TU President Michael Fitts

[Jonathan]

When are we going to hear who our next TU president and if he has any inclination to build our endowment from one billion to the Harvard level of 30 billion. Also fire Rick Dickson and all of our current coaches other than CJ and staff and our current ladies golf coached. The other coaches are leaches making six figure incomes but cannot bring us to the NCCA s and then win tournament. You all know who the blood suckers and NCCA losers are: Conroy,Rick Jones and Lisa Stocktern. They sap up as most salary as they can but cannot perform!

[Constantwave]

Fire Lisa Stockton? She's won 400+ games, been to the NCAA tournament a number of times, and led a scandal-free program for 20 years. I'd argue she's among the best coaches Tulane has ever had in any sport.

[rdalvarez]

Heard today that it is down to 2 candidates, but have heard no names yet. Waiting for candidates to come to town to start next round.

[JDTulane]

Ill keep my ear to the door. Walk through Gibson daily and arrive back via red eyetonight

[Bigschtick]

Fire Lisa Stockton? She's won 400+ games, been to the NCAA tournament a number of times, and led a scandal-free program for 20 years. I'd argue she's among the best coaches Tulane has ever had in any sport.

plus 1

[JDTulane]

Fire Lisa Stockton? She's won 400+ games, been to the NCAA tournament a number of times, and led a scandal-free program for 20 years. I'd argue she's among the best coaches Tulane has ever had in any sport.

plus 1

plus 2!

[Fred Dowler]

WYES Informed Sources, specifically reporter John Pope, is reporting that there be a report "soon" w/r/t the next TU president.

[Jonathan]

Suppose to be after first of year. Now! Hope pro sports. Fire RD.

[DfromCT]

Agreed.

The silence is deafening, especially after all the announcements to the contrary by (Cowen's) "The Committee".

[IM42lane]

When Hades freezes over!!!!

[Bigschtick]

When Hades freezes over!!!!

plus2 jonathen what makes you think that anyone here has that info?

[Jonathan]

We are told by the Tulane search committee that this announcement would be made shortly into the New Year.

[OUG]

Suppose to be after first of year. Now! Hope pro sports. Fire RD.

Its January 14th. Did you really think when they said "after the first of the year" last summer that they meant "January 2nd" and are therefore woefully behind schedule? I'm sure there are contract/salary negotiations, departure schedules, etc to factor in before they make a final announcement.

There's *tons* of valid things to bitch about. That's what makes the cynicism around here on stupid **** like this that much more ridiculous.

And oh by the way, there's very little chance that you're going to be able to interpret much about this person's position on sports from reading his resume. I'm sure there will be all kinds of tea-leaf reading that will be wrong. A similar reading of Cowen's resume prior to Tulane would have shown a guy from a B-School background, a guy who came from the world of corporate boards, and a former college athlete at a school that is known for success in D-1 sports. We won't know what we get until the person is in the position and making decisions.

[Bigschtick]

We are told by the Tulane search committee that this announcement would be made shortly into the New Year.

You should not believe everything you hear especially coming from Tulane.

[lurker123]

From a practical circumstance of an effective transition, the new President needs to be named no later than say Feb 28th (and that date really should be Jan 31st or earlier.)

The nominee has to give adequate notice to current employer, put together his or her own initial leadership team, etc. Absent an emergency appointment requiring expeditious action, for a university the size and complexity of Tulane that generally takes months.

If for whatever reasons that date is not met, Tulane either names an "interim" leader (like it regularly has done with Deans of Schools) or SC continues to hold the slot for some period of time while the search continues.

As concerns the new leadership team, some will be new and some will be carryovers. No I'm not making any predictions other than 15+ years is an extremely long tenure for a University President and anyone in a specific leadership position reporting to the President.

How many of you have known a non-CEO exec for any enterprise with an annual budget of $750 million who has held the exact same position for 15 years?

[DfromCT]

We were told a year ago that they hoped to name the new President by year end (2013). Then, in the fall, they (the committee) said that they'd share a list of final candidates by year end, and then, after input from the community and further vetting, make a selection by mid January.

