Insider: Herbst in over her head

[ScottBonz]

I just tweeted at him that I'm canceling my subscription because of this tweet. Even if true, it's unbecoming to uconn and to the paper. I think the courant forgets where their bread is buttered.

 

[ctchamps]

I just tweeted at him that I'm canceling my subscription because of this tweet. Even if true, it's unbecoming to uconn and to the paper. I think the courant forgets where their bread is buttered.

Their bread is buttered by creating controversy. Sad because this is most likely just an individual with a bone to pick or upset with events. Personally my vote is with President Herbst.

 

[ScottBonz]

It almost seems that they want to push for our demise. Most of their readers read uconn sports. Most of the horde seems so blasé (see ostrout and daigneult) about this stuff you would think their jobs didn't depend on uconn being a big time athletic draw.

 

[The Funster]

The Horde is silent because they're a bunch of myopic dweebs. They're so used to focusing solely on UConn that they missed the opportunity to gain national attention by writing positive, fact-filled stuff about UConn. They could have shouldered the journalistic banner while providing the country with the truth about UConn. Instead they curled up in their comfortable little shells and let the world pass them by.

Assholes.

 

[TRest]

Susan Herbst has been great for academic progress at UConn. In the end, universities are about education, and in that regard, she's done a tremendous job.

Having said that, I've heard from someone who has consistent interactions with Herbst that she just doesn't quite understand the monumental impact of conference realignment. Her attitude has apparently been "the Big East has been a good home for us, we'll continue to do well here." I really hope that she understands it more than she's letting on, but my connection seems pretty confident that she's far more concerned with academics than athletics (as she probably should be). If this is accurate, I blame those around her, especially Warde Manuel, for not making it abundantly clear to her just how crucial this process is for the continued success of the university.

Tell me you're joking. Maybe she posts on the women's board, they don't seem too concerned either.

 

[TRest]

Re. Warde..the scuttlebutt I'm hearing from people on campus is that while he is a big man with gravitas (Susan's words not mine), the emperor may have no clothes and appears to be a bit paralyzed by all of this.

Is Warde the emperor or Suzie? Paralyzed seems to fit both.

 

[amory]

I keep hearing from credible people that this isn't true. I just don't think she has the right help to guide the institution through this.

The AD didn't even know if he was big enough to make a presentation to the ACC. His words, not mine.

I mean really!? Jurich drank his milkshake.

I can assure you if Warde Manuel had a milkshake, no one got within 10 feet of it.

 

[J187Money]

So if she adds hundreds of millions to the endowment and somehow can't convince people that have some cockeyed grudge against us to let them in their conference she somehow fails?

Ok.

I know you guys would be happy if we got a B1G bid by promising to take 0 revenue for 20 years. And I know this sucks. But I'm still of the mindset that this will be worked out in time.

 

[huskymedic]

So if she adds hundreds of millions to the endowment and somehow can't convince people that have some cockeyed grudge against us to let them in their conference she somehow fails?

Ok.

I know you guys would be happy if we got a B1G bid by promising to take 0 revenue for 20 years. And I know this sucks. But I'm still of the mindset that this will be worked out in time.

jaltavilla 7:08pm via TweetDeck
Manuel says #UConn focus must remain on the premise that the school will end up in a "good position." #WTIC #BigEast

 

[upstater]

From what I've gathered, she did understand that the ACC would be a better home than the Big East, but ultimately undervalued the difference. Apparently she was under the impression that, though the ACC would lead to greater overall revenues, the next Big East deal would be lucrative to the university as we are a "leader of the Big East".

I've also heard the same about Herbst preferring an "Ivy League" style. In fact, apparently the reason that Ollie hasn't received an extension yet is because they're waiting to receive the players' grades to ensure that "something like the APR fiasco never happens again."

As a college president, it's great that she has such a passion for improving academics, but it seems as though she's seriously undervaluing the importance of athletics.

