nancy zimpher comments
One of our news reporters, Cliff Peale, conducted an interview with Nancy Zimpher this morning. They touched on many issues, just a few of which were related to athletics. Here's some of what she had to say about athletics:
UC met its quota of 9,000 or so fans for the bowl game and ended up making a profit on the game.
On the bubble and practice fields that are included in Brian Kelly’s new contract, she said any project would have to go through the university's normal budget process and the athletic department would have to raise its own money, which is what Mike Thomas has said all along.
She acknowledged that the costs of big-time sports, including coach's contracts and practice fields, are kind of surprising to her.
"I think our business planning could have been more front-loaded,” she said. “This is sort of a referendum on what it takes to be competitive in the Big East. I don't think we aspire to be the biggest program in the Big East. But it hits the pocketbook when you talk about comparable facilities. It hits the pocketbook when you talk about comparable coaches' salaries.”
posted by bill koch at 3:26 PM
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Post a Comment*NZ acknowledged that the costs of big-time sports, including coach's contracts and practice fields, are kind of surprising to her.
Where the heck did UC find her? Kind of surprising? Did she just crawl out from under a rock. Cost of athletics and coaches salarys have been on the front pages for decades.
I don't think we aspire to be the biggest program in the Big East. Nancy Zimpher must be having lunches with Mike Brown at Frisch's!
how much income increase did this conference affilitation bring in verus conference usa? I saw the new adidas contract is lucrative - nice increase there.
homework for you Bill - what IS the conf usa vs Big East financial benefit?
She is totally clueless! We're not trying to be a top Big East team, why not strive to be the best? I am glad my tuition is going up to pay for her raise!
I'll be she is also surprised how long it takes a program to recover from losing over 2.5 years of recruiting. That comment is very telling that she might be over her head. I hope she trusts Mike Thomas to run the Athletic department while she remains a figurehead when it comes to sports issues.
Zimpher acknowledges that she will settle for average performance by the athletic teams. Expect to be in the middle of the pack as long as Z is in charge.
According to figures provided by the school,UC's share of C-USA revenue in 2004 - was $2,071,701. UC received $3,492,095 from the Big East in 2005. That money includes NCAA Tournament money as well as football and men's basketball conference TV revenue and bowl money. In 2006, that figured increased to $3,771,057 without UC's share of bowl money yet figured in. Those are the figures I had for a story I wrote last May about UC and the Big East.
Here's hoping that NZ becomes PREZ of O$U!!! Then, instead of being the Big 1 and Little 10, it'll become the little 11!!! I honestly regret the day she ever arrived at UC. Doesn't it make you glad that the BOT are political appointees?
Her comment about not aspiring to be the biggest program in the Big East clearly refers to budget, as it is made in the context of budgetary discussion like salaries and facilities. She says UC isn't trying to have the largest program in terms of overall dollars spent on athletics. Nowhere does she say that she is interested in middling performance. If you believe that you'd have to spend more than anyone else or else you can't finish first, then she would disagree with you. I don't imagine she aspires to have the smallest program either. She probably would expect to be in the mid-range budget-wise, while giving her administrators, coaches and athletes what they need to win.
I can't speak to the comments or context of Cliff Peale's interview, but the bloggers who have responded by suggesting that NZ is clueless are themselves clueless - both about her knowledge of intercollegiate athletics and her goals for UC athletics.
She was actively involved in her conference and on NCAA committees when she was at UWM (and hired excellent basketball coaches while she was there). And since she's arrived at UC she has been actively involved in NCAA and Big East leadership roles - including serving on the NCAA Board of Directors and their executive committee.
You only have to look at the information about CATAPULT on the UC website to get a sense that, although UC does not intend to have as many sports as some Big East schools, it certainly intends to win championships in all sports in which it competes.
I still do not like the way she handled Huggins' dismissal, but that doesn't blind me to what she and Mike Thomas have set out to accomplish. We're seeing those results with Brian Kelly first, but I believe it won't just be football that excels as the athletic program moves forward.
And these are the comments of the UC president, an educated? person. Schooled well maybe, but not necessarily knowledgeable. And like it or not (probably NOT for the majority), we're STUCK with her, until who knows when!!!!!
If she means we don't aspire to have the biggest 'budget' in the Big East, I'm okay with that, as long as we aspire towards the top third. If she means we don't aspire to win at the top, then we can probably kiss Mike Thomas goodbye. I can't imagine any AD worth their salt would want to run a program that isn't aiming high - and isn't that what Catapult was all about, anyway? I liked that.
