BOG announces five finalists for MU President
- Thread starter Chris McLaughlin
- Start date
The presidential finalists are, in alphabetical order: Bernard Arulanandam, vice president for research, economic development, and knowledge enterprise, The University of Texas at San Antonio; Bret Danilowicz, provost and vice president for academic affairs, Florida Atlantic University; Robyn Hannigan, provost, Clarkson University; Kathy Johnson, executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI); and Brad D. Smith, co-founder, Wing 2 Wing Foundation.
Well if we hire Smith maybe he will stop giving millions to wvu too.
Given the state of affairs this last decade or so, it's looking more and more like academia is becoming a business over what it once was.
Smith may put MU ahead of the curve.
Arulanandam - BS Toxicology, Minnesota State; MA Microbiology, Minnesota State; PhD Microbiology, Medical College of Ohio (now part of Toledo); MBA UTSA. Immunologist.
Danilowicz - BS Biology, Syracuse; PhD Zoology, Duke. Post-PhD, Windsor (Canada); MA Education Leadership, Open University (England); MBA Georgia Southern. Biologist.
Harriman - BA Earth Science, College of New Jersey; MA Geology, SUNY Buffalo; PhD, Environmental Science. Environmental Science.
Johnson - PhD Emory (earlier degrees not listed) Psychology. Child psychologist.
Smith - BS Marshall (major not listed, Business??) - MBA Aquinas College. Net worth aprox. $300M.
Obviously they powers that be want Smith, and he would not have applied if he didn’t want it. Only issue would be lack of a doctorate, but Manchin croney Dave Hardesty had a law degree (which isn’t REALLY a doctorate, no matter what they say) when he ran WVU and its current president, arch-racist Gordie Gee has a law degree and an EdD, which is a doctorate, but ain’t a PhD.
The theme of some local rich guy go back home and pump up the local college in semi-retirement has been a thing. Texas A&M, Pikeville, and High Point come to mind.
Danilowicz - BS Biology, Syracuse; PhD Zoology, Duke. Post-PhD, Windsor (Canada); MA Education Leadership, Open University (England); MBA Georgia Southern. Biologist.
Harriman - BA Earth Science, College of New Jersey; MA Geology, SUNY Buffalo; PhD, Environmental Science. Environmental Science.
Johnson - PhD Emory (earlier degrees not listed) Psychology. Child psychologist.
Smith - BS Marshall (major not listed, Business??) - MBA Aquinas College. Net worth aprox. $300M.
Obviously they powers that be want Smith, and he would not have applied if he didn’t want it. Only issue would be lack of a doctorate, but Manchin croney Dave Hardesty had a law degree (which isn’t REALLY a doctorate, no matter what they say) when he ran WVU and its current president, arch-racist Gordie Gee has a law degree and an EdD, which is a doctorate, but ain’t a PhD.
The theme of some local rich guy go back home and pump up the local college in semi-retirement has been a thing. Texas A&M, Pikeville, and High Point come to mind.
Agree, I think this would be a bold and brilliant move. He has established himself within the state and country, this can only help Marshall should he be President. The only downfall I see is if he is not that good, it will be tough to fire him.
As to WVU, I know what I am about to say will be unpopular. It is a small state and they are not going anywhere. I deal with several WVU alums almost everyday, and to be successful in this state that is just part of life. We need a president who can slow down Gee's goal of being the "only" higher academic institution in the state. What I mean by that is who outside business want to deal with and where they want to locate. Smith has already established a relationship with Gee (WVU), outside business industries, and many in the State legislature which can only help.
I don’t disagree. It is his money and I support the hire of Brad Smith as President.
1) as a MU fan I’d prefer he donates exclusively to MU as far as in state institutions go.
2)if he is our President I find it very doubtful that he would offer any new commitments to donate to wvu and I’d be happy with that.
do you agree with 1&2? Or are you just shooting off at the mouth?
That's the thing.
Someone like Brad Smith knows he can't do this on his own, so he'll hire people who he knows and trusts, that can. Same with most football coaches, their success is based heavily on the skills of their coordinators.
Well...since you're the one complaining about where he spends his money, I don't agree with you at all.