This is nearly impossible for me to believe. For one she criticized the APR as a tool for evaluation because it actually lead to anti-academic results (i.e. it took emphasis off graduation and proceeding toward a degree, and toward remaining eligible). Then she instituted 3 mandatory intersession courses in August, and 1 in the Winter. This is not about looking after academics. It's the opposite. I'm not saying I blame her for it since the NCAA demands it. I am saying that Ivy-League level, this is not.

In fact, Harvard basketball didn't make its APR last year. And we know why. There aren't any bogus APR classes at Harvard. Now that is Ivy League.

 

[upstater]

jaltavilla 7:08pm via TweetDeck
Manuel says #UConn focus must remain on the premise that the school will end up in a "good position." #WTIC #BigEast

For once, I totally agree with him. Do not settle for second best in a glorified A10.

 

[J187Money]

Prove it. Win. Then cry.

 

[jfuchs91]

This is nearly impossible for me to believe. For one she criticized the APR as a tool for evaluation because it actually lead to anti-academic results (i.e. it took emphasis off graduation and proceeding toward a degree, and toward remaining eligible). Then she instituted 3 mandatory intersession courses in August, and 1 in the Winter. This is not about looking after academics. It's the opposite. I'm not saying I blame her for it since the NCAA demands it. I am saying that Ivy-League level, this is not.

In fact, Harvard basketball didn't make its APR last year. And we know why. There aren't any bogus APR classes at Harvard. Now that is Ivy League.

I'm just passing along what I've been told by someone in the know. And it's certainly possible to criticize the APR and still want to make marked improvements in academics for the team. Being banned from the postseason based on academics is certainly a black eye for the program, no matter how misguided the APR metric is as an academic measurement tool.

 

[upstater]

I'm just passing along what I've been told by someone in the know. And it's certainly possible to criticize the APR and still want to make marked improvements in academics for the team. Being banned from the postseason based on academics is certainly a black eye for the program, no matter how misguided the APR metric is as an academic measurement tool.

I'm not sure how I could be any clearer. Her "improvements" were not improvements. She criticized APR, but then she went along with it because she had to. If she were truly being principled about the whole thing, she wouldn't have instituted policies that maximized APR scores at the expense of education.

That right there told me she was putting basketball first, ahead of even what previous administrators at UConn had done, because none of them had ever instituted mandatory short courses like a great many other universities had.

 

[jfuchs91]

I'm not sure how I could be any clearer. Her "improvements" were not improvements. She criticized APR, but then she went along with it because she had to. If she were truly being principled about the whole thing, she wouldn't have instituted policies that maximized APR scores at the expense of education.

That right there told me she was putting basketball first, ahead of even what previous administrators at UConn had done, because none of them had ever instituted mandatory short courses like a great many other universities had.

Perception is oftentimes viewed as reality. Herbst didn't like the negative press that came along with the postseason ban for low APR scores. It reflects poorly on UConn's academics and thus she instituted the changes to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

Once again, I'm just passing this information along. Unless Herbst/Manuel are forced to be hush-hush about potentially joining a conference and therefore must be intentionally misleading to the people they interact with, my connection is a pretty reliable source.

 

[upstater]

Perception is oftentimes viewed as reality. Herbst didn't like the negative press that came along with the postseason ban for low APR scores. It reflects poorly on UConn's academics and thus she instituted the changes to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

Once again, I'm just passing this information along. Unless Herbst/Manuel are forced to be hush-hush about potentially joining a conference and therefore must be intentionally misleading to the people they interact with, my connection is a pretty reliable source.

I agree with this, but then you can't say she is instituting Ivy League policies when she is the most aggressive UConn President in terms of downgrading the curriculum for athletes. I mean, she did the exact opposite of what Ivy League schools do. So how is that Ivy League? There's a reason the team's APR scores were jacked up the last few years, despite the fact that so many from those classes never finished their degrees. We'll likely end up with a GSR in the high 75% range from that class, with only Beverly, Okwandu and Kemba graduating. Meanwhile, Oriakhi, Smith, Lamb, Bradley, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, all gone. And none of them will count against UConn.

