Two Big Stories: Mark Emmert had a UConn-specific animus

[Pudge]

This POS got caught mismanaging a huge $1Billion ($100m FUBAR) problem at UConn. Left before the posse brought him in to testify under oath (where was the CT State Legislature?? hearings). And, doesn't like that real responsible professionals are targeting his inept handling to this day.

He then leads the NCAA, a corrupt KGB type operation in the land of the free, after Jim Calhoun and this crazy APR stuff. UConn UConn UConn. He has been vindictive and needs to be exposed.

(btw ... if APR was at my Dad's Pharmacy college, they would never have qualified for any year)

 

[Carl Spackler]

In the many areas in which he held responsibility over the past four years, Mark met that test and helped the University's progress enormously. A few key examples:

The implementation of UConn 2000 gives the University the opportunity not just to construct attractive new buildings, but to create in Storrs a coherent, technologically advanced new campus that sets a standard for public universities across the nation. Mark has played a key role in establishing a master planning process, overseeing a construction program of inordinate size and complexity, and assuring that UConn 2000's objectives are met within the budget and schedule set for us.

excerpt from UConn Advance - April 26, 1999
http://advance.uconn.edu/1999/990426/04269907.htm


K

 

[freescooter]

I'm not sure why you assume Emmert has anything in for UConn any more than he does for Washington, LSU or Montana State. He was long gone by the time the scandal over poor management of UConn 2000 came out and while it might be a small embarrassment, it doesn't seem to have hurt his career at all. Maybe, but since it seems to have been the beginning, not the end of his climb why does he have problems? And as I said, it sure doesn't seem to have de-railed him in any way. It isn't like his screwup resulted in his being forced to become principal of Farbelow Normal School or something to make ends meet. He went on to become Chancellor of LSU then President of Washington.

I don't like the guy. I think he's a slimewad of the first order. But this supposed vendetta against UConn seems to be built on lots of shadows and mirrors and very few facts.

 

[freescooter]

Recent report from USA Today on the guy. but again, doesn't show anything that would lead him to "go after" UConn. In many respects just the opposite. As the LSU prof put it, "He feathered his next at UConn...to lead to bigger and better things."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...dent-emmert-previous-cases-uconn-lsu/2047607/

 

[Huskyfan990411]

Carl and freescooter - Did you read the USA today article about Emmert?

You might have a different stance on his role "managing" the project. There were so many code violations during this project he oversaw that it cost 100 million dollars to fix. However he got out of town before ever having to answer for anything. This leadership style continued at each university along the way. At LSU there was an investigation that found systematic academic cheating but once again Emmert was out of LSU before he ever had to answer to it.

I really suggest you read the USA today article --> link

 

[uconnfan68]

I'm not sure why you assume Emmert has anything in for UConn any more than he does for Washington, LSU or Montana State. He was long gone by the time the scandal over poor management of UConn 2000 came out and while it might be a small embarrassment, it doesn't seem to have hurt his career at all. Maybe, but since it seems to have been the beginning, not the end of his climb why does he have problems? And as I said, it sure doesn't seem to have de-railed him in any way. It isn't like his screwup resulted in his being forced to become principal of Farbelow Normal School or something to make ends meet. He went on to become Chancellor of LSU then President of Washington.

I don't like the guy. I think he's a slimewad of the first order. But this supposed vendetta against UConn seems to be built on lots of shadows and mirrors and very few facts.

We don't need no stinkin' facts.

 

[Marty Jackson]

In the many areas in which he held responsibility over the past four years, Mark met that test and helped the University's progress enormously. A few key examples:

The implementation of UConn 2000 gives the University the opportunity not just to construct attractive new buildings, but to create in Storrs a coherent, technologically advanced new campus that sets a standard for public universities across the nation. Mark has played a key role in establishing a master planning process, overseeing a construction program of inordinate size and complexity, and assuring that UConn 2000's objectives are met within the budget and schedule set for us.

excerpt from UConn Advance - April 26, 1999
http://advance.uconn.edu/1999/990426/04269907.htm


K

based on the article, he managed that process like a drunken sailor with a grand of cash headed for Las Vegas.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I agree that it's a reach to say that Mr. Emmert has any personal vendetta against anything UCONN. If conspiracy kitty were to really show up with the tin-foil hat, the only possible issue he could have with UCONN, would be an interest in covering his tracks as to the mess he left. There's no evidence I'm aware of anything other than incompetence, and while it cost the state, and university $100million plus of wasted money, time and effort well beyond that....there's no penalty or crime for being incompetent at a job.