[JerseyWave]

They just announced a new member to the board. An alum from Washington DC with a real estate background. No mention of athletics in his bio.

[wavemania]

Just what Tulane need. A corrupt politician.

[Fred Dowler]

Suppose to be after first of year. Now! Hope pro sports. Fire RD.

Its January 14th. Did you really think when they said "after the first of the year" last summer that they meant "January 2nd" and are therefore woefully behind schedule? I'm sure there are contract/salary negotiations, departure schedules, etc to factor in before they make a final announcement.

There's *tons* of valid things to bitch about. That's what makes the cynicism around here on stupid **** like this that much more ridiculous.

And oh by the way, there's very little chance that you're going to be able to interpret much about this person's position on sports from reading his resume. I'm sure there will be all kinds of tea-leaf reading that will be wrong. A similar reading of Cowen's resume prior to Tulane would have shown a guy from a B-School background, a guy who came from the world of corporate boards, and a former college athlete at a school that is known for success in D-1 sports. We won't know what we get until the person is in the position and making decisions.

Actually there was plenty in Cowen's background, if you had been astute enough to be able to see it, that would have shed some light on where he was going to stand as regards athletics. Not from the south, no connection with a major perennial football powerhouse school, a connection with UConn but from a time prior to its becoming a perennial bball powerhouse school and when it was a not Div. 1 entity and then finally a connection with Case-Western Reserve, a Div. III school. He initially looked to try to portray himself as the highly involved "big fan" but despite whatever gestures he's made it's clear where his heart is and which language he understands as regards athletics.

In contrast, Alabama native Sheldon Hackney never painted his hair or anything silly like that and never had to in order to make it clear where he stood and which language he understood as regards athletics. He advocated for TU's involvement in big-time athletics and did so in the face of strenuous questioning and that's what he was all about through and through.

[Jonathan]

Why was this thread moved. It 200 percent relates to the future of Tulane athletics!

[Dave breslin]

The announcement has come from the administration. The new president is Rick Dickson. The new AD will be Scott Cowen. Their resumes look familiar to those that follow Tulane athletics. God, where is the cyanide pills.

[OUG]

I could see us going in a non-university direction with this hire and focusing more on someone with political, research, and healthcare connections. Specifically I'm thinking of Tulane Alumna and former U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin:
- Extensive health administration experience (obviously). She has run clinical practices, been on hospital and medical boards her entire career (including Catholic Health Association and the AMA). Has an MD from UAB and an MBA from Tulane. And obviously was the Surgeon General of the U.S.! -- Tulane Medical Center, Tulane Medical School, and our overall medical-related research needs to be a priority with this hire IMO.
- She is from the South and has lived in New Orleans (went to Xavier undergrad and got her MBA at Tulane/Freeman)
- She has serious intellectual chops -- awarded a McArthur Genius Grant in 2008.
- Would be Tulane's first female president AND first African American president.
- She fits the current board's branding of Tulane as community-driven (She was awarded a Papal Cross by Pope Benedict, and has spent most of her career on community health projects)
- As a very qualified female African American professional she has been sought out to participate in a lot of boards, both corporate and non-profit. She also has connections from her time in Washington. This means access to money for the Tulane Board.

If Tulane wants to make a splash with this hire that can also get the job done, I think she would be a tremendous hire.

Now, would this be good for athletics? I'd say yes -- someone from the South that doesn't come from academia is probably going to be the best we can hope for. Ultimately, you want someone in Gibson who is a capable and established leader that will write the checks, hire someone competent, and get out of the way.