 

[kemba]

Perception is oftentimes viewed as reality. Herbst didn't like the negative press that came along with the postseason ban for low APR scores. It reflects poorly on UConn's academics and thus she instituted the changes to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

Couldn't it be that she didn't like the negative affect that getting banned from the postseason has on a sports program and athletic department? Maybe she wants to make sure that the mass exodus that happened never happens again

 

[jfuchs91]

I agree with this, but then you can't say she is instituting Ivy League policies when she is the most aggressive UConn President in terms of downgrading the curriculum for athletes. I mean, she did the exact opposite of what Ivy League schools do. So how is that Ivy League? There's a reason the team's APR scores were jacked up the last few years, despite the fact that so many from those classes never finished their degrees. We'll likely end up with a GSR in the high 75% range from that class, with only Beverly, Okwandu and Kemba graduating. Meanwhile, Oriakhi, Smith, Lamb, Bradley, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, all gone. And none of them will count against UConn.

I never said she was implementing Ivy League styles at UConn, but that apparently she would prefer college athletics to be more like the Ivy League in her ideal world. In other words, where most of the chatter about universities was about what they were doing academically, and not about their athletic programs.

 

[jfuchs91]

Couldn't it be that she didn't like the negative affect that getting banned from the postseason has on a sports program and athletic department? Maybe she wants to make sure that the mass exodus that happened never happens again

I mean..... yes. The postseason ban didn't do the school any good in any area. It would be beneficial to the university in all aspects if we never had anything like this happen again.

 

[UC990411]

From what I've gathered, she did understand that the ACC would be a better home than the Big East, but ultimately undervalued the difference. Apparently she was under the impression that, though the ACC would lead to greater overall revenues, the next Big East deal would be lucrative to the university as we are a "leader of the Big East".

I've also heard the same about Herbst preferring an "Ivy League" style. In fact, apparently the reason that Ollie hasn't received an extension yet is because they're waiting to receive the players' grades to ensure that "something like the APR fiasco never happens again."

As a college president, it's great that she has such a passion for improving academics, but it seems as though she's seriously undervaluing the importance of athletics.

I think each of your points is spot on

 

[ElGuapo]

I just tweeted at him that I'm canceling my subscription because of this tweet. Even if true, it's unbecoming to uconn and to the paper. I think the courant forgets where their bread is buttered.

Don't cancel your subscription.
That would be silly.

But as a public service announcement to all of you, do what I do with the Hartford Courant and needle them down on your rate until you get what you want.

I have paid a $1.50 a week (7 days) since 1999.
Never once accepting a rate increase.

I don't know what I would read during my morning poop without it.

 

[upstater]

I never said she was implementing Ivy League styles at UConn, but that apparently she would prefer college athletics to be more like the Ivy League in her ideal world. In other words, where most of the chatter about universities was about what they were doing academically, and not about their athletic programs.

I'm not trying to be contentious but I'd imagine 99% of the BCS Presidents would want the same thing. I really don't see any evidence that she is an outlier in terms of her attitude toward athletics.

 

[jfuchs91]

I'm not trying to be contentious but I'd imagine 99% of the BCS Presidents would want the same thing. I really don't see any evidence that she is an outlier in terms of her attitude toward athletics.

I don't disagree with the bolded sentiment. However, just based on what I've been told, supposedly Herbst does not fully realize the implications of conference realignment. It's Warde Manuel's job to inform her of this, but it doesn't seem as though he quite understands it fully himself.

 

[Dooley]

Christopher Keating ‏@chrispkeating
Insider on UConn in Big East w/ teams bailing out: "Susan Herbst is over her head. This is a total mess. She don't know what's going on.''

Well this can't be great news..

PROFOUNDLY disagree with this poorly written opinion. Herbst is aggressively positioning UConn for acceptance into the AAU in the near future while improving its academic profile. The B1G is the prize in all of this CR and we can't get there until we can get to the AAU.

 

[Chief00]

Granted Warde is in over his head inept, but it is really about Susan - she is not liked by her peers - the Univeristy Presidents are a club - they are the ones who vote on conference admissions - and UC has been losing that vote to lesser schools.