Louisville's President and AD found the money to get to the top. I HOPE that's our goal, and it's not to be mediocre, fair to middling.
Most big business is "front loaded." Selling flowers on a street corner has no front load. If you can lease facilities or THE CITY BUILDS A STADIUM FOR YOU, then maybe you can promote sporting events without being front loaded. Amateurs should not run multi million dollar businesses.
PS I'm an amateur also
Gee, imagine that, my posting got purged. All I said was:
She acknowledged that the costs of big-time sports, including coach's contracts and practice fields, are kind of surprising to her.
She has no clue.
She was actively involved in her conference and on NCAA committees when she was at UWM (and hired excellent basketball coaches while she was there). And since she's arrived at UC she has been actively involved in NCAA and Big East leadership roles - including serving on the NCAA Board of Directors and their executive committee.
Serving on a bunch of committees does not translate to intelligent leadership on that particular aspect of the University. Look at Myles Brand--he's the head of the NCAA and helped to put Indiana basketball in a DEEP SLEEP until recently.
Nancy's version of athletic "success" is the grad rate of the athletes, NOT the W-L record. This is amply demonstrated by her actions and comments during her tenure.
She detonated the basketball program DELIBERATELY, and she almost let Kelly slip away after 1 YEAR as one of the most successful football head coaches in the history of the University.
As to the assertion that she "hand-picked" Bruce Perl--that is utter nonsense. He was chosen via a search conducted by the same organization that chose Cronin to coach here. She simply agreed with the findings of the AD.
I also wouldn't look too closely at her record at UWM--she botched a lot of stuff up there during her tenure. She was hand-picked by the current chair of the BOT to carry out the forced exodus of Bob Huggins.
I implore the BOT...now that your hired gun has done what you requested...PLEASE LET THE REST OF THE UNIVERSITY OFF THE HOOK! We are drowning in debt, have lost boatloads of qualified faculty, and morale has never been lower among the University population. Haven't we suffered enough?
'Nuff said...
Bill -
simple math says the AD took in more than $3M in 05 and 06 - and the adidas contract is over $500,000 more. So with more than 3.5 million the past 2 years - did someone forget to tell nancy that part? That more than pays for the increases (one deserving, one not).
and now they are "re-doing" the priority seating at shoemaker. Does the constant demand for more money ever stop?
Now, now, 10:12. Let's translate your spin here and now, shall we?
Serving on committees serves to educate as you absorb the experiences and information from all the others on the committee before you make a decision. That's kind of the point of a committee. It's not a guarantee but it certainly serves us to have NZ sitting on several committees rather than sitting in her office on an island, which I'm sure you would heartily critize her for doing.
She has NEVER defined athletic success as the grad rates alone, but I am glad she thinks it's important for our athletes to graduate. She does run a university, after all, and it would sound pretty bad if the university presidentjij only cared about wins and losses with no thought for the futures of the student-athletes. And if she did only care about the W/L column, you'd criticize her for that, too.
She almost let Kelly go, or she got him to stay? Funny that you posit it that she had complete control over what he chose to do. And she did at least allow athletics to find the funding to keep him. That's called delegating, an important part of the leadership you say she lacks.
And to be completely objective and fair, a concept which you seem to have trouble with, she inherited the financial issues.
Your post made me chuckle.
Serving on committees serves to educate as you absorb the experiences and information from all the others on the committee before you make a decision.
For some...not all...not Nancy
It certainly serves us to have NZ sitting on several committees rather than sitting in her office on an island, which I'm sure you would heartily critize her for doing.
The University would have been in much better shape if she hadn't taken the majority of actions she has taken--so, in hindsight, if she had simply been a figurehead, we would have been in better shape right now
She has NEVER defined athletic success as the grad rates alone.
Yes, she has...I know this first-hand--despite public protestations to the contrary
She almost let Kelly go, or she got him to stay? Funny that you posit it that she had complete control over what he chose to do. And she did at least allow athletics to find the funding to keep him. That's called delegating
It's called dropping a mess you don't care about into someone else's lap--thr University didn't shed a dime to keep him--it was a group of concerned citizens that MT rounded up out of desperation
an important part of the leadership you say she lacks.
