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Board of Trustees Shakes Up Athletic Board

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    Chartervol

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    Chartervol

  • 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.

    I'm not sure about the rest of this post, as I'm not in position to know. However, I will say that Dr. Bruce is absolutely a great choice for Faculty Athletic Representative. He has a tremendous mind for economic issues, and could probably quote you numbers on the economic cog that UTAD represents for the community. He's also just a tremendous guy with integrity and respected by his colleagues. Most importantly for this purpose, he's a sports guy. He doesn't miss UT games often. He's not shuffled around like a VIP. He parks and rides the shuttle bus at bball games like the rest of us who go to cheer on our Vols.

    I've never attended UT, but I grew up around the University and have interfaced with hundreds of people there over the years. Don Bruce is in my top 3 of people over there who impressed me.

    GDrinnen2 ●

  • The silence of W/R/K in this thread is deafening. FWIW, I had a meeting yesterday with a trustee. I was impressed with his knowledge and concern about the football program. He thinks/hopes CBJ is the right guy.

    I would really like to know more about this topic. Rucker? Rucker?

    cpavol

  • lots of great info, thoughts & opinions in this thread guys & i for one am appreciative of it. kudos to utswamper for his efforts in getting this information out!

    golfvols

  • cpavol said...

    The silence of W/R/K in this thread is deafening. FWIW, I had a meeting yesterday with a trustee. I was impressed with his knowledge and concern about the football program. He thinks/hopes CBJ is the right guy.

    I would really like to know more about this topic. Rucker? Rucker?

    The first couple of times I posted on this subject and declared the media, including 247, asleep at the wheeel, I got booted off.

    So don't get your hopes up with them.

    I really am an outsider, I would love to get input here from people who have more information and insights - know where to get it.

    UTSwamper

  • cpavol said...

    The silence of W/R/K in this thread is deafening. FWIW, I had a meeting yesterday with a trustee. I was impressed with his knowledge and concern about the football program. He thinks/hopes CBJ is the right guy.

    I would really like to know more about this topic. Rucker? Rucker?

    I've opined in earlier threads on this issue that W/R/K are not in a position to do investigative reporting on historical academic/athletic interactions at UT. It's just outside the realm of what they are charged to do. I have also strongly suggested that this is ripe material for the News-Sentinel to pursue, as they at least have some staff covering education and general assignment sportswriters. IMO, the finger pointing should go in that direction.

    This post was edited by RockytopATL on 3/6/2013 at 8:55 AM

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    DCVOL

  • RockytopATL said...

    I've opined in earlier threads on this issue that W/R/K are not in a position to do investigative reporting on historical academic/athletic interactions at UT. It's just outside the realm of what they are charged to do. I have also strongly suggested that this is ripe material for the News-Sentinel to pursue, as they at least have some staff covering education and general assignment sportswriters. IMO, the finger pointing should go in that direction.

    You may be right RATL, but I'd be a little insulted to think people only thought I was fit to cover recruiting, practice and games. These guys are good reporters, and good reporters can cover anything.

    The KNS general staff ought to be on this thing, sure enough. They are as useless as ever.

    Chartervol

  • Chartervol said...

    You may be right RATL, but I'd be a little insulted to think people only thought I was fit to cover recruiting, practice and games. These guys are good reporters, and good reporters can cover anything.

    The KNS general staff ought to be on this thing, sure enough. They are as useless as ever.

    I wonder why one of them doesn't comment? Even just to say they're not going to?

    In regards to the thread, it sounds like positive changes are being made and I'm glad to read about them. Thanks for all the info UTswamper.

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    GBO

    TNjrod

  • Are there no competent student journalists at the Daily Beacon? They would be in a prime position to dig into the apex of academics and athletics at the university.

    DougG_ATL

  • RockytopATL said...

