Inside look at VT's athletic department

[Fishy]

If they have financial concerns and are operating at basically the same mid-sixty million dollar budget that we are, there must be some sheer wizardry going on in Storrs.

 

[pj]

He prioritized everything else ahead of football, including budget balance and a women's softball clubhouse. No wonder he didn't get the job.

 

[CTGoonie]

Hmmm. An ACC school that is having financial problems. Where have we seen that before? I'll call it first, Uconn and VTech to the B1G.

 

[UConnJim]

Really not a surprise. UConn athletics have benefited financially from the state. Look at UConn's athletic facilities that have been built in the last couple of decades: new football stadium, indoor football practice facility, football offices/training facility, swimming facility, hockey arena,..... All funded primarily by the state. When UConn needs athletic infrastructure, the state pays. This is not true for every university and it means that UConn athletics benefits from not having to finance them.

In addition, UConn's operating expenses get subsidized by the state, the university, and student fees. According to USA Today, in 2012 UConn received $17.3 million of subsidies and VT received $7.7 million.

Bottom line is that every school has their unique financial issues. If you think UConn and VT have financial problems, look at Rutgers. Their finances are a disaster and receive huge subsidies. My guess is that they use the increased Big 10 revenues to reduce their subsidies and not to invest in athletics which will mean that Rutgers will remain Rutgers!

 

[upstater]

He prioritized everything else ahead of football, including budget balance and a women's softball clubhouse. No wonder he didn't get the job.

What interested me was the lack of President and Provost in the search. These are trustees, politicos, search consulting and Hokie club people. He is speaking from the inside, knowing the pressures the AD is under. He basically told them that Weaver had a great build out but the financial stability of the whole enterprise is in question. Of course, one wonders why he didn't put a plan in place to thank Hokie club members since he's been an employee for so long. That's bizarre. Still, he emphasized the fiscal side, probably because he knows what the AD will be up against. An outsider will come there to talk pie in the sky.

 

[pj]

What interested me was the lack of President and Provost in the search. These are trustees, politicos, search consulting and Hokie club people. He is speaking from the inside, knowing the pressures the AD is under. He basically told them that Weaver had a great build out but the financial stability of the whole enterprise is in question. Of course, one wonders why he didn't put a plan in place to thank Hokie club members since he's been an employee for so long. That's bizarre. Still, he emphasized the fiscal side, probably because he knows what the AD will be up against. An outsider will come there to talk pie in the sky.

Yes, but he spoke entirely like an employee, not a leader. Think of some of the cross-university issues like realignment, the P5 breakaway, etc - he said nothing about them and didn't show any signs that he had ever thought about them or was prepared to help VT through them.

To a search committee with three Hokie Club members he said the Hokie Club had to do more, but without showing a reason why they should or a reward if they do. He spoke like a bureaucrat who wants outsiders to solve his problems for him. His bureaucratic mindset is emphasized by the Title IX mindset of privileging compliance with a regulation. Does Alabama delay a football practice facility until it has built facilities for three women's sports so that it has an ironclad case for Title IX compliance? How many schools have been hit by regulators for failing Title IX due to facilities?

I don't doubt that financial stresses are a major issue at universities generally and athletic departments specifically. But building a softball clubhouse doesn't solve them, and he doesn't seem like the entrepreneurial leader who would come up with a solution.

 

[upstater]

Yes, but he spoke entirely like an employee, not a leader. Think of some of the cross-university issues like realignment, the P5 breakaway, etc - he said nothing about them and didn't show any signs that he had ever thought about them or was prepared to help VT through them.

To a search committee with three Hokie Club members he said the Hokie Club had to do more, but without showing a reason why they should or a reward if they do.

He spoke like a bureaucrat who wants outsiders to solve his problems for him. His bureaucratic mindset is emphasized by the Title IX mindset of privileging compliance with a regulation. Does Alabama delay a football practice facility until it has built facilities for three women's sports so that it has an ironclad case for Title IX compliance? How many schools have been hit by regulators for failing Title IX due to facilities?

I don't doubt that financial stresses are a major issue at universities generally and athletic departments specifically. But building a softball clubhouse doesn't solve them, and he doesn't seem like the entrepreneurial leader who would come up with a solution.

He was actually talking about doing more FOR the Hokie Club, not the reverse. But... this major university is running a search without members of the admin. of which they will be a part, and that is a problem.

 

[EROCK CONN]

$65 million is an awful lot to suck at everything.

 

[huskymedic]

Just curious - the article said that there are 9,953 Hokie Club members.

Any clue how many members the UConn Club has?

 

[Fishy]

He prioritized everything else ahead of football, including budget balance and a women's softball clubhouse. No wonder he didn't get the job.

No kidding....he really needs to polish up his resume, I'm sure the new athletic director is not going to want to deal with this nitwit.

He's been there for a thousand years and he's just now decided that they need to thank donors.

 

[CAHUSKY]

Yes, but he spoke entirely like an employee, not a leader. Think of some of the cross-university issues like realignment, the P5 breakaway, etc - he said nothing about them and didn't show any signs that he had ever thought about them or was prepared to help VT through them.

What issues are realignment and P5 breakaway causing VaTech? The seem to be safe and sound with the ACC with little potential for any problems.

 

[pj]

What issues are realignment and P5 breakaway causing VaTech? The seem to be safe and sound with the ACC with little potential for any problems.

They just had to consider the possibility of moving to the B1G in the Maryland aftermath. The athletic director would surely have input on decisions like that. Maybe they think such major decision points will never come again, and all they need is blocking and tackling.