So I want to circle back to the list from Dan Wolken embedded below, and I want to address something he wrote in his column. To call these president’s “out of touch academics” is a bit of a misnomer.
Usually when you get to the level of president, especially at some of the FBS and FCS institutions, you haven’t been an academic in a number of years. At least, not in the sense of actively teaching much in the classroom.
Additionally, there is a trend of having former political appointees and/or business and industry leaders take over the presidency at some institutions. These individuals may have advanced degrees, but I would hardly call them academics in the traditional sense of how that word is utilized.
I do think one of the failings of the current structure of the NCAA Board of Governors is that many of the presidents of institutions make their way up to the top of the institution via the academic side of the house. A cursory glance and the biographies and curriculum vitae of the college and university presidents on the list above show a severe lack of people who have worked in student affairs. Again, presidents typically come up from the academic side of the house, and the knowledge base and experience from academic affairs do not necessarily translate to the administration of athletics, where a student affairs background makes a bit more sense.
I do think one of the failings of the current structure of the NCAA Board of Governors is that many of the presidents of institutions make their way up to the top of the institution via the academic side of the house. A cursory glance and the biographies and curriculum vitae of the college and university presidents on the list above show a severe lack of people who have worked in student affairs. Again, presidents typically come up from the academic side of the house, and the knowledge base and experience from academic affairs do not necessarily translate to the administration of athletics, where a student affairs background makes a bit more sense.
Keeping things in perspective, though, there are quite a few things that are on a president’s plate on a daily basis, and while intercollegiate athletics seems like it should be a more significant deal for some, well, that is not necessarily the case—especially in times where budgets are being crunched, enrollments are down, and faculty and staff cuts have to be discussed and approved.
With that being said, though, it does not excuse the fact that Emmert was extended. There is no reason to not be aware of the range of catastrophes and bad decisions that have been made under his decade of leadership. One would think that the images and videos from the Women’s Basketball Tournament and the issues brought up with the Volleyball tournament would linger enough give this group pause with regards to an extension for Emmert.
The fact that a rumor leaked tying Emmert to the open job as president of LSU should have been seen as a possible opportunity for the Board of Governors to embrace change. The deus ex machina was on its way down to the stage, ready to free the organization from the person serving as a punching bag, a punch line, and an albatross all at once.
There was a chance to get new leadership in—bold, visionary, 21st century leadership that could modernize an organization that is still stuck, in some respects, in the early 20th century. And that is a kind assessment.
Instead, the Board of Governors chose to settle for the status quo. They chose to essentially get one of their own (remember, Emmert was a university president before ascending to the top spot in Indianapolis) even more entrenched in his position. Which given the buck passing that has taken place over the last decade, should have been expected.
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