    I've opined in earlier threads on this issue that W/R/K are not in a position to do investigative reporting on historical academic/athletic interactions at UT. It's just outside the realm of what they are charged to do. I have also strongly suggested that this is ripe material for the News-Sentinel to pursue, as they at least have some staff covering education and general assignment sportswriters. IMO, the finger pointing should go in that direction.

    You have a valid position, but let me counter. What if this site was dedicated to the Titans? What if there was a major shake-up in th efront office? Would they at least report that it happened? If so, would they report why it happened?

    What if there had been a change in ownership 12 years ago? What if that resulted in an on-going drama in the front office?

    Finally, investigativ e reporting is exactly what this site sells. Lookaat all the reportin g that went into the coaching hire. Apparently this was a major isue in that process, but it was never reported on - at least in any depth. How investigation does it take to google the minutes?

    Yesterday, someone posted that this was an active issue at the previous BOT meeting and would therefore have currency during the time of the coaching search/hire.

    I'm sorry. I know this reads like I am calling you out. I am not.

    UTSwamper

  • All I can say is, it's about time the athletic dept grew a backbone and handled their business.

    Glad to see Hart making these moves and to be honest I am surprised that Cheek is gong along with this. Cheek may see the writing on the wall and would rather stay the Chancellor than not.

    Go Vols!

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    There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction. - Winston Churchill

    TinyC

  • Swamper, thanks for bringing this to light. I also enjoy listening to Doug Matthews and he seems to know more about the behind the scenes issues at the University than many of the reporters do. I am not sure what all these changes mean at this time but I hoping that they will correct the problems that have developed between the University and the Athletic Department.

    Jetervol ●

  • I found this thread and the information Swamper pieced together very, very interesting. Thanks for sharing and +1 to you.

    VolBaller33 ●

  • UTSwamper said...

    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.

    DUDE...that's awesome. thanks for the research and update. I haven't read KNS in years....they are a bunch of hacks and do no real journalism anyhow.... the Chatt Times is a far better paper but all their stars end up going to bigger and better places...well I guess that's how it is supposed to work, unlike KNS which has a bunch of slugs leaching off the you know what!

    I can't believe what you summaized up above wasn't taken care of years ago....or this was the trail of the Bensel Myers thing....goood lard, that was ridiculous then, and now .... since we thought the problem ridded itself and it hasn't....even more ridiculous NOW!!!!

    Everyone always talks about "the boosters" and Jim Haslem...and how much power they weld...but obviously enough...they were asleep for long enough to loose control of the wheel..... whatever the case I am glad the ship is HOPEFULLY getting righted.

    And the Provost I don't care who or what she is....should absolutely be fired if she mismanged funds from the AD. I mean how is that different than a President of a University mismanaging funds to redecorate his house????

    We shouldn't have to put up with lack luster talent at the player positions....nor the President/Chancelor, Provost, AD, or any other tax payer / alumni supported roles. Structure is everything to a solid house!

    pcox21

  • pcox21 said...

    DUDE...that's awesome. thanks for the research and update. I haven't read KNS in years....they are a bunch of hacks and do no real journalism anyhow.... the Chatt Times is a far better paper but all their stars end up going to bigger and better places...well I guess that's how it is supposed to work, unlike KNS which has a bunch of slugs leaching off the you know what!

    I can't believe what you summaized up above wasn't taken care of years ago....or this was the trail of the Bensel Myers thing....goood lard, that was ridiculous then, and now .... since we thought the problem ridded itself and it hasn't....even more ridiculous NOW!!!!

    Everyone always talks about "the boosters" and Jim Haslem...and how much power they weld...but obviously enough...they were asleep for long enough to loose control of the wheel..... whatever the case I am glad the ship is HOPEFULLY getting righted.

    And the Provost I don't care who or what she is....should absolutely be fired if she mismanged funds from the AD. I mean how is that different than a President of a University mismanaging funds to redecorate his house????

    We shouldn't have to put up with lack luster talent at the player positions....nor the President/Chancelor, Provost, AD, or any other tax payer / alumni supported roles. Structure is everything to a solid house!

