Like Alabama and Michigan, Rutgers has fouled its nest with a greedy coach. And like Alabama and Michigan, the university’s president seems to have the brain of a bird.
Last year Rutgers University president Richard McCormick said transparency was an important goal of his administration. “I believe openness and responsible management go hand in hand,” McCormick said.
So it is disappointing that McCormick was left hemming and hawing after news broke yesterday about Rutgers’ secretive football deals. Star-Ledger reporters Josh Margolin and Ted Sherman revealed that McCormick and athletic director Robert Mulcahy never said a word publicly last summer when they greatly sweetened football coach Greg Schiano’s contract.
McCormick now admits the public should have been told the $2 million-a-year coach was getting an additional $250,000 plus unlimited use of jets and helicopters for university business.
By the way, it would have been a good idea to tell the university’s board of governors, too. Many of them didn’t know, either. It makes no difference that the payments were indirect, to be funded by sponsor ship dollars attracted by Schiano’s success. Then there’s the little matter of what McCormick revealed yesterday: Schiano can walk away without financial penalty if Rutgers fails to complete the stadium expansion on time.
McCormick insists there was no deliberate strategy to keep mum. All he says is, “I’m at a loss to explain.”
Okay, how about this? Perhaps Rutgers’ leaders just didn’t want to stir up more controversy over the school’s expensive drive to become a major college football power. This would be an obvious motive for keeping quiet, albeit a foolish and spineless one.
Strangely, when pressed, McCormick also says he can’t find any record that anyone discussed disclosing or not disclosing the extra payments.
Huh? The president of the state’s premier university needs a memo to remember the circumstances of approving a $250,000 deal for his high-profile football coach? …
At a loss to explain… can’t find any record. Keep in mind that this inarticulate bumbler is the president of a university.
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:58PM
Why does everyone care. The taxpayers are not affected by this and as a Rutgers Alumn I am proud that we are doing everything to keep a key employee like Greg Schiano at our University to continue expanding the schools coffers and yearly applications. Not only will the schools academics increase but the budget will as well since the mindless NJ politicians keep cutting funding to our University.
It was apparent and made public that Schiano would make 2 million after bonuses and getting 250K from a sponsor instead of the taxpayers money should be something the state should be proud about.
Get over it. Great move Rutgers. Poor NJ political leadership and shotty reporting.
..additionally, due to Greg Schiano’s abilities, the University saw an increase of 24 million dollars in donations and nearly 32,000 applications which is more than a 50% increase on the previous year. This allows for more academic funding and greater selectivity.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:08PM
rulaw: Hold onto your hat. You’re in for a bumpy ride.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:21PM
RULaw is flat out wrong. Applications to Rutgers are up a negligible percentage point or two, nothing whatsoever to do with football.
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:04PM
"I’m at a loss to explain."
This has so much satire potential it’s almost beyond imagining. I can picture bumper stickers all over the Rutgers campus: "I’m at a loss to explain." Students wearing buttons: "I’m at a loss to explain." It would make a great title for a regular newspaper column, too.
July 23rd, 2008 at 5:45PM
It’s very heartening to hear that our disgust with the dishonest charlatan who happens to be president of Rutgers University is shared by others concerned with education and basic academic integrity. President McCormick even hid the fact that he was in the process of being dismissed from his post at the University of Washington when he accepted his position at Rutgers. He is a man who has slashed academic positions, fired staff, cut classes, and ramped up fees whilst pouring ever-increasing amounts of money into a football program. As a grad student at Rutgers, I have no sympathy for him at all. His position must surely now be untenable, and, in short, good riddance.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:59PM
Hey! I can hardly believe this didn’t happen here in Texas.