Chip: Next University of Minnesota president will be chief caretaker of 'the front porch' — athletics — like it or not

[BleedGopher]

Per Chip:

Robert Bruininks had a favorite quip about how his job performance as president of the University of Minnesota got analyzed and scrutinized by the public.

"Each and every day I was evaluated more for the success of our entertainment programs than I was for the academic mission purposes and activities," he said this past week.

By entertainment he meant athletics. It was his standard one-liner coated in some reality.

The next U president might want to borrow his line. The gist will never grow stale.

Next University of Minnesota president will be chief caretaker of athletics — like it or not

Athletics certainly are not the most important thing happening on campus. But they will play an outsized role in the school's reputation and the next president's success.

m.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[bga1]

Per Chip:

Robert Bruininks had a favorite quip about how his job performance as president of the University of Minnesota got analyzed and scrutinized by the public.

"Each and every day I was evaluated more for the success of our entertainment programs than I was for the academic mission purposes and activities," he said this past week.

By entertainment he meant athletics. It was his standard one-liner coated in some reality.

The next U president might want to borrow his line. The gist will never grow stale.

Next University of Minnesota president will be chief caretaker of athletics — like it or not

Athletics certainly are not the most important thing happening on campus. But they will play an outsized role in the school's reputation and the next president's success.

m.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

Not paying the garbage Strib $2 for anything... what did he say? Is this good news or bad news?

 

[Spaulding!No!]

30 yrs late. Thanks Nils.

 

[Rockraven]

Sadly as a research and education institution the U is falling off. It hurts to see that. Certainly we can focus on both with better leadership from the top. We’ve done it before. Let’s do it again!

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Not paying the garbage Strib $2 for anything... what did he say? Is this good news or bad news?

in essence, here is how I read the column:

sports are often seen as the "front porch" of a university. successful sports teams can bring more attention and generate more donations to a school. the next U of MN President - in Chip's opinion - needs to remember that and keep sports in mind when making decisions. that doesn't mean that sports come before academics, but they do need to be part of the equation.

In addition, Chip discusses how the sports scene is changing with NIL, TV deals and conference realignment.

however, Chip also pointed out that almost every U of MN President in recent memory has had to deal with some type of sports issue or problem, so there are drawbacks as well as positives for being a P5 Institution.

 

[bga1]

in essence, here is how I read the column:

sports are often seen as the "front porch" of a university. successful sports teams can bring more attention and generate more donations to a school. the next U of MN President - in Chip's opinion - needs to remember that and keep sports in mind when making decisions. that doesn't mean that sports come before academics, but they do need to be part of the equation.

In addition, Chip discusses how the sports scene is changing with NIL, TV deals and conference realignment.

however, Chip also pointed out that almost every U of MN President in recent memory has had to deal with some type of sports issue or problem, so there are drawbacks as well as positives for being a P5 Institution.

Thank you!

 

[GoodasGold]

Dinky town is not the same.