gentlemen's agreement that the president would OK 4-5 at-risk students in each recruiting class, but it was on the HC to make sure that student was turned around. No cheating - just risk taking. This is SOP at almost all colleges. It is also the difference in 4-5 blue-chip recruits per class.

    After the Bensil-Myers/Drake Group kerfluffle in the press, UT was coerced into having the AD report to the UTK chancellor/faculty senate. Understand that the provost is the equivalent to a COO in a large corporation. The provost is in charge of almost all executive duties. That means all faculty reports to her. that also means she can stack the deck on the faculty senate. martin also got the authority to manage the Thorton Center which had previously reported to the AD.

    Last week changes cut the Board member ship by over half. I don't know for sure but I bet most of the losses were faculty (Martin's minions). The board responsibilities were reduced to policy. Operations are being delegated to the executive committee (to be created) comprised of the AD, FAR and others to be decided. That takes operations of that away from the senate and the provost.

    Finally all the monutes senate, athletic committee and BOT are published and available on the web.

    UTSwamper ●

  • Jtex87 said...

    McLean, Have you taken his class to know if he is a good professor or not? I graduated with a degree in Sport Management in 2010 and I can tell you that he was the worst professor I had. He played favorites and also talked about race issues 90% of the time. He loves to hear himself talk, and doesn't pay attention during student presentations. I know for a fact that he got kicked out of the Football Complex during the pro day a couple years ago because he didnt have credentials and was poking around. He is a huge name dropper, and frequently made us read articles about things he was involved in. I had pleasant conversations with him, but it was evident he didn't take the time to remember my name, or conversations we had had previously.

    Both my cousins had him and seemed to like him. And no I have never had him as a Professor but both my cousins seemed to like him as a teacher and he is a close friend of my aunt. But if what you say is true J Tex that's disturbing. I knew he had been kicked out of the Pro Day but I did not know what until you said that

    McLeanVol95

  • Chartervol said...

    Outstanding summary from the Swamper.

    Beyond me why this isn't front page news in every Tennessee metro daily. Way bigger news than whoever the new Chattanooga chancellor is.

    Amen! That is why I harp on the media being asleep at the wheel. Are you telling me that a four week series in the Sunday paper would not sell?

    UTSwamper ●

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    UTSwamper ●

  • jamest89 said...

    Is there going to be a story on this from W/R/K?

    Don't hold your breath.

    This post was edited by UTSwamper on 3/5/2013 at 2:35 PM

    UTSwamper ●

  • McLeanVol95 said...

    Both my cousins had him and seemed to like him. And no I have never had him as a Professor but both my cousins seemed to like him as a teacher and he is a close friend of my aunt. But if what you say is true J Tex that's disturbing. I knew he had been kicked out of the Pro Day but I did not know what until you said that

    I'm not the type that likes to stir the pot. I only report things if I know they are absolutely true. I wasn't alone in my opinion of Dr. Polite when it comes to his classes. I believe he is tenured, and my hunch is because he is good at raising support. As I've said before, I worked for the AD my entire time I was at UT, and that's how I knew about the pro day incident.

    Jtex87 ●

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    "Count it down with me. Five, four, three, two, one. The national champion is clad in Big Orange!"

    kyvolunteer ●

  • Thanks for the info in this thread Swamper. +1 for you. I also would love to see a multipart expose on this matter.

    motownvol

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    Chartervol

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    Chartervol

  • Jtex87 said...

    I'm not the type that likes to stir the pot. I only report things if I know they are absolutely true. I wasn't alone in my opinion of Dr. Polite when it comes to his classes. I believe he is tenured, and my hunch is because he is good at raising support. As I've said before, I worked for the AD my entire time I was at UT, and that's how I knew about the pro day incident.

    I believe he is tenured and I am not doubting anything you say. I was just posting to say what I had heard about him because he is a family friend and I saw his name in the thread. I would need to take his class to be able to form an educated opinion of him as a professor but thanks for sharing you opinion on Dr. Polite.

    And obviously you have a better handle on him as a teacher since you has his classes

    This post was edited by McLeanVol95 on 3/5/2013 at 8:13 PM

    McLeanVol95

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