He wasn't forced out, to my knowledge, as has been suggested in the past. What seems to have happened, is that he showed up - hired as the provost in 1995, in the middle of a major upgrade project and mission change for the university as a whole (athletics and academics, infrastructure, facilities - EVERYTHING!) The uconn 2000 plan.

Three years later, sometime in 1998 thereabouts, it began to become very clear that he was running the UCONN 2000 program quite poorly, and instead of fixing it, by March of 1999, he had completed his final interview to move on to the chancellor job at LSU, and was gone by the end of that spring semester in 99.

Pretty clear pattern, the guy has of figuring out a way to step up his pay scale and job responsibilities in the administrative world of higher education, yet leaving a path of poor management behind him.

The guy is basically a professional career bullsh*tter, that put together a 30+ year career in higher education administration based on smoke and mirrors, and when the smoke and mirrors start losing their ability to distract, he moved.

He's got nowhere to go now though, and the smoke and mirrors got blown apart, by Shalala at Miami - just like she tore tricky dick blumenthal apart too. As I've said before, you don't rise to the kind of position she held in the White House, and not be top level at the game.

What's unfortunate, is that Emmert, this kind of leader for the NCAA, is the worst case possible scenario for the association in the current era of intercollegiate athletics, for stability for the association, and at the same time, he's the perfect leader for the NCAA, to motivate a large group of schools to do what's been threatened to be done for 30+ years - and that's to break away from the NCAA.

He's got nothing to do with UCONN really,

 

[Carl Spackler]

Carl and freescooter - Did you read the USA today article about Emmert?

You might have a different stance on his role "managing" the project. There were so many code violations during this project he oversaw that it cost 100 million dollars to fix. However he got out of town before ever having to answer for anything. This leadership style continued at each university along the way. At LSU there was an investigation that found systematic academic cheating but once again Emmert was out of LSU before he ever had to answer to it.

I really suggest you read the USA today article --> link

Yes I read it - did you read my link? I posted that because Emmert left UCONN, with the president of the university publicly pronouncing what a great job he did, and that he didn't want him to leave. FWIW - that same president sat in the rooms with Hathaway four years later when the Big East could have done something meaningful, hell - UCONN could have done somethign meaningful for the future, and Austin and Hathaway basically let everyone else dictate what was going to happen to UCONN.

I've said many times, we are what we are now in 2013 as a university because of the Big East conference, and our association with it, 100%. We owe everything good and bad to it, and the position we find ourselves in now, as the Big East is dead and gone, is entirely the fault of our own university, and state leadership - which was poor.

The changing and movement of athletic conferences is a part of life in higher education. IN the past 40 years, the only confernece not to see significant change, compeltely fold, start new, etc....is the IVY league. The Ivy league hasn't changed, because they treat athletics completely different than any other higher education group of institutions.

We all need to accept it, and move on, and schedule everyone and everywhere, in athletics and kick ass, and take the academics, research programs, and infrastructure that has been developed, and continue to develop it.

Emmert? Karma man, it's a cold bitch.

 

[freescooter]

Guys,

Carl's characterization of him as a professional "bullsh**er is correct I think. But there is a whole world of those guys out there and there. And that doesn't provide even a shred of evidence that he has it in for UConn...why UConn and not LSU? Or Washington? He was apparently well liked, or at least well enough liked that nobody tried to get rid of him, or if they did, they got him kicked up the ladder to a bigger job at LSU. The fact is that UConn at every level put themselves in the position where they were a perfect target for the whole mess that happened. Got an obvious problem child out there in nate Miles? Don't recruit him. And if you do for gosh sake, make sure you stay absolutely within the letter and SPIRIT of the rules. You know your team is struggling with APR for the past few years? Maybe if UConn had started trying to fix it 2 years earlier, you know when everyone could see they were headed for a problem, they'd have avoided this suspension. But not a soul, not President Hogan, not Jeff Hathaway, not Jim Calhoun, not the guy in charge of academic assistance, not anyone tried to fix the problem. They just made excuses. Meanwhile glorified community colleges like Memphis and Louisville and St Johns figured out how to work around it.

 

[WestHartHusk]

Guys,

Carl's characterization of him as a professional "bullsh**er is correct I think. But there is a whole world of those guys out there and there. And that doesn't provide even a shred of evidence that he has it in for UConn...why UConn and not LSU? Or Washington? He was apparently well liked, or at least well enough liked that nobody tried to get rid of him, or if they did, they got him kicked up the ladder to a bigger job at LSU. The fact is that UConn at every level put themselves in the position where they were a perfect target for the whole mess that happened. Got an obvious problem child out there in nate Miles? Don't recruit him. And if you do for gosh sake, make sure you stay absolutely within the letter and SPIRIT of the rules. You know your team is struggling with APR for the past few years? Maybe if UConn had started trying to fix it 2 years earlier, you know when everyone could see they were headed for a problem, they'd have avoided this suspension. But not a soul, not President Hogan, not Jeff Hathaway, not Jim Calhoun, not the guy in charge of academic assistance, not anyone tried to fix the problem. They just made excuses. Meanwhile glorified community colleges like Memphis and Louisville and St Johns figured out how to work around it.