[Fred Dowler]

I could see us going in a non-university direction with this hire and focusing more on someone with political, research, and healthcare connections. Specifically I'm thinking of Tulane Alumna and former U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin:
- Extensive health administration experience (obviously). She has run clinical practices, been on hospital and medical boards her entire career (including Catholic Health Association and the AMA). Has an MD from UAB and an MBA from Tulane. And obviously was the Surgeon General of the U.S.! -- Tulane Medical Center, Tulane Medical School, and our overall medical-related research needs to be a priority with this hire IMO.
- She is from the South and has lived in New Orleans (went to Xavier undergrad and got her MBA at Tulane/Freeman)
- She has serious intellectual chops -- awarded a McArthur Genius Grant in 2008.
- Would be Tulane's first female president AND first African American president.
- She fits the current board's branding of Tulane as community-driven (She was awarded a Papal Cross by Pope Benedict, and has spent most of her career on community health projects)
- As a very qualified female African American professional she has been sought out to participate in a lot of boards, both corporate and non-profit. She also has connections from her time in Washington. This means access to money for the Tulane Board.

If Tulane wants to make a splash with this hire that can also get the job done, I think she would be a tremendous hire.

Now, would this be good for athletics? I'd say yes -- someone from the South that doesn't come from academia is probably going to be the best we can hope for. Ultimately, you want someone in Gibson who is a capable and established leader that will write the checks, hire someone competent, and get out of the way.

Are you thinking of a comparison to Univ of Miami president Donna Shalala?

You do realize that Donna Shalala had a background in academia as a university chancellor before serving as Secretary of Health and Human Services, do you not?

Not to be dismissing Regina Benjamin and her many obvious strong accomplishments at all, but -- unless you have inside information -- for TU to go the route of selecting someone who as far as I can see has almost no connection in academia would be just a huge surprise and not just breaking precedent but shattering it.

What's really and truly most important is for TU to be able to go back to having a chief executive who can be like Sheldon Hackney and Eamon Kelly were in being able to bring in strong, capable people to work for them and then able to quietly step out of the way and let them take care of their own areas. Hackney and Kelly were great successes in that regard while Cowen has been a sheer failure. Then, after that, the next most important issue is being able to handle technology and how technology is changing education.

[DfromCT]

I could see us going in a non-university direction with this hire and focusing more on someone with political, research, and healthcare connections. Specifically I'm thinking of Tulane Alumna and former U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin:
- Extensive health administration experience (obviously). She has run clinical practices, been on hospital and medical boards her entire career (including Catholic Health Association and the AMA). Has an MD from UAB and an MBA from Tulane. And obviously was the Surgeon General of the U.S.! -- Tulane Medical Center, Tulane Medical School, and our overall medical-related research needs to be a priority with this hire IMO.
- She is from the South and has lived in New Orleans (went to Xavier undergrad and got her MBA at Tulane/Freeman)
- She has serious intellectual chops -- awarded a McArthur Genius Grant in 2008.
- Would be Tulane's first female president AND first African American president.
- She fits the current board's branding of Tulane as community-driven (She was awarded a Papal Cross by Pope Benedict, and has spent most of her career on community health projects)
- As a very qualified female African American professional she has been sought out to participate in a lot of boards, both corporate and non-profit. She also has connections from her time in Washington. This means access to money for the Tulane Board.

If Tulane wants to make a splash with this hire that can also get the job done, I think she would be a tremendous hire.

Now, would this be good for athletics? I'd say yes -- someone from the South that doesn't come from academia is probably going to be the best we can hope for. Ultimately, you want someone in Gibson who is a capable and established leader that will write the checks, hire someone competent, and get out of the way.

Are you thinking of a comparison to Univ of Miami president Donna Shalala?

You do realize that Donna Shalala had a background in academia as a university chancellor before serving as Secretary of Health and Human Services, do you not?

Not to be dismissing Regina Benjamin and her many obvious strong accomplishments at all, but -- unless you have inside information -- for TU to go the route of selecting someone who as far as I can see has almost no connection in academia would be just a huge surprise and not just breaking precedent but shattering it.

What's really and truly most important is for TU to be able to go back to having a chief executive who can be like Sheldon Hackney and Eamon Kelly were in being able to bring in strong, capable people to work for them and then able to quietly step out of the way and let them take care of their own areas. Hackney and Kelly were great successes in that regard while Cowen has been a sheer failure. Then, after that, the next most important issue is being able to handle technology and how technology is changing education.

