Insider: Herbst in over her head

[Waquoit]

Do yourself a favor, get an ipad

Can't get the bridge column online.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

good ole hartford courant. uconn clearly doesn't have the talent to win in the game of CR....

The little fish at the Courant are projecting.

 

[Chief00]

You can not put the ACC decision on SH, and to say she is not well liked is total garbage. I'm very sure Susan was told by the old line ACC bb schools that UConn was in, just play it cool

Here is what then happened with the ACC - UConn was the school of choice by Tobacco Road (UNC, Duke, Wake, and UVA). Normally that means NC State, GT, and VT support. FSU and Clemson always get hosed and no one cares what BCU and Miami have to say. However this time, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, FSU and Clemson got GT, VT, and Miami on board. With the vote 5 to 4 the ACC fb schools trumped the ACC bb schools. This was the first decision EVER that UNC was outvoted on. The power now lies with the fb schools, but it will be fleeting because at some point the NCAA shuts Miami down with a 7 year bowl ban, etc, and SyraPitt and UL will side with bb schools.

So Susan played it the only way she could. Now WM is a different story and I believe the old saying, "tits on a bull" describes him to a T.

I was told the Miami Prez did not return her calls, But also that she was very disliked within the former Big East by both FB and BB schools. Some of these schools have influence but not votes yet in the ACC.

 

[upstater]

I was told the Miami Prez did not return her calls, But also that she was very disliked within the former Big East by both FB and BB schools. Some of these schools have influence but not votes yet in the ACC.

Shalala doesn't like her?

 

[Chief00]

Shalala doesn't like her?

I am told that's unusual - there is a certain courtesy about returning calls between Univ Prez's.

 

[ruskin]

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.

I don't quite buy that chief, but let's say it true. You being a woman might have something to do with that? The priests in charge of Catholic schools don't dig her? Same dudes that likely spread the word she was "begging" them to stay? Big f--in deal.

To be honest, I'd be interested to see her play the Title IX card - that all these conference moves are having an adverse effect on an elite women's basketball program, which is one of the few profitable ones in the country, which in turn affects all the other women's programs which would be threatened (like the ones at Rutgers and Maryland that were bagged b/c of poor management).

 

[UConn990411]

I am told that's unusual - there is a certain courtesy about returning calls between Univ Prez's.

That had to do with the lawsuit way back when, not Shalala supposedly disliking Herbst.

 

[junglehusky]

You can not put the ACC decision on SH, and to say she is not well liked is total garbage. I'm very sure Susan was told by the old line ACC bb schools that UConn was in, just play it cool

Here is what then happened with the ACC - UConn was the school of choice by Tobacco Road (UNC, Duke, Wake, and UVA). Normally that means NC State, GT, and VT support. FSU and Clemson always get hosed and no one cares what BCU and Miami have to say. However this time, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, FSU and Clemson got GT, VT, and Miami on board. With the vote 5 to 4 the ACC fb schools trumped the ACC bb schools. This was the first decision EVER that UNC was outvoted on. The power now lies with the fb schools, but it will be fleeting because at some point the NCAA shuts Miami down with a 7 year bowl ban, etc, and SyraPitt and UL will side with bb schools.

So Susan played it the only way she could. Now WM is a different story and I believe the old saying, "tits on a bull" describes him to a T.

It's hard to hang our hat on Pitt and Cuse, and supposedly Cuse was lobbying for UL. Still if there's one thing to hope for it's for them to want another northern partner. Add UConn and Cincy and everybody's happy. Uh... and USF with some random team to the B12.

To the OP, I would agree that Susan is not in control of the situation, but that is not quite the same thing as in over her head.

 

[Jimdish255]

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.

My phone is flipping out on me but I hope the above is not true.

 

[willie99]

the Hartford Courant also said UConn should withdraw from the Big East and go back to the Yankee Conference, because inner city kids will never choose Storrs CT over the cities and we can never compete with St John's, Providence, Pitt, Georgetown, Nova and Cuse

being wrong about life is a prerequisite for modern day journalism, although there are exceptions

 

[J187Money]

I have been told the same. She is not well liked among peers and a large portion of her employees.

People don't like that she is demanding accountability? That she is goal oriented? That she doesn't want the status quo? Sucks having a new boss and having the rules change.

I hear she is putting the screws to people that thought they were untouchable.

 

[huskysupporter]

People don't like that she is demanding accountability? That she is goal oriented? That she doesn't want the status quo? Sucks having a new boss and having the rules change.

I hear she is putting the screws to people that thought they were untouchable.

Exactly. Some people have trouble adjusting to new leadership. Unfortunately, many use the "Nobody likes the new manager" line because they are so scared of change and new ideas.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[J187Money]

And I can't say how big of an issue this is for her. But as I've said all along, athletics is PART of a university. This population may not care if the academics are any better than Salve Regina as long as we win games, but that isn't her only job.

If her attitude is make the university so great that it cannot be ignored, I find that hard to fault in the long term. The student body is far more diverse and of a higher quality than it has ever been. And yes, our athletic success has helped bring that along. But that is 99% hoops. NOBODY is applying to Uconn because they love the big time college football atmosphere.