Free, what I highlighted is such BS. You act like UConn is different than any other university. Do you think texts and properly reporting grades are the worst things that happen? How do you explain how LSU got off on all fronts despite clear academic scandal - under Emmert? How do you explain what happened to them, while already on probation, versus what happened to us without coming to the conclusion of some animus?

But scandal broke in 2001-02. A university instructor accused the school of having systemic academic fraud in its football program, including plagiarized papers on bobsledding players were turning in and un-enrolled students showing up to take notes for football players, who often slept through class. A graduate assistant also spoke out about the plagiarism problem.
At the time, LSU already was on NCAA probation for a recruiting scandal in men's basketball that happened prior to Emmert's arrival. Findings of more major violations typically would trigger harsh penalties.
Led by Emmert, LSU investigated the fraud allegations and said they found only five minor isolated problems, resulting in a self-imposed penalty of two lost scholarships in football. "Despite isolated incidents, the allegations were largely unfounded," says LSU's 82-page report on the allegations.
The NCAA accepted LSU's findings in May 2004 and declined to put the school on probation. But the two female accusers had sued LSU, claiming they were forced from their jobs at the university in retaliation for blowing the whistle on the powerful football program.
Shortly after the NCAA case was settled and Emmert announced he was leaving for Washington, another LSU academic counseling employee backed up the women's claims under oath, saying there were numerous examples of favoritism for football players in academics, including changed grades and having papers typed for them, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
LSU later paid the two women more than $110,000 each to settle their lawsuits.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I think it's pretty clear that LSU, like other universities that have been in similar situations, both in the past and currently right now, found a way around the allegations.

UConn leadership, through the athletic department up through the presidents office, etc....took what happened with our men's basketball program (which was pretty minor) and completely bent over and took it in the can without a fight.

My personal opinion, and then I"m done for today, is that the state flagship, for the past 30 years, has been representative of the general overall liberal approach to everythign state run in CT. Going way back to Weicker. Nobody's responsible for everything, adn if the hits the fan, everybody points fingers, and runs for cover. Emmert fit in perfectly.

I'm certainly the minority with my views on such issues in connecticut, but I'm encouraged, that more and more, the bleeding hearts are bleeding out........

Spring game in 16 days. That's what I'm looking forward to, don't give a rat's ass about Emmert, jsut felt the need to reinforce, that Emmert is no scapegoat for where we are at as a university athletically now.

 

[WestHartHusk]

Carl,

From a strictly logic standpoint your post makes no sense. You state that UConn took responsibility for situations that other schools evade, then argue that nobody in Connecticut takes responsibility.

And here is a tip: the next time your brain tells you "this is going to be your last post" either don't type it, or head on over to the cesspool.

 

[SubbaBub]

I think it's pretty clear that LSU, like other universities that have been in similar situations, both in the past and currently right now, found a way around the allegations.

UConn leadership, through the athletic department up through the presidents office, etc....took what happened with our men's basketball program (which was pretty minor) and completely bent over and took it in the can without a fight.

My personal opinion, and then I"m done for today, is that the state flagship, for the past 30 years, has been representative of the general overall liberal approach to everythign state run in CT. Going way back to Weicker. Nobody's responsible for everything, adn if the hits the fan, everybody points fingers, and runs for cover. Emmert fit in perfectly.

I'm certainly the minority with my views on such issues in connecticut, but I'm encouraged, that more and more, the bleeding hearts are bleeding out........

Spring game in 16 days. That's what I'm looking forward to, don't give a rat's ass about Emmert, jsut felt the need to reinforce, that Emmert is no scapegoat for where we are at as a university athletically now.

Except the state was under conservative/GOP control for the entire time period you are talking about.

Btw, it had nothing to do with which party held what office and everything to do with a former podunk cow college not having the infrastructure in place to manage a building program of that size and scope. As good as UConn 2000 was for the university, it could have been better.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[DarthGrumpy]

This article makes it clear to me how Kentucky, who nearly has 100% turnover of its freshman class every year, does not have an APR issue. The reason being is that Emmert and John Calipari are twins. Pete Carroll is their cousin.

