The Leadership Institute or whatever [Find it yourself. UD doesn’t link to porn.] at Kansas State has released this fellatial book about the university’s president. It’s certainly true that his leadership style is much in the news. You can read dozens of articles about it this morning. Here’s one.
Wefald regrets error in pact
K-State president says mistake was giving ex-AD lengthy deal
MANHATTAN — Kansas State athletic director Bob Krause once spoke with optimism about the groundbreaking contract extension awarded to his predecessor, Tim Weiser.
… Weiser’s K-State career ended less than three years later, a separation that will cost the university $1.9 million. In light of those events, Krause and university president Jon Wefald now view the 10-year contract as a mistake.
“I can’t over-emphasize the fact that we just made a mistake,” Wefald said Wednesday, a day before details of Weiser’s $1.9 million separation agreement became public. “I’ll openly tell you that.” [We. Note the president’s willingness to take responsibility for what he and he alone has done.]
Wefald said K-State “got caught up in the BCS arms race” when other big-budget schools began expressing interest in Weiser. [Note the president’s lie. Weiser left because Wefald – against his advice – gave tons of money to keep a coach who crapped out on them.]
… “I don’t think we’ll be paying ADs here at Kansas State $700,000 again,” said Wefald, who will retire at the end of the academic year. “Who knows. I’m only going to be the president for another (few months). I’m just speculating about the future, (but) I don’t think you have to pay an AD $700,000 to have a good one.” [Note the president’s continued accountability: I’m outta here! Note the president’s self-alienation: I TOLD you not to pay him that much!]
… At K-State, one of Krause’s first major moves as athletic director was to give football coach Ron Prince a new contract with a larger buyout. That move backfired when the school fired Prince three months later, triggering the $1.2 million buyout clause…
“When you turn staff over, you budget it as a one-time expense,” said Krause, who estimated the school would pay $1.7 million in buyouts to Prince and his coaching staff. “That’s what you’ve got reserves for.” [Hey fuck you. We got a reserve.]
… One K-State donor said he stopped making financial contributions because of the instability within the athletic department, expressing frustrations echoed by K-State student Anika Bergh.
“It angers me because I pay so much money a year to be here and get the education that I want,” said Bergh, a season ticketholder in football and basketball. “To have them throwing away money like that, it just makes me feel like it’s money coming out of my pocket.”
Wefald viewed the settlement as the first step toward a more fiscally responsible strategy, one he said will not include long-term contracts like Weiser’s.
“Sometimes partnerships can’t last that long,” Wefald said. [Note the president lecturing us on how to run a university so that you don’t run it into the ground the way the president did.]
January 23rd, 2009 at 9:38AM
I have an inscribed copy of the book.
Here’s the thing: the claim is that paying Weiser $1.9 million to not work at Kansas State is no big deal because the replacement director Bob Krause is so low paid ($300K)–heck, we’re SAVING money when sending Weiser his checks at his new full-time job.
My response: EITHER Weiser was wildly overpaid when he was athletic director then, OR we’re getting far less athletic direction now. Maybe both.
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:21PM
You are being awfully mean, UD. The author, Robert J. Shoop, is a genuine senior scholar of leadership studies. Who better to understand the greatness of Wefald?
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:41PM
Who indeed, tp?
January 23rd, 2009 at 4:26PM
Wow, the guy’s still in office and there’s already a book in praise of his presidency? It looks like one of those official histories you always see on the coffee table in a big corporate office — something like, "An American Saga: Bill Jackson and the Founding of Best Western."