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Post by panthersteve on Apr 22, 2010 8:46:57 GMT -6
Tough deal all around. Wish George the best and hope nothing too serious for him or damaging to the university.
As we move forward a couple thoughts:
<Lets not let our zeal for panache and sizzle in the interest of some Holy Grail called "fund raising" dominate the process. Unless it is Bart Starr or Pat Richter the ex player, ex Packer thing.. let it go...find a good solid business person, manager, adminstrator...we will be fine...we are what we are..
<Stability right now is important... whoever we bring in should not have an attitude of "move out a bunch of coaches" and "bring in my own people" syndrome. Particulary right now with Rob...looks like we are right on the cusp of taking a big step forward with the solid recruiting the last couple years. Sandy should be retained also....
<Big needs to me are a baseball facility and an on - campus arena. Some of the recent posts are baffling to me... ie, this is contingent upon a big chunk of donor money. With the increasse in student fees would this not be enough to really fund the majority and get this moving??
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Post by JG Panthers on Apr 22, 2010 9:13:46 GMT -6
To be honest, I had really high hopes for Koonce, and without being involved in the hiring process I thought Koonce was the right choice. It appears I was painfully wrong in my initial judgment. I just really want some leadership in the department. And by leader, I mean decision maker. People that are able to successfully run small business (or businesses of any kind) typically have this leadership, this ability to make decisions without hesitation. Now I'm not saying that we should hire a small-business owner, but rather someone who's going to come in here and give the department some hope, pride, and direction. I want a dreamer, but a realist; someone who has the ability wish for grander things for our program, but understands the struggles associated with it...
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Post by panthersteve on Apr 22, 2010 9:30:23 GMT -6
Great post JG Panther!!
Business schools are traditionally great at teaching stragegic planning. Academics and politicians are great at strategic planning,. dreaming and thinnking big... a big deficiency over the years at our beloved UWM has been lack of thinking big.. I am a firm advocate of "make no little plans". ..we have unbelievable potential and are a sleeping giant academically and athletically... It can be done but here is the rub in my opinion:
Chancellors Zimpher and now Santiago have been awesome in planning and promoting a strategic vision. Zimpher in particular with the Milwaukee idea but frankly I see her as a self-promoting ladder climber and job jumper. I thought different about Carlos but now starting to wonder if same syndrome. The biggest example of this is the College of Freshwater Science... we have a unique opportunity and literally would be the first school of its type in the western hemisphere. For once Milwaukee can be a leader so here we sit with not one brick in the ground yet. United Nations has designated Milwaukee as a World site for Water Research but frankly we are going to blow it I am afraid. The longer we wait some other university can jump ahead of us ..it will evaporate away pardon the pun... Move onto to Joe
Zilber... gives a $10 million gift for School of Public Health... then rumors we may fritter it away because we look a gift horse in the mouth and infer we do not want to put at the Zilber Pabst complex which is near the Lindsay Heights neighborhood dear to his heart....not one brick in the ground... thrashing around with Columbia and don't even get me started on the Innovation Park which now may never happen....Carlos can move on to the next job...; hopefully not and then start the glamorous plans and vision al over again somewhere else... where I am leading to is this... We have to think big and plan big but IMPLEMTATION is the hard work , the not so glamorous part for people like Nancy and Carlos and where the business schools fail to emphasize....as well as top academic glory seeking , job jumper types... we need a good solid administrator who can run things and get them done...not just look good on tv and in the newspaper..
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Post by longtimefan on Apr 22, 2010 9:51:05 GMT -6
Is there a chance in the world Koonce is coming back?
My guess, no. Not for a guy who has only been here nine months. If your first job review is to be placed on involuntary leave and be investigated, that's not good. It's not like a guy with a 20-year track record who has some credits banked.
If he comes back, it's going to be because of a lawsuit, or some employment fairness commission ruling, or something like that.
Absolute pure speculation on my part, maybe unfair, but if if wasn't serious they would have handled it quietly and not put a huge cloud over their brand-new hire.
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Post by JG Panthers on Apr 22, 2010 9:53:35 GMT -6
Is there a chance in the world Koonce is coming back? My guess, no. Not for a guy who has only been here nine months. If your first job review is to be placed on involuntary leave and be investigated, that's not good. It's not like a guy with a 20-year track record who has some credits banked. If he comes back, it's going to be because of a lawsuit, or some employment fairness commission ruling, or something like that. Absolute pure speculation on my part, maybe unfair, but if if wasn't serious they would have handled it quietly and not put a huge cloud over their brand-new hire. My biggest fear is that the investigation will yield some sort of wrong-doing by Koonce that will result in athletic sanctions imposed by the university... |
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Post by ghostofdylan on Apr 22, 2010 9:59:12 GMT -6
I don't think the investigation will turn up a wrongdoing that will result in athletic sanctions.
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Post by JG Panthers on Apr 22, 2010 10:05:09 GMT -6
I don't think the investigation will turn up a wrongdoing that will result in athletic sanctions. What do you think the investigation might turn up? |
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Post by PantherU on Apr 22, 2010 10:17:21 GMT -6
Well, sanctions on the department would include problems pertaining to illegal recruiting in sports. I don't think this situation has anything to do with that.