I never said she lacked leadership--she's shown plenty of leadership......BAD LEADERSHIP
She inherited the financial issues.
She exacerbated them.
Your post made me chuckle.
As did yours.
I chuckle every time I see a post defending the incompetent who serves as president of the University of Cincinnati.
Zimpher, please leave UC and go to a university which may appreciate you. We've had enough of your "leadership."
Zimpher is prez of a University whose primary purpose is to educate students for success after graduation.
Athletics fit into the picture but are not paramount to evaluating her success.
No reason why UC can't continue to be a top notch BB and FB program - but that's not why the University exists.
Bill - did you notice today's Enq. story on Harmony Charter school being a sham according to Attn Gen. Mark Dann? School may go outta business and no longer be a pipeline for Div 1 BB programs.
No reason why UC can't continue to be a top notch BB and FB program - but that's not why the University exists.
Never said it was. I'm evaluating her based on her effect on the entire University. The debt, and the devastating effect on morale go hand-in-hand with the hemmoraging of qualified faculty and staff in myriad departments aside from athletics.
Not to mention the repeated off-the-cuff insults at the expense of the alumni.
She's a sorry excuse for a University president.
Your blog is an exercise in frustration. Too many posts are deleted before publishing.
Your 3 person screening team is not on the same page. I feel i'm wasting time posting into the "black hole" of bill kochs blog.
You said, "Never said it was. I'm evaluating her based on her effect on the entire University. The debt, and the devastating effect on morale go hand-in-hand with the hemmoraging of qualified faculty and staff in myriad departments aside from athletics.
Not to mention the repeated off-the-cuff insults at the expense of the alumni.:
I've got three words for you: Biggest. Baby. Ever.
First of all, she inherited the debt - everyone knows that. She's "destroying" the U so much that applications are up, the average gpa of the applicants is up, donations are up, UC football just came off it's biggest season, and men's basketball is competing in the Big East very well, thank you. If that's destroyed, bring it on, Nancy, and keep it coming.
It's about ethics. Bob Huggins wasn't a saint but Zimpher was absolutely unethical in the way that she forced him out of town. This behavior by the "President" of the University is embarrasing to UC graduates and should not be tolerated by the Board of Trustees. I wish the best for UC but I will not support the university with my $ until Zimpher is gone.
NZ is a joke.
UC has somewhere around 20,000 students. When 35,000 people in a football stadium BOO when your name is announced over the PA, you would think your ears would perk up a little. Who in radio, internet, tv, blog, newspaper, etc has actually applauded the decisions she made? I haven't heard any positive things about her. I am in upper management. I make decisions that affect people every day. If I make one that a lot of people speak negatively of, I at least go back and revisit the decision and my thinking to see if I was right or what i could have done better. One poster here said that NZ would learn and grow from being on committes. She has not displayed the results of any kind of positive learning experience to date. With all of the negative press, we are stuck with her. She will not go away and no one will lure her away.
Lastly, contrary to popular belief, I am glad Bob Huggins is gone. But NZ could have managed that better. her performance to date has been abysmal!
First of all, she inherited the debt - everyone knows that.
She exacerbated the debt.
She ticked off the alumni to the point that the total numbers of donations are down, but pals of the BOT cough up huge sums to make themselves not look foolish.
BTW, we are STILL 25 BILLION in the hole--none of the donations she has picked up go toward the operating budget. That's why they have a moratorium on construction at the moment.
applications are up
Applications are up all over the country..and UC has one of the highest tuitions in the state. They'll fall if that isn't rectified.
the average gpa of the applicants is up
Actually, the average GPA is the same...they just don't include the GPA's from those that have enrolled in the branch campuses in that figure (she's essentially acted as a "traffic cop" while at the same time artifically boosting that figure--shame on you Nancy).
Donations are up
Compared to the depleted levels they fell to after the Huggins debacle. It's not an all-time figure by any stretch.
UC football just came off it's biggest season.
Thanks to Brian Kelly, whose contract she provided NO HELP in renewing.
Men's basketball is competing in the Big East very well.
That's a big "wait and see" there good buddy...and we wouldn't have had to worry about men's basketball at all if she hadn't fired 2 very qualified coaches in the space of 2 years.
Kind of like knocking over a lit lantern, setting the house on fire, and then calling the fire department to minimize the damage...not something I'd trumpet.
But...she's your heroine, so bow at her feet if that makes you feel better!
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