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Post by BBFran on Feb 10, 2022 11:44:42 GMT -6
The Board of Regents honestly couldn't care less about athletics at UWM. But that's the point: they don't care one way or the other. If we're good, fine. If we're awful, meh. Its not active interference -- it's benign neglect. That leaves it to the people AT THE UNIVERSITY to decide whether we are going to have a program we can be proud of. Right now, I think we have a collection of people who basically look around them, see the lack of interest and have decided "well if nobody else cares, why should I?" So they keep their heads down, invent bullsh*t metrics (steve has noted this repeatedly) and keep their jobs. Results? Results are hard. They take work and competence and true leadership. Better just to float along in an environment where nobody is calling you to account because they don't want to be called to account.
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Post by PantherU on Feb 10, 2022 11:46:14 GMT -6
Why is the athletic department at UW-Milwaukee not being held to account? Whom does the Chancellor of UW-Milwaukee report to? There is zero interest in Milwaukee athletics at the UW System Board of Regents level. As for why the athletic department is not being held to account?... LET ME PREFACE THIS BY SAYING I HAVE NO INSIDE INFORMATION ON THIS, THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN AS ABSOLUTE TRUTH, I NEVER CONFIRMED THIS INFORMATION THAT WAS SHARED WITH ME SO I AM NOT SAYING THIS IS 100% ACCURATE. I DO NOT KNOW: I was told by a couple people years ago that there was a scheme regarding the buyout of Jeter's contract that involved the university using money donated to the athletic department for other sports to buy out Jeter's contract, which would be illegal as those dollars were earmarked for other sports by the people that donated the money (mostly parents of the players in other sports). I did not dig into it to find out its legitimacy because 1) I was done trying to be a sports writer, 2) I was too close to the Jeter situation to be objective, and 3) that is some super sticky stuff to investigate and 4) I don't have a lawyer. So do what I do and take that information with a massive grain of salt. But it would explain why Mone (who would have to approve such a plan) gives Amanda a long leash. |
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Post by BBFran on Feb 10, 2022 11:56:33 GMT -6
WHEREVER the money came from for that purpose (some of it surely came from me because I gave unrestricted dollars) it was ill used! That should be blindingly obvious to everyone by now.
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Post by peterpanther on Feb 10, 2022 12:03:29 GMT -6
The Board of Regents honestly couldn't care less about athletics at UWM. But that's the point: they don't care one way or the other. If we're good, fine. If we're awful, meh. Its not active interference -- it's benign neglect. That leaves it to the people AT THE UNIVERSITY to decide whether we are going to have a program we can be proud of. Right now, I think we have a collection of people who basically look around them, see the lack of interest and have decided "well if nobody else cares, why should I?" So they keep their heads down, invent bullsh*t metrics (steve has noted this repeatedly) and keep their jobs. Results? Results are hard. They take work and competence and true leadership. Better just to float along in an environment where nobody is calling you to account because they don't want to be called to account. I agree that the UWM administration has been woefully neglectful towards athletics. However, the UWM administration reports to the UW System Board of Regents which has allowed the negligence of athletics at UWM to continue. Without the will of the Board of Regents, it appears dubious that significant administration changes will be made at UWM in relation to athletics. |
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Post by JG Panthers on Feb 10, 2022 12:33:10 GMT -6
I just wrote a frustrated but respectful e-mail to Mark Mone copying in the Board of Regents and Edmund Manydeeds. Don't let me be the only one.
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Post by ghostofdylan on Feb 10, 2022 12:49:00 GMT -6
I just wrote a frustrated but respectful e-mail to Mark Mone copying in the Board of Regents and Edmund Manydeeds. Don't let me be the only one. Do you feel comfortable sharing the contents if not the e-mail word for word, JG? |
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Post by JG Panthers on Feb 10, 2022 13:07:07 GMT -6
I just wrote a frustrated but respectful e-mail to Mark Mone copying in the Board of Regents and Edmund Manydeeds. Don't let me be the only one. Do you feel comfortable sharing the contents if not the e-mail word for word, JG? See below. I could have more aggressively expressed my frustration and provided countless examples of incompetence that would have turned this into a short novel, but I know others who share e-mails with this tone and it has been fruitless. Trying a more measured approach so it is not immediately deleted (although I'm sure this is likely the outcome). If we flood their inbox, perhaps they will get the sense that people actually care about this program and university? More likely I'm just a fool for having any semblance of hope. Anyways, here you go. Subject: Concerned Class of 2008 AlumnusDr. Mone,
This is my first e-mail expressing my disappointment as a once-proud alumnus of our university. I have withheld voicing my opinion as I have had trust in the administrators charged with moving our great university forward, but I cannot continue in silence and with blind faith.