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Post by JG Panthers on Apr 22, 2010 10:20:09 GMT -6
Well, sanctions on the department would include problems pertaining to illegal recruiting in sports. I don't think this situation has anything to do with that. I don't think so either...still nervous about sanctions imposed by the University not NCAA |
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Post by BBFran on Apr 22, 2010 10:26:58 GMT -6
Don't let your imaginations run wild. By all accounts this is about George and his performance, not about the athletic department. It's certainly not an NCAA issue. The "sanction" of the athletic department is the uncertainty it will have to endure until the leadership issue is resolved.
Fortunately we have some great, dedicated coaches and students in our sports who will be carrying the flag for the Panthers and Milwaukee irrespective of this back office trouble.
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Post by PantherU on Apr 22, 2010 10:27:19 GMT -6
For what, though? Are we going to lose scholarships or be banned from the postseason, lose recruiting time because our AD did something stupid or was inept at his job?
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Post by JG Panthers on Apr 22, 2010 10:30:10 GMT -6
I don't know...perhaps an unwarranted fear...but a fear nonetheless. I don't want Rob to be punished for something George did...and I don't think he will, but like I said...it's something I'm still fearful of
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Post by PantherU on Apr 22, 2010 10:36:21 GMT -6
Why would we need an administrator? Cause he's the anti-Koonce?
We need a guy who is going to come in, get EVERYONE in athletics on the same page. The politicking needs to end. If you're here, you're with us. That should be the driving motto right now. And there needs to be serious communication within the program; basketball and SID need to communicate, marketing and development need to communicate we need to make sure we've got everyone going full steam ahead.
What we don't need is an administrator. I might have agreed with that if we hadn't just hired Kevin Fitzgerald in compliance and Charlie Gross in finance. As it stands, they've proven so far that they're up to the task.
What we need is someone who will form a vision rather quickly. Someone who has a real ambitious view for the future of Milwaukee Athletics, a very strong and enticing vision. That person is someone who will go out, into the world, and sell people on his or her vision. We need someone who will shake hands with fans, call every booster and sell them on his vision, and sit down with every single potential donor that wants to meet with him. We need someone who will knock on every door that needs to be knocked on, sit in living rooms and dining rooms, and sell people on their vision of the future of Panther Athletics.
How many times did we see George at basketball games, pounding away on his blackberry? How many times did Koonce come to the postgame, where his most ardent supporters were huddled, in mass, as a U-Rah-Rah crowd? Once! And he was quickly out of there. Obviously, Koonce didn't see us as worth his time. And that's what pisses me off the most. He did not care.
Don't suggest we need an administrator because we hired Koonce as a fundraiser. He DIDN'T raise funds. We need someone who will do the job we hired Koonce to do.
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Post by JG Panthers on Apr 22, 2010 11:08:57 GMT -6
Why would we need an administrator? Cause he's the anti-Koonce? We need a guy who is going to come in, get EVERYONE in athletics on the same page. The politicking needs to end. If you're here, you're with us. That should be the driving motto right now. And there needs to be serious communication within the program; basketball and SID need to communicate, marketing and development need to communicate we need to make sure we've got everyone going full steam ahead. What we don't need is an administrator. I might have agreed with that if we hadn't just hired Kevin Fitzgerald in compliance and Charlie Gross in finance. As it stands, they've proven so far that they're up to the task. What we need is someone who will form a vision rather quickly. Someone who has a real ambitious view for the future of Milwaukee Athletics, a very strong and enticing vision. That person is someone who will go out, into the world, and sell people on his or her vision. We need someone who will shake hands with fans, call every booster and sell them on his vision, and sit down with every single potential donor that wants to meet with him. We need someone who will knock on every door that needs to be knocked on, sit in living rooms and dining rooms, and sell people on their vision of the future of Panther Athletics. How many times did we see George at basketball games, pounding away on his blackberry? How many times did Koonce come to the postgame, where his most ardent supporters were huddled, in mass, as a U-Rah-Rah crowd? Once! And he was quickly out of there. Obviously, Koonce didn't see us as worth his time. And that's what pisses me off the most. He did not care. Don't suggest we need an administrator because we hired Koonce as a fundraiser. He DIDN'T raise funds. We need someone who will do the job we hired Koonce to do. Considering "director" is a synonym of "administrator", I'd say that's exactly what we need. An administrator's job is to get everyone on the same page. We don't need someone who will have pom pons affixed to his hands at all times. We need someone who will make sure things get done, and not at the Milwaukee pace of yesteryear. I agree that we need someone who has an ambitious view of Panther athletics, but I'd say that basically goes without saying... |
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Post by panthersteve on Apr 22, 2010 11:35:03 GMT -6
Jimmy and JG
I think we are actually talking off the same page.. Let me clarify...Jimmy, I am with you... I guess what I mean by administrator is someone who is capable not only of being a celebrity or image guy but who actually hunkers down, gets into the details and implementation... When I say details it is not the clerical day to day stuff... it would be having a solid , disciplined implementation strategy and carried out accordingly... Indeed, that would involve heavy fundraising activities but that would also mean team building. coordinating, overseeing, driving results,. etcc... what we don't need is what I see in the corporate world I work in often.... it is a called "a suit"...I am afraid that is what George might have turned out to be... need someone who also does heavy lifting ,,, not necessarily in administrative minutae but in the important fund raising activities you are referring to... does that clarify a bit?? Steve
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