Herbst Stepping Down

[upstater]

If you want to ‘save the school’, you need to retrench and narrow the scope.

It gives academics the bad feelz but it’s time to stop pretending and start dealing with reality.

You can retrench any time you want--but you can call yourself a real university after you do. Not like the B1G or AAU schools anyway.

 

[upstater]

Are you two dim?

THERE IS NO MONEY. IT’S NOT AN OPTION OR A CHOICE. THERE IS NO MONEY TO FUND THE SCHOOL.

That has been my point the entire fricking time. This day was always coming so spending to expand was idiotic because it isn’t sustainable.

The state is broke. Dead broke.

And yet, Connecticut spends in the bottom quintile for higher education per student. So, spend much less for what you're already not spending much on. You call that fiduciary responsibility? I call that myopic.

 

[upstater]

What do you want to bet that her pension coincidentally vests once she hits the 8 year mark?

Pension? For someone in admin? She has a 403b.

 

[whaler11]

You can retrench any time you want--but you can call yourself a real university after you do. Not like the B1G or AAU schools anyway.

Maybe you haven’t noticed but UConn isn’t in the Big Ten or AAU?

Where exactly Professor do you propose the money come from to keep spending?

 

[HuskyHawk]

I'm sure you're needed in your job too.

Considering what they pay me and the revenue I directly support being over a billion dollars a year, I'd say, yeah. I'm pretty much a bargain.

Public Universities need to narrow their scope and eliminate whole departments that don't directly prepare their students to find meaningful employment. The role of the public university has changed. If the word "studies" is included in a major it can pretty safely be eliminated.

 

[whaler11]

And yet, Connecticut spends in the bottom quintile for higher education per student. So, spend much less for what you're already not spending much on. You call that fiduciary responsibility? I call that myopic.

I didn’t make the deals with the unions.

I’m sorry if reality offends you. Swing by the math department - maybe they can show you addition and subtraction.

Do you just walk around buying yachts and airplanes? Why don’t you - those are awesome to have.

 

[Guapo]

Yeah I guess my economics degree is a real barrier to understanding. what is happening here.

I’m sorry that you can’t grasp addition and subtraction and how the state budget works.

Another guy from somewhere else telling me how things work here. Always love that.

Pssst - It’s a state budget - you can’t deficit spend, Hartford isn’t DC.

An econ degree from Syracuse?

Actually, states can deficit spend.

But yes, let's cut off the hand to feed the mouth.

 

[whaler11]

An econ degree from Syracuse?

Actually, states can deficit spend.

But yes, let's cut off the hand to feed the mouth.

Oh someone disagrees about Suzie Lax and they must have gone to Syracuse! Good burn.

States can’t.

You clearly don’t get the situation. Don’t feel too bad it’s pretty common around here that people elsewhere spew nonsense based off their ignorance of the situation.

There is no money. That’s the hard reality. Your Queen saw her money train was ending and bailed on you. Further exposed as the total fraud she is. Maybe this go around it will be someone not so ethically challenged. Dare to dream!

 

[Guapo]

I didn’t make the deals with the unions.

I’m sorry if reality offends you. Swing by the math department - maybe they can show you addition and subtraction.

Do you just walk around buying yachts and airplanes? Why don’t you - those are awesome to have.

This is unbelievably stupid.

You can't compare this to buying yachts and airplanes. Did you get a mortgage to buy a house?

Guess what! You, an individual, went into debt to improve your future value.

If you insist on viewing government spending the same way as you view individual spending then this is how you should view it.

Connecticut, by investing in UConn, is investing in the future.

 

[Fishy]

Says you joined site in August 2011. Is this the first time you logged in since?

I thought you might try answering the question.

 

[upstater]

Maybe you haven’t noticed but UConn isn’t in the Big Ten or AAU?

Where exactly Professor do you propose the money come from to keep spending?

When you're bottom 20 in the USA states in funding Higher Ed., the answer is elsewhere.

 

[upstater]

Considering what they pay me and the revenue I directly support being over a billion dollars a year, I'd say, yeah. I'm pretty much a bargain.

Public Universities need to narrow their scope and eliminate whole departments that don't directly prepare their students to find meaningful employment. The role of the public university has changed. If the word "studies" is included in a major it can pretty safely be eliminated.

Yeah, I support revenue of 2 billion a year!!!