I find it shocking, with the precipitous drop in enrollment at UW-Milwaukee over the last 10+ years, that we are not placing the appropriate emphasis on student engagement, especially as it relates to the only athletic program capable of producing significant revenue for the university. As a 2008 graduate, I witnessed first-hand what a successful men's basketball program can do for our university. Improvements in the spirit, national and regional reputation, and undergraduate applications(!) for our university are real and measurable. I'm sure you remember it well Chancellor, yet here we are, nearly nine years into our Athletic Director Amanda Braun's tenure, and we haven't once achieved anything remotely close to the success we enjoyed in the middle of the 2000s (in a conference that is watered-down and fading from relevance, no less). We haven't won a single All-Sports McCafferty Trophy after years of being the class of the league. History speaks loudly. We have been passed over multiple times for consideration by more prestigious athletic conferences (seemingly due in large part to missed opportunities, budget constraints, and poor performance). These countless mistakes and missed opportunities have culminated in what can only be considered the most disappointing season of Patrick Baldwin's five-year stint (and quite possibly the last 20+ years). This doesn't even speak to the numerous public controversies both preceding Amanda's time at UWM, and the years following.
I, along with many others, am concerned with the direction of the university and its athletic department, which, like it or not, generates the most significant local headlines for the university. Are we going to continue down this path of irrelevance and dysfunction, or are we going to move forward and awaken what has long been considered by university stakeholders as a sleeping giant in our city and state? There is so much for this university and its community to be proud of and to look forward to. Please, turn this around and help us achieve it.
Lastly, Chancellor, I hope this message finds you in good health. I will continue to think of and pray for you and your family.
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Post by Spirit of Bruce on Feb 10, 2022 13:19:02 GMT -6
That's a very nice email, JG.
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Post by ghostofdylan on Feb 10, 2022 13:21:57 GMT -6
Very classy!
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Post by steveisback on Feb 10, 2022 13:42:10 GMT -6
Thank you JG!!! Tremendous e-mail. May it not fall on totally deaf ears!!!!
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Post by JG Panthers on Feb 10, 2022 13:54:06 GMT -6
Appreciate the kind words guys. Let's just hope that some of these e-mails actually hit their desk.
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Post by davedome on Feb 10, 2022 13:55:40 GMT -6
I agree that they certainly could be doing a lot better to help Milwaukee but we're our worst enemy. This board always blames Marquette or Wisconsin when things go bad. But I saw an old conference rival (Butler) make the championship game 2 years in a row before eventually moving on to a better conference. I see another former conference member (Loyola) leave for a better conference and make the Final Four. Let’s point the finger at the individuals who have done nothing to improve our conference affiliation, the program, and have been unsuccessful in their roles. At most big-time schools, the AD's job security is centered around the success of their revenue-producing sports and the head coaching hires for each. Milwaukee shouldn't be different and needs a fresh start. Why is the athletic department at UW-Milwaukee not being held to account? Whom does the Chancellor of UW-Milwaukee report to? Who did Barry Alvarez or Pat Ricter report to? Themselves first and the Chancellor, if needed. They had the autonomy to do whatever they wanted or needed to. There's no conspiracy to keep Milwaukee down, we simply made bad hires. Additionally, no one is going to boot Mone because his AD is bad. |
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Post by peterpanther on Feb 10, 2022 14:46:08 GMT -6
Why is the athletic department at UW-Milwaukee not being held to account? Whom does the Chancellor of UW-Milwaukee report to? Who did Barry Alvarez or Pat Ricter report to? Themselves first and the Chancellor, if needed. They had the autonomy to do whatever they wanted or needed to. There's no conspiracy to keep Milwaukee down, we simply made bad hires. Additionally, no one is going to boot Mone because his AD is bad. To say that the current state of athletics at UW-Milwaukee is solely due to "bad hires" ignores the larger institutional problem of the support and priority of athletics at UW-Milwaukee by the UWM administration and the UW System Board of Regents. The bad hires have been a symptom of the problem. The problem is the lack of institutional support and priority of athletics at UW-Milwaukee. Why are these bad hires still employed at UW-Milwaukee? Why hasn't the athletic director been fired? Where's the accountability? |
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Post by peterpanther on Feb 10, 2022 15:05:08 GMT -6
The following Bill Johnson quote posted earlier really sums up well the situation of athletics at UW-Milwaukee:
"UWM leads the world in incompetent administrators.
I criticize awful athletic directors like Koonce, Costello, Geiger, and Braun. It’s not their fault. Hell, if they elected me President I’d take the job. If I suck at it, it’s not my fault. I’m not qualified to be President.
Should Amanda Braun turn down an AD job just because she’s horribly under qualified? Hell no. She’s a bad AD, and a deplorable human being, but those are the cards she’s been dealt.
Those in charge of the UW System have failed to hire effective administrators. Failed. F F F F!"
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Post by Cactus Panther on Feb 10, 2022 15:09:06 GMT -6
The Board of Regents honestly couldn't care less about athletics at UWM. But that's the point: they don't care one way or the other. If we're good, fine. If we're awful, meh. Its not active interference -- it's benign neglect. That leaves it to the people AT THE UNIVERSITY to decide whether we are going to have a program we can be proud of. Right now, I think we have a collection of people who basically look around them, see the lack of interest and have decided "well if nobody else cares, why should I?" So they keep their heads down, invent bullsh*t metrics (steve has noted this repeatedly) and keep their jobs. Results? Results are hard. They take work and competence and true leadership. Better just to float along in an environment where nobody is calling you to account because they don't want to be called to account. Your post can be summed up in three words - "lack-of-relevance." It is what I have been preaching here for a long time to describe the apathy and dysfunction in the athletic program . Without relevance, there is no need for accountability. |
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