Conference realignment can't be her number 1 priority.

 

[RS9999X]

I'm pretty sure if UConn ended up in the ACC or BiG Herbst and Manuel would have that fact as huge bullet points on their resumes. If UConn doesn't then they get the EZ Pass?

 

[upstater]

And I can't say how big of an issue this is for her. But as I've said all along, athletics is PART of a university. This population may not care if the academics are any better than Salve Regina as long as we win games, but that isn't her only job.

If her attitude is make the university so great that it cannot be ignored, I find that hard to fault in the long term. The student body is far more diverse and of a higher quality than it has ever been. And yes, our athletic success has helped bring that along. But that is 99% hoops. NOBODY is applying to Uconn because they love the big time college football atmosphere.

Conference realignment can't be her number 1 priority.

When you consider the money suck of athletics yearly, and the big payout in the other conferences, a differential of $20m in TV rights alone, and you add to that nightmarish scenarios of empty seats from a disintegrating product, we could be talking about $30-40 million in losses on top of the $10 million they already lose, ell, with that kind of money at stake, it better be her priority. If endowments are returning 4% in interest per year, and some of the 4% has to be reinvested in the endowment, then do the calculations. The losses are the equivalent of losing a half billion in endowment. This is a huge amount of money, which makes much of this thread preposterous. If Herbst really doesn't put this as priority #1 right now, you have to be scared for the university as a whole, because she is taking huge risks with her maneuvers on the academic side (ie. shifting resources, raising tuition).

 

[freescooter]

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.

upstater, nobody is saying she is implementing Ivy policies at UConn so much as that if she could she would give athletics a similar level of priority. There is a difference. But I do think that outlook has had an impact on the way they have handled the conference realignment thing. And maybe the selection of Manuel as AD, too. If you think it is very important, you pick an AD who will fight for it and you fight for it. If you don't, you issue press releases that say in effect doesn't matter what league we're in, look at our academic progress...

 

[upstater]

upstater, nobody is saying she is implementing Ivy policies at UConn so much as that if she could she would give athletics a similar level of priority. There is a difference. But I do think that outlook has had an impact on the way they have handled the conference realignment thing. And maybe the selection of Manuel as AD, too. If you think it is very important, you pick an AD who will fight for it and you fight for it. If you don't, you issue press releases that say in effect doesn't matter what league we're in, look at our academic progress...

Every President in the country would do the same thing, including SEC presidents. Some SEC presidents have even tried, but they know what happens when you buck boosters and politicians. So to say she prefers more emphasis on academics over athletics is a "No * Sherlock" kind of statement. What should be more interesting to everyone is that she implemented the kind of academic policies that hurt academics and helped athletics. She had to do it because of the APR--but in the final analysis, she did it!!

 

[J187Money]

When you consider the money suck of athletics yearly, and the big payout in the other conferences, a differential of $20m in TV rights alone, and you add to that nightmarish scenarios of empty seats from a disintegrating product, we could be talking about $30-40 million in losses on top of the $10 million they already lose, ell, with that kind of money at stake, it better be her priority. If endowments are returning 4% in interest per year, and some of the 4% has to be reinvested in the endowment, then do the calculations. The losses are the equivalent of losing a half billion in endowment. This is a huge amount of money, which makes much of this thread preposterous. If Herbst really doesn't put this as priority #1 right now, you have to be scared for the university as a whole, because she is taking huge risks with her maneuvers on the academic side (ie. shifting resources, raising tuition).

In 2011 and 2012, each football school got $3.18M in TV revenues. (assuming this site is accurate)

http://collegesportsinfo.com/2012/05/10/2012-ncaa-television-revenue-by-conference/

I understand there is a big differential between the new deals that the other conferences are getting (and what we would get) and what we would get as a member of, say, C-USA (@1.17M/school). But that is $2M from current revenues. Forgone revenue isn't a loss to the school. Clearly it puts us at a competitive disadvantage, and clearly we would lose some other revenue from lower ticket sales, but I don't think it is anywhere near the magnitude of what you are talking about.

 

[upstater]

In 2011 and 2012, each football school got $3.18M in TV revenues. (assuming this site is accurate)

http://collegesportsinfo.com/2012/05/10/2012-ncaa-television-revenue-by-conference/

I understand there is a big differential between the new deals that the other conferences are getting (and what we would get) and what we would get as a member of, say, C-USA (@1.17M/school). But that is $2M from current revenues. Forgone revenue isn't a loss to the school. Clearly it puts us at a competitive disadvantage, and clearly we would lose some other revenue from lower ticket sales, but I don't think it is anywhere near the magnitude of what you are talking about.

And what about the athletics budget?

It's in the $60 million range. UConn already loses $15 million.

By throwing in the towel instead of holding out for an ACC invite, you're perpetuating $15 million (or more) in losses a year.

Unless you get rid of football and join the A10. But that's another story.

 

[J187Money]

And what about the athletics budget?