I think that whomever the hire is, it will be imperative that (s)he be a true chief executive and hire people to be accountable. I'd like to know more about the master plan the next leader creates. Of course I hope part of that plan is creating a real "brand" for the University, headlined by a successful Football and Basketball programs. But I also want, for the long term survival of the University, someone that can do a whole lot better foreseeing the winds of change in Education, as the coming bubble burst is going to wipe out those that try to react too late. Escalating higher education costs in the face of increasing abilities to deliver content cheaply is about to revolutionize the Education model.

[OUG]

I could see us going in a non-university direction with this hire and focusing more on someone with political, research, and healthcare connections. Specifically I'm thinking of Tulane Alumna and former U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin:
- Extensive health administration experience (obviously). She has run clinical practices, been on hospital and medical boards her entire career (including Catholic Health Association and the AMA). Has an MD from UAB and an MBA from Tulane. And obviously was the Surgeon General of the U.S.! -- Tulane Medical Center, Tulane Medical School, and our overall medical-related research needs to be a priority with this hire IMO.
- She is from the South and has lived in New Orleans (went to Xavier undergrad and got her MBA at Tulane/Freeman)
- She has serious intellectual chops -- awarded a McArthur Genius Grant in 2008.
- Would be Tulane's first female president AND first African American president.
- She fits the current board's branding of Tulane as community-driven (She was awarded a Papal Cross by Pope Benedict, and has spent most of her career on community health projects)
- As a very qualified female African American professional she has been sought out to participate in a lot of boards, both corporate and non-profit. She also has connections from her time in Washington. This means access to money for the Tulane Board.

If Tulane wants to make a splash with this hire that can also get the job done, I think she would be a tremendous hire.

Now, would this be good for athletics? I'd say yes -- someone from the South that doesn't come from academia is probably going to be the best we can hope for. Ultimately, you want someone in Gibson who is a capable and established leader that will write the checks, hire someone competent, and get out of the way.

Are you thinking of a comparison to Univ of Miami president Donna Shalala?

You do realize that Donna Shalala had a background in academia as a university chancellor before serving as Secretary of Health and Human Services, do you not?

Not to be dismissing Regina Benjamin and her many obvious strong accomplishments at all, but -- unless you have inside information -- for TU to go the route of selecting someone who as far as I can see has almost no connection in academia would be just a huge surprise and not just breaking precedent but shattering it.

What's really and truly most important is for TU to be able to go back to having a chief executive who can be like Sheldon Hackney and Eamon Kelly were in being able to bring in strong, capable people to work for them and then able to quietly step out of the way and let them take care of their own areas. Hackney and Kelly were great successes in that regard while Cowen has been a sheer failure. Then, after that, the next most important issue is being able to handle technology and how technology is changing education.

Huh? I guess I can see where you are getting Shalala (because she's a woman?) from but LOTS of people go from appointed positions in the cabinet or high levels of government administration to academia with or without experience in academia prior.

Janet Napolitano was just named President of the University of California system. Erskine Bowles was President of UNC. Sometimes they come from business too -- Colorado's President was the founder and CEO of a mining company. There are advantages to going outside of traditional academia (money) and there are negatives too (not understanding the culture).

But this stipulates that Benjamin is not "of academia", when in fact as a medical researcher she's been in and around academia her whole life. We're not talking about someone who just doesn't understand academic funding or academic communities here, or how to manage either.

Tulane's biggest need is and always will be someone who can bring new money to the table. Secondarily, for me, is someone who can focus on turning the medical school around, start returning it to research prestige and making it a funding engine for the school again.

No inside information on Benjamin, but I could see it happening -- not least of all because she has a Tulane MBA and a background from NOLA and the Gulf South, as well as a lot of connections to people with money in the medical community. Jesus, people were talking about Jaime Garza, a plastic surgeon, based on a much, much thinner resume.