Anything with Studies in it isn't even a department. It has no faculty lines. These are interdisciplinary majors free-riding on the back of other departments. Which shows you don't know what you're talking about, but you are good at spouting taking points.

 

[Robertelamin]

Unfortunately that's how everyone views it. Fans, the media, etc. They completely dropped the ball and it will set us back decades. Our peers are now a bunch of directional schools. When you look at it long term it's awful for the brand and positioning of the university. Being in the same sentence as ECU makes me want to vomit.

Once East Carolina declares its independence from North Carolina it won’t look that bad.

 

[JMick]

When you're bottom 20 in the USA states in funding Higher Ed., the answer is elsewhere.

What are you even talking about? The president doesn't control how much money the state gives the university

 

[whaler11]

This is unbelievably stupid.

You can't compare this to buying yachts and airplanes. Did you get a mortgage to buy a house?

Guess what! You, an individual, went into debt to improve your future value.

If you insist on viewing government spending the same way as you view individual spending then this is how you should view it.

Connecticut, by investing in UConn, is investing in the future.

Good gravy.

You really don’t have any connection with reality.

There is no money to invest.

There is no money to invest because they can’t pay back the DEBT THEY ALREADY HAVE.

I don’t view gov’t spending the same as personal spending - but have you noticed NOT EVERY GOVERNMENT GETS TO HAVE EVERY NICE THING THEY WOULD POSSIBLY WANT. There needs to be a path to pay off the debt.

I’d love some of you reality deniers to move here and actually see what’s going on - you’d start singing a different tune.

Watch your taxes rise, your property values continue to drop, your friends, family and coworkers move elsewhere, state funding for local schools disappear halfway through the year...

All this BEFORE we get to the bad part of the pension crisis.

If you think 2019 looks bad for UConn wait til we get to the mid 2020s.

 

[storrsroars]

She's leaving the right way, plenty of notice and promises of a smooth transition. Speculating on her announcement, my bet is she wants to drive growth at another, maybe private, university. Fighting to maintain adequate levels of UConn funding in a rapidly declining state isn't of interest to her. Certainly understandable.

Or maybe she recognizes potential in Stamford...

 

[UConn990411]

Lol, there are a lot of strange groups on this board, but the Herbst haters might be the strangest.

 

[huskysupporter]

When you're bottom 20 in the USA states in funding Higher Ed., the answer is elsewhere.

Oh stop. Nobody is asking UCONN to cut their spending to pauper levels. They continually get a pass while other state agencies suffer cuts and layoffs. They need someone in there who knows how to reduce inefficiencies and waste.

UCONN has continually gotten a pass during the fiscal crisis of the last ten years.

 

[JMick]

Lol, there are a lot of strange groups on this board, but the Herbst haters might be the strangest.

We're you a student while she was there?

 

[huskysupporter]

And my comment is not judging Herbst in any way, just pointing out how UCONN continuously gets a pass. And because they operate knowing they won’t be touched, I can’t even begin to imagine the waste (and I am not talking about the ludicrous salaries for some professors. That’s an entirely different discussion)

 

[Guapo]

I thought you might try answering the question.

He doesn't answer questions and if you try and make a counter argument he insists that he understands addition and subtraction.

But, I haven't really seen any proof that's true.

Good gravy.

You really don’t have any connection with reality.

There is no money to invest.

There is no money to invest because they can’t pay back the DEBT THEY ALREADY HAVE.

I don’t view gov’t spending the same as personal spending - but have you noticed NOT EVERY GOVERNMENT GETS TO HAVE EVERY NICE THING THEY WOULD POSSIBLY WANT. There needs to be a path to pay off the debt.

I’d love some of you reality deniers to move here and actually see what’s going on - you’d start singing a different tune.

Watch your taxes rise, your property values continue to drop, your friends, family and coworkers move elsewhere, state funding for local schools disappear halfway through the year...

All this BEFORE we get to the bad part of the pension crisis.

If you think 2019 looks bad for UConn wait til we get to the mid 2020s.

Your counter "arguments" aren't even lining up anymore.

You asked that poster why he doesn't buy yachts and airplanes.

I said to view high-ed funding like buying a house.

And you countered with...whatever this comment was?

You view having a "nice" flagship university as discrestionary spending, I view it as a necessity. Connecticut doesn't exist in a vacuum, in order for the state to stay vital and competitive you need investment.