It's in the $60 million range. UConn already loses $15 million.

By throwing in the towel instead of holding out for an ACC invite, you're perpetuating $15 million (or more) in losses a year.

Unless you get rid of football and join the A10. But that's another story.

I'm not saying it is meaningless but 15M is 1.4% of the 1.05B budget for the entire school.

 

[upstater]

I'm not saying it is meaningless but 15M is 1.4% of the 1.05B budget for the entire school.

I already went through this before.

I wish I could find my dang post. But you're conflating fix costs with fungible costs. Endowments have strings attached. So do research grants. Not to mention benefits, building costs, debt service on bonds, tenured faculty, etc. At most, UConn probably is looking at a budget of $100 million as fungible, if not less.

You're effectively using up 15% of the money Uconn has to make the school work. consider that the big build out of faculty is only using $10 million a year, and that this money is going to come from tuition and cuts elsewhere. They will need to get rid of departments elsewhere to do this. And nationally Uconn is being touted and cheered for this $10 million outlay.

Budgets are not what they seem. The costs are mostly fixed. When people give you money for research, etc., there are strings attached. The tuition money probably covers faculty pay at best.

 

[pj]

Universities have bloated administrative staffs. The ratio of administrators to teaching/research faculty has risen dramatically over the last 20 years. Anything that reduces that ratio is a smart move, since the faculty bring in revenue but the administrators don't.

Athletics brings in revenue too.

To build up the university, we need both faculty and successful athletics. You can't persuade me that she's damaging athletics by hiring faculty. Arguably she is improving our profile to the B1G.

 

[J187Money]

I already went through this before.

I wish I could find my dang post. But you're conflating fix costs with fungible costs. Endowments have strings attached. So do research grants. Not to mention benefits, building costs, debt service on bonds, tenured faculty, etc. At most, UConn probably is looking at a budget of $100 million as fungible, if not less.

You're effectively using up 15% of the money Uconn has to make the school work. consider that the big build out of faculty is only using $10 million a year, and that this money is going to come from tuition and cuts elsewhere. They will need to get rid of departments elsewhere to do this. And nationally Uconn is being touted and cheered for this $10 million outlay.

Budgets are not what they seem. The costs are mostly fixed. When people give you money for research, etc., there are strings attached. The tuition money probably covers faculty pay at best.

Trust me. I've spent my life dealing with budgets etc. I 100% know what you are talking about, but I will also say this:

If the financial solvency of a university is dependent on the success of the athletics department, they should just shut it down. Too many variables that cannot be controlled.

 

[businesslawyer]

I don't quite buy that chief, but let's say it true. You being a woman might have something to do with that? The priests in charge of Catholic schools don't dig her? Same dudes that likely spread the word she was "begging" them to stay? Big f--in deal.

To be honest, I'd be interested to see her play the Title IX card - that all these conference moves are having an adverse effect on an elite women's basketball program, which is one of the few profitable ones in the country, which in turn affects all the other women's programs which would be threatened (like the ones at Rutgers and Maryland that were bagged b/c of poor management).

I remain shocked that not one women's issues politician has screamed about this yet. I just don't get it.

 

[upstater]

Universities have bloated administrative staffs. The ratio of administrators to teaching/research faculty has risen dramatically over the last 20 years. Anything that reduces that ratio is a smart move, since the faculty bring in revenue but the administrators don't.

Athletics brings in revenue too.

To build up the university, we need both faculty and successful athletics. You can't persuade me that she's damaging athletics by hiring faculty. Arguably she is improving our profile to the B1G.

You're right, but this doesn't account for the increased costs. Administration salary is still below 1% of the entire budget, so at most, it has accounted for say .5% of the rise.

I was actually arguing that athletics can damage academics, as it has at numerous schools. The reverse.

 

[NEforceUConn]

...............

To be honest, I'd be interested to see her play the Title IX card - that all these conference moves are having an adverse effect on an elite women's basketball program, which is one of the few profitable ones in the country, which in turn affects all the other women's programs which would be threatened (like the ones at Rutgers and Maryland that were bagged b/c of poor management).

Wow great point (and I thought that before I saw a fellow bantam comment on it). That card should be shown to the press and gov because it actually holds some credibility.

The university/college community should be ashamed of themselves turning the other way and allowing Conference Commissioners to dictate the future of storied universities. A tragedy.

 

[specialisthusky]

I remain shocked that not one women's issues politician has screamed about this yet. I just don't get it.

I am not sure the casual bystanders understand the implications and collateral damages that CR will eventually cause. Heck I'm not sure our administration even grasps it. I think these politicians will voice their opinions in about 3-5 years when the effects become more visible.

 

[businesslawyer]

So who knows Congresswoman Delauro and wants to make sure she and her staff do get this?

 

[mets1090]

In regards to the OP, at every company you can find one employee that thinks their boss is bad at their job. Call them an insider and you make it a story.

 

[J187Money]

So who knows Congresswoman Delauro and wants to make sure she and her staff do get this?

I do. Seriously. If someone wants to draft a letter I would be happy to put my name on it and give it to her.