Its sports program is a national disgrace (here’s one of many cheating scandals).
But you begin to understand how Auburn maintains its brainless belligerent ways when you look at its board of trustees.
Must say, it’s a new one on UD, but when she thinks about it, it makes perfect sense: Make your trustees Auburn football players.
Plus keep the girls out: Auburn’s board of trustees has got two women, twelve men. Half of the Auburn student body’s female, but you wouldn’t want the board to reflect that in any way. And girls don’t get football.
From the Opelika-Auburn News:
Auburn University is an academic institution first. Granted, athletics create plenty of spirit and excitement — and generates millions in revenue — but schools are just that. Schools.
News of Randy Campbell’s appointment to the university’s board of trustees comes with a mixed bag of feelings. Campbell was obviously a leader on the football field, quarterbacking the Tigers to the 1983 SEC championship and working as signal-caller …
Like any other academic institution, Auburn University is a business that sells education. [Amazing sentence, no? Amazing definition of a university — a business that sells education.]
With business brains and a dedicated love for Auburn, Campbell is a fine choice to replace outgoing Paul Spina as the trustee for District 6. But of 12 trustees on the board, discounting Gov. Bob Riley who serves as chairman, three played football at Auburn.
That’s one-fourth…
Yes, perception does matter, and Auburn’s gotten a lot of bad publicity because its trustees have been jocks and its presidents castrati.
So how does Auburn respond to the problem?
By appointing another football player to the board.
As we follow, on University Diaries, in the months to come, the clown school that Auburn’s become, keep these facts in mind.
September 8th, 2009 at 9:05AM
Hence, my rule…I only vote for women on Boards of Trustees.
September 8th, 2009 at 9:15AM
I think we’re all losing sight of the real purpose of trustees. They are elected to give money to the university – lots and lots of lovely money. The primary qualification for a trustee, therefore, is wealth. Where are the doctors and lawyers? Or are the only Auburn alumni who become wealthy former sports stars?
September 8th, 2009 at 9:38AM
…a business that sells education
Among other things, as you often point out. Pennants, stuffed animals, medical propaganda, souls…
September 8th, 2009 at 9:55AM
"A university is a business that sells education." The humanists have reanimated and walked out of their graves, as rolling over is insufficient to express their outrage.
September 8th, 2009 at 10:29AM
Okay, so Auburn is the academic Sodom/Gomorrah. The question is, if I can find ONE GOOD DECISION, will you restrain yourself from destroying the place? Just ONE GOOD PROFESSOR?
September 8th, 2009 at 10:35AM
I assure you, Sherman — Even I if had a Panzer division, Auburn is safe from me.
Anyway. It’s destroying itself without any help from critics.
September 8th, 2009 at 7:03PM
LOL, Francofou: "Raise that tuition, dig that gravel, buy that Coke, push that credit card, sell that soul…"
September 8th, 2009 at 11:43PM
What are Auburn’s academic rankings? I can’t see Auburn ever being ranked that highly to begin with… a commentary you could make about most SEC schools, Auburn and Florida being the exceptions that glare out in my mind.
September 9th, 2009 at 12:43PM
The real problem revealed in the story is that the higher ranks of American capitalism are staffed with former college athletes. When we take that into account, certain recent events–the decline and fall of automobile manufacturing, the bizarre decisions in high finance–make a lot more sense.
September 13th, 2009 at 6:13AM
Here’s the SEC rankings… I’m using USNews as the rankings.
Alabama 96
Arkansas 128 (tied with Kentucky and LSU
Auburn 88
South Carolina 110
Georgia 58
Florida 57
Louisiana State 128 (tied with Arkansas and Kentucky)
Mississippi Tier 3 !
Mississippi State Tier 3 !
Tennessee 106
Kentucky 128 (tied with Arkansas and LSU)
Vanderbilt 17 (private institution)
As far as the Trustees at AU… I’m pretty sure that most people want them gone. Especially Lowder. However if I don’t know if you could say he trashed the place. He trashed the athletic program, but Auburn itself? No.
November 5th, 2010 at 7:38AM
[…] on the board? Among whose trustees sits the Amazing!!!! Bobby Lowder? A school that has the longest record of sports scandals in the history of the […]
March 12th, 2011 at 10:55AM
[…] And that is saying one hell of a lot. […]
July 29th, 2012 at 1:47PM
[…] told, has to confront its sports culture) but until you look at things like the background of the trustees at Auburn or the background of the people who run the academic support program for athletes at North […]
August 27th, 2015 at 2:41PM
[…] a first university. I guess certain parties at Auburn would like to think so; but when one quarter of your trustees played football for the school, and when until very recently the school was run by the legendary […]