From "Greenwich Time"
"Emails detail UConn's conference dilemma
HARTFORD -- As the structure of the Big East was on the verge of collapse late last summer, leaders of the athletic conference and the University of Connecticut demanded secrecy and unity.
Paul Pendergast, UConn's interim athletic director, and university President Susan Herbst, were torn between staying in the Big East or seeking their own deal elsewhere.
But the university was also positioning itself as a major athletics attraction in the New York-Boston corridor and essentially solidifying itself as one of the original members of the Big East.
Herbst was keeping some information on negotiations among university presidents to herself and not sharing it with the athletic department, according to e-mails released Wednesday by Hearst Connecticut Media Group.
"We'll tell you what we know as we get more people we can trust, who have actual information of value," Herbst wrote on Saturday, Sept. 17. "If anyone calls, don't take the call or deflect to me. It's sensitive right now, and lots of crazy talk, so let's not cross wires."
A day later, Herbst warned Pendergast, "we are not desperate at all, and some patience is involved" even as she admitted that she was in contact with "many" university presidents and conference commissioners. "In general, at this point at least, ADs (athletic directors) are not running the discussion around the country and a lot is happening."
Eventually their wait-and-see attitude, combined with orders from Herbst and Pendergast to keep a solid wall against scrutiny from the media, yielded a sense that UConn will stay in the Big East, for the time being.
They worked closely with Rachel Rubin, Herbst's chief of state who is a former state ethics attorney, in keeping a lid on "conflicting" statements to reporters.
But as word of the defection of the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University seeped out, Big East Commissioner John Marinatto beseeched leaders of the remaining schools to stick together, thanking them for "your ongoing loyalty and support," while asking university presidents to forward media inquiries to his office.
"Again, I plan to continue to respond very positively to media inquiries about the Big East Conference by reiterating how confident I am about our future, which is in many ways tied to the optimistic view we have about our media rights value -- including the fact we now represent thirty percent of TV households in America with nine of the top 35 media markets in our footprint," he wrote to member university presidents on Thursday, Sept. 8.
By Saturday, Sept. 17, Herbst was warning UConn athletic department officials to "Hold tight¦I gather tht (sic) Pitt and syr are definitely jumping, may be announced within 24 hours."
Earlier in the day, Mike Enright, associate director of athltetics/communications suggested that if the defections created more pressure, UConn officials "might want to let people know we are not standing still and are completely engaged on what is best for UConn."
The statement Enright drafted for Herbst referred to daily rumors about the nationwide shifting of athletic alliances.
"UConn is a proud charter member of the Big East and we have taken a lead role in the league's success over the years," said the statement. "However, it is my responsibility as President that we stay in constant communication and be actively involved in discussions with our counterparts from around the country to ensure the successful long-term future of our university's athletic program."
The next day, shortly after dawn, Pendergast wrote to Herbst complaining that "the Earth seems to be moving ten times faster than normal."
A few hours later, Enright's statement was released to reporters, who were told it originated from Herbst.
That night, Herbst wrote to Pendergast: "I know that everyone wants to help UConn right now, but we are not desperate at all, and some patience is involved¦Ads are not running the discussion around the country and a lot is happening."
The release of the 23 pages of e-mails on Wednesday came days before the state Freedom of Information Commission was to schedule a hearing on the September request for copies of communications on the conference controversy.
The university refused to released another 32 pages of e-mails, citing state law that allows the university to keep the documents secret."
"Emails detail UConn's conference dilemma
HARTFORD -- As the structure of the Big East was on the verge of collapse late last summer, leaders of the athletic conference and the University of Connecticut demanded secrecy and unity.
Paul Pendergast, UConn's interim athletic director, and university President Susan Herbst, were torn between staying in the Big East or seeking their own deal elsewhere.
But the university was also positioning itself as a major athletics attraction in the New York-Boston corridor and essentially solidifying itself as one of the original members of the Big East.
Herbst was keeping some information on negotiations among university presidents to herself and not sharing it with the athletic department, according to e-mails released Wednesday by Hearst Connecticut Media Group.
"We'll tell you what we know as we get more people we can trust, who have actual information of value," Herbst wrote on Saturday, Sept. 17. "If anyone calls, don't take the call or deflect to me. It's sensitive right now, and lots of crazy talk, so let's not cross wires."
A day later, Herbst warned Pendergast, "we are not desperate at all, and some patience is involved" even as she admitted that she was in contact with "many" university presidents and conference commissioners. "In general, at this point at least, ADs (athletic directors) are not running the discussion around the country and a lot is happening."
Eventually their wait-and-see attitude, combined with orders from Herbst and Pendergast to keep a solid wall against scrutiny from the media, yielded a sense that UConn will stay in the Big East, for the time being.
They worked closely with Rachel Rubin, Herbst's chief of state who is a former state ethics attorney, in keeping a lid on "conflicting" statements to reporters.
But as word of the defection of the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University seeped out, Big East Commissioner John Marinatto beseeched leaders of the remaining schools to stick together, thanking them for "your ongoing loyalty and support," while asking university presidents to forward media inquiries to his office.
"Again, I plan to continue to respond very positively to media inquiries about the Big East Conference by reiterating how confident I am about our future, which is in many ways tied to the optimistic view we have about our media rights value -- including the fact we now represent thirty percent of TV households in America with nine of the top 35 media markets in our footprint," he wrote to member university presidents on Thursday, Sept. 8.
By Saturday, Sept. 17, Herbst was warning UConn athletic department officials to "Hold tight¦I gather tht (sic) Pitt and syr are definitely jumping, may be announced within 24 hours."
Earlier in the day, Mike Enright, associate director of athltetics/communications suggested that if the defections created more pressure, UConn officials "might want to let people know we are not standing still and are completely engaged on what is best for UConn."
The statement Enright drafted for Herbst referred to daily rumors about the nationwide shifting of athletic alliances.
"UConn is a proud charter member of the Big East and we have taken a lead role in the league's success over the years," said the statement. "However, it is my responsibility as President that we stay in constant communication and be actively involved in discussions with our counterparts from around the country to ensure the successful long-term future of our university's athletic program."
The next day, shortly after dawn, Pendergast wrote to Herbst complaining that "the Earth seems to be moving ten times faster than normal."
A few hours later, Enright's statement was released to reporters, who were told it originated from Herbst.
That night, Herbst wrote to Pendergast: "I know that everyone wants to help UConn right now, but we are not desperate at all, and some patience is involved¦Ads are not running the discussion around the country and a lot is happening."
The release of the 23 pages of e-mails on Wednesday came days before the state Freedom of Information Commission was to schedule a hearing on the September request for copies of communications on the conference controversy.
The university refused to released another 32 pages of e-mails, citing state law that allows the university to keep the documents secret."