    The more I have dug into this, the more I think about Fulmer. I admit I was a Fulmer fan and did not like the way some in the media treated him at the end. But by the end, I felt that Fulmer needed to go. Now, I have to wonder, but I don't want to turn this into yet another referendum on Fulmer.

    i will note that while John Adams was ripping Fulmer for his incompetence, he and his staff left the rest of us in the dark about all these shenanigans. What would have been the public response ito the deteriorating performance of the football team f we had all known that how much control the chancelllor and faculty senate had over the AD?

    To my mind, Adams and company "buried the lede". Yet neither he nor the faculty senate want to take responsibility for their performance.

    Here is one interesting anecdote from reading the minutes of a faculty senate meeting. Dave Hart attended the meting soon after being hired to make him self available to them and to solicit questions and comments. One professor complained that the noise from the practice field was interfering with his class. Hart responded that was probably due to playing loud crowd noise through the PA during practice to help prepare the team for a road game. The professor responded that Hart was not being responsive to his complaint. uys, this is not rumor. This is what is written in the published minutes. I doubt that the professor's sarcastic response would not have been in the minutes if that professor did not ask the secretary of the senate to include them for public consumption.

    Again, this is an anecdotal incident, but I think it speaks volumes about the group that has really been in charge of the AD for the past 12 years.

    Here are the minutes. Look at Page 3.

    http://senate-utk-edu.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2011/09/November-2011.min_.pdf

    This post was edited by UTSwamper on 3/6/2013 at 12:56 PM

    UTSwamper

  • UTSwamper said...

    The more I have dug into this, the more I think about Fulmer. I admit I was a Fulmer fan and did not like the way some in the media treated him at the end. But by the end, I felt that Fulmer needed to go. Now, I have to wonder, but I don't want to turn this into yet another referendum on Fulmer.

    i will note that while John Adams was ripping Fulmer for his incompetence, he and his staff left the rest of us in the dark about all these shenanigans. What would have been the public response ito the deteriorating performance of the football team f we had all known that how much control the chancelllor and faculty senate had over the AD?

    To my mind, Adams and company "buried the lede". Yet neither he nor the faculty senate want to take responsibility for their performance.

    Here is one interesting anecdote from reading the minutes of a faculty senate meeting. Dave Hart attended the meting soon after being hired to make him self available to them and to solicit questions and comments. One professor complained that the noise from the practice field was interfering with his class. Hart responded that was probably due to playing loud crowd noise through the PA during practice to help prepare the team for a road game. The professor responded that Hart was not being responsive to his complaint. uys, this is not rumor. This is what is written in the published minutes. I doubt that the professor's sarcastic response would not have been in the minutes if that professor did not ask the secretary of the senate to include them for public consumption.

    Again, this is an anecdotal incident, but I think it speaks volumes about the group that has really been in charge of the AD for the past 12 years.

    Yes - at the time, I wanted CPF fired, but had I known that the academics were pulling the rug out from under him with these steps,I,would have instead been far more interested in the academics being fired (or at least marginalized to the extent possible). I wonder where Adams and his buddies were when this,was going on? I just heard about this whole thing last year (granted have lived out of state for many years). Is too late for Fulmer, but these people need to go and things need to change.

    This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by DCVOL on 3/6/2013 at 1:03 PM

    DCVOL

  • It was time for Fulmer to go not because of academic issues but the fact that the rest of the league passed him by. He put it on auto pilot and was not able to manage his staff or recruit to the levels he needed. Saban, Urban, and Richt outworked him. He relied on Chief and Cutcliff to run things and took his hands off the wheel. Which was fine until Cutcliff left both times and our offense tanked. I love Fulmer and he is a legend but it was time for him to go. And to paint his failings as the result of academic issues is revisionist history.

    This post was edited by jacvol12 on 3/6/2013 at 1:06 PM

    jacvol12 ●

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