If the state follows your path, it might as well pack it in. Let each county petition to join NY or MA.

 

[TRest]

Not sure if this fits anywhere in the narrative, but UConn just decided to make on-campus housing available to Hartford and Avery Point students. Which I believe is a way of filling somehow empty dorm space and, at least as far as Hartford is concerned, an expanded, shiny regional campus nobody asked for.

 

[JMick]

He doesn't answer questions and if you try and make a counter argument he insists that he understands addition and subtraction.

But, I haven't really seen any proof that's true.


Your counter "arguments" aren't even lining up anymore.

You asked that poster why he doesn't buy yachts and airplanes.

I said to view high-ed funding like buying a house.

And you countered with...whatever this comment was?

You view having a "nice" flagship university as discrestionary spending, I view it as a necessity. Connecticut doesn't exist in a vacuum, in order for the state to stay vital and competitive you need investment.

If the state follows your path, it might as well pack it in. Let each county petition to join NY or MA.

I think you're missing whalers point because he veered off track. If the president isn't given money to spend then they can't spend it. She knows the budget is getting cut and is getting out of dodge.

 

[Guapo]

Oh stop. Nobody is asking UCONN to cut their spending to pauper levels. They continually get a pass while other state agencies suffer cuts and layoffs. They need someone in there who knows how to reduce inefficiencies and waste.

UCONN has continually gotten a pass during the fiscal crisis of the last ten years.

I don't think anyone is against eliminating waste and inefficiency, but there are a lot of people arguing to turn UConn into a trade school.

 

[whaler11]

I thought you might try answering the question.

She doesn’t give a lick about sports, finds them to be at odds with her desires for a university (which is a fair opinion if one is honest about it.).

She hired a complete clown as Athletic Director who may have permanently killed the football program.

Under their watch the CR music stopped and ended up the biggest net loser in college sports. Blame will be ascribed elsewhere as well but they are not innocent bystanders.

She proved to be a unethical snake - lurching from tying her own fortunes to Ollie to trying to shoot him to sun on NCAA technicalities.

The experience at games continues to devolve, attendance dropping, revenues flatlining.

The hockey program is the perfect example.
We are in Hockey East - Awesome! Now where exactly do they play when the XL Center finishes collapsing?

An on paper success that looks more unsustainable every day.

So other than essentially being in worse shape than any other major college athletic program after her 8 years - yeah she’s been awesome.

Thankfully some of the people who predated her arrival continue to perform. Imagine things without Geno. Bleak.

 

[Guapo]

I think you're missing whalers point because he veered off track. If the president isn't given money to spend then they can't spend it. She knows the budget is getting cut and is getting out of dodge.

Maybe. But if that's the case, he needs to make better and clearer arguments.

 

[huskysupporter]

I don't think anyone is against eliminating waste and inefficiency, but there are a lot of people arguing to turn UConn into a trade school.

Nobody is arguing to turn UCONN into a trade school. Not even Whaler.

 

[Guapo]

She doesn’t give a lick about sports, finds them to be at odds with her desires for a university (which is a fair opinion if one is honest about it.).

She hired a complete clown as Athletic Director who may have permanently killed the football program.

Under their watch the CR music stopped and ended up the biggest net loser in college sports. Blame will be ascribed elsewhere as well but they are not innocent bystanders.

She proved to be a unethical snake - lurching from tying her own fortunes to Ollie to trying to shoot him to sun on NCAA on technicalities.

The experience at games continues to devolve, attendance dropping, revenues flatlining.

The hockey program is the perfect example.
We are in Hockey East - Awesome! Now where exactly do they play when the XL Center finishes collapsing?

An on paper success that looks more unsustainable every day.

So other than essentially being in worse shape than any other major college athletic program after her 8 years - yeah she’s been awesome.

Thankfully some of the people who predated her arrival continue to perform. Imagine things without Geno. Bleak.

This was good and well thought out counter argument. B+/A-

 

[Guapo]

Nobody is arguing to turn UCONN into a trade school. Not even Whaler.

I agree that I don't think Whaler is, but there are people in the state legislature that are essentially arguing for that.

 

[huskysupporter]

And the most ridiculous thing is despite the spending, tuition continues to rise exorbitantly. Just got a notice I will be paying 33% more for my graduate program.