UD‘s old buddies Nathan Tublitz and Bill Harbaugh, professors at humongous jock school University of Oregon, managed to get a committee up and running there which allowed faculty a teeny bit of say about athletics. But Nathan’s and Bill’s rough rhetorical ways made the sports guys cry, so UO’s president dried their tears and killed the committee.
March 12th, 2017 at 5:47PM
When my lil old place of employment decided to move to NCAA D2 from NAIA one of the expectations of the NCAA was a faculty oversight committee. I’ve chaired that for its entire duration but have always wondered what might happen when we get a new AD or President who decides that we as a committee are just a bit too pesky in taking our mission seriously. Our current AD is the only one in school history, and is a full professor, but as we have grown there are signs that we need a “real” AD, someone who does not come from the academic side of things. I will be very curious to see how things go the first time we have to tell a new AD that no, the basketball team does not have to leave Thursday morning for a Saturday night game in a city four hours away.
March 12th, 2017 at 5:59PM
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/12/sports/rutgers-university-athletic-department-deficits.html
March 13th, 2017 at 8:38AM
Thanks, dmf. Hadn’t seen the article.
March 13th, 2017 at 10:25AM
just to give some context, u of owe announced at the beginning of march they would be laying off 75 professors. this huge windbag of an institution is in debt about 400 million for three buildings, the matt knight basketball arena, a refurbished student spa center, and a vanity improvement of the union, none of which provide any academic support. but these same bright lights can’t find ways to pay to keep people in the classroom….
March 14th, 2017 at 3:34PM
Dcat, let me help you with the explanation you will receive. We have had ADs who insist on having players take the whole day off Friday for a Saturday night game in a city that is under three hours away. It is because they need the “floor time,” don’t cha know. So radically different are the wood in the floor, the iron in the hoops, and the air currents from the HVAC that our players would have a hard time even finding the court, let alone playing on it, unless they are led to it more than a whole day before the actual game. This helps ensure that we only lose by 88-57 instead of 88-56.