 

[Huskyfan990411]

Carl - Correct me if I am wrong but you are criticizing UConn because they honestly reported grades and didn't cheat like almost every other school out there? I agree that UConn should have just lied like UNC did when they covered up running completely fake classes for athletes and somehow Cuse has players ruled ineligible after the 1st semester every year but then poof as the stretch run in basketball comes along they are eligible again.

NCAA seems to not care if you show that you are clever enough to hide your cheating and unfortunately our administration didn't do everything in there power to cheat to I guess then we should blame our school with the line of thinking.

 

[freescooter]

Free, what I highlighted is such BS. You act like UConn is different than any other university. Do you think texts and properly reporting grades are the worst things that happen? How do you explain how LSU got off on all fronts despite clear academic scandal - under Emmert? How do you explain what happened to them, while already on probation, versus what happened to us without coming to the conclusion of some animus?

But scandal broke in 2001-02. A university instructor accused the school of having systemic academic fraud in its football program, including plagiarized papers on bobsledding players were turning in and un-enrolled students showing up to take notes for football players, who often slept through class. A graduate assistant also spoke out about the plagiarism problem.
At the time, LSU already was on NCAA probation for a recruiting scandal in men's basketball that happened prior to Emmert's arrival. Findings of more major violations typically would trigger harsh penalties.
Led by Emmert, LSU investigated the fraud allegations and said they found only five minor isolated problems, resulting in a self-imposed penalty of two lost scholarships in football. "Despite isolated incidents, the allegations were largely unfounded," says LSU's 82-page report on the allegations.
The NCAA accepted LSU's findings in May 2004 and declined to put the school on probation. But the two female accusers had sued LSU, claiming they were forced from their jobs at the university in retaliation for blowing the whistle on the powerful football program.
Shortly after the NCAA case was settled and Emmert announced he was leaving for Washington, another LSU academic counseling employee backed up the women's claims under oath, saying there were numerous examples of favoritism for football players in academics, including changed grades and having papers typed for them, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
LSU later paid the two women more than $110,000 each to settle their lawsuits.

But again, how does any of that indicate that Emmert had it in for UConn, which is Pudge's original contention? And your quoting the report on LSU is simply more evidence that UConn didn't know how to manage this stuff, or didn't care to do so in comparison to what LSU did. Which is what I've been arguing all along. If UConn didn't have any violations or had only minor ones, it wouldn't matter what Emmert did. there was nothing there to find. And settling a case like that for $100 grand means not very much. Institutions, and their insurers, settle cases for lots of reasons. Sometimes it is simply more cost efficient. But given that these accusations are or were out there, why have it in for UConn, where you have lots of defenses (from it was politcally easier to slam a guy who has been gone for 5 years to it wasn't my job to monitor construction, to I gave the memo to my boss...) and not LSU where you have a far more politically sensetive charge of going after women who tried to crack down on football players? As I've said, I think the guy is pond scum (well maybe I didn't use that term exactly) but this argument that because he once worked for UConn and left with glowing reviews to a series of bigger jobs he has it in for the Huskies makes zero sense.

 

[freescooter]

Oh man, I just read his "handwritten memo" and there is much less there than implied. He made a couple of notes of things he was told. Having overseen construction projects before, I think its safe to say you can almost always note some of those things or something similar. It isn't even clear what some of them mean. hardly a smoking gun. More like a water pistol. Now just for the record, let me repeat, I think the guy is pond scum. One of these guys who only cares about what is good for Mark Emmert with no commitment to anyone or anything. But none of that makes the case that he is or was out to get UConn. Evidence, fellas, provide even a shred of it.

 

[upstater]

Mark Emmert backed his athletic staff who covered up a rape by Roc Alexander by hushing it. Most of this other stuff pales in comparison.

 

[freescooter]

Mark Emmert backed his athletic staff who covered up a rape by Roc Alexander by hushing it. Most of this other stuff pales in comparison.

Agreed, that is yet another slimy move in a career filled with them, but how does it relate to having it in for UConn as Pudge alleges?

 

[huskymedic]

http://deadspin.com/mark-emmert-is-the-ncaas-teflon-don-468278477

 

[ThetaZoo]

This POS got caught mismanaging a huge $1Billion ($100m FUBAR) problem at UConn. Left before the posse brought him in to testify under oath (where was the CT State Legislature?? hearings). And, doesn't like that real responsible professionals are targeting his inept handling to this day.

He then leads the NCAA, a corrupt KGB type operation in the land of the free, after Jim Calhoun and this crazy APR stuff. UConn UConn UConn. He has been vindictive and needs to be exposed.

(btw ... if APR was at my Dad's Pharmacy college, they would never have qualified for any year)

This would have been a great story for our own Jeff Jacobs to break.