But in regards to the specific terms of 1 and 2? Well, you should've posted those instead of your initial complaint of Smith and his money because then I'd agree.
But if Brad is MU's president, he's not giving money to either one. I imagine it'd be a gross conflict of interest if he did as well as some grounds for termination or at least review.
However, I will say I agree he'd be a good president as he couldn't donate to either, but give MU a much needed boost financially through his actions as president and not his checkbook.
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It hasn't worked out well for wvu and Gee, I think, knows that WV as a state is holding his dream back. Not to mention the area he's in isn't flat, which is sort of an added complexity when wanting businesses to come in.
Another thing, Gee's bigger battle is not accepting the charges when Death long distances him.
Brad is a young and (I'd guess) relatively healthy person, who could use his persona as a representative to the youth of WV to not leave, stay, and he'd hopefully help provide economic solutions as to why.
What this part of WV CAN be.
If Charleston and Gee want to separate themselves from Huntington, so be it.
They can have the Stone Age, we'll take the 21st Century and beyond.
My only knock on Smith is his politics. If you look up his donor history you see things like ACTBLUE and Friends of Shumer. Very liberal which you wouldn’t expect from a Kenova boy.
Just a quick review on LinkedIn, I like Danilowicz and Johnson; both have an academic leadership ladder they've climbed, have served in many capacities at a university, and should know the leadership needs of a University. As for Brad Smith, some even objected to Chad Pennington being on the BOD, how do you think it would go over with Brad Smith as President? I think he'd be good a the business of the university and attract donors, but now sure the wisdom of placing a person void in academics over a university's staff.
How would it be a conflict if he donates to Marshall? College employees are allowed to donate to their school.
WVU’s basic game plan dates back to the college boom that came with the GI Bill following WWII, and will continue long past Gee second departure from WVU and his first to the Starbase Kolob. Get the people of WV to think of WVU as “us” and thus accept that, one, WVU receives the bulk of WV education funding, even though it educates a fraction of WV public HS graduates, in order to fill the school with those the faculty want to be around, which are non-Appalachians. And, two, to make sure that every academic program the state funds is there, no matter the needs of the state. The WVU med school black hole of waste being example one, which that bad decision, the worst in WV’s long history of bad decisions predates Gee by at least 25 years.
Remember Gee once said “I do not care about the health of people in WV, only about the health of the WVU hospital’s finances”
It will continue. The only thing an MU president, or any politician associated with MU, or anybody that cares about MU can do is understand that if the WVU administration is being nice to you, it is because they are plotting how to f*** you over as soon as they can. You can understand that and thus have the edge on them, or you can be naive and get f***ed over more often.
Without looking it up, I bet he has given to some conservative causes too. Most business owners don't give a Sh!t about conservative/liberal politics, they care more about how they are going to get their business agenda pushed which makes them more money. Sometimes you have to give to a candidate or some cause a candidate is behind to do so. Just look at Trumps history, he has been all over the map.
This was the origin of my original question about academic leadership experience. I can't image our highest ranking academics being thrilled to work "for" a guy with millions of dollars but no Phd in his title.
Could we get Smith and Johnson as a packaged deal?... Make him president (let him fund raise, deal with politicians, handle athletic matters, etc) and give her a nice raise and new title that basically means she is over all academics.
Sorry he found out there's more to the world than outdated industries and Camden Park.
I like the idea that you hire a President to handle your biggest issue. And that is and will be $'s. The test is that it is difficult to distinguish among the four academically-backgrounded people because it is not the biggest issue. I am sure they are all likely qualified to lead the faculty and academic sphere. I would hope that rather than asking the candidates questions, I would like to hear what their questions are of the board. I want to hear the candidates' plans for the future. I'd like to hear fresh, new solutions, not answers to questions about what the board thinks should be done.
I didn't realize I was responding to someone with a limited vocabulary or slightly illiterate. Please look up the word complaint. My initial statement aligns with what was said in 1) and 2) and you hastily shot off at the mouth and now state that you agree.
We did learn you don't know what the word complain means and it seems you do give a shit as you go on to discuss his money and ability to donate. It does seems your knowledge of what he can or can't donate to as President is limited as well. He could still donate as he pleases, but to my original point, as President of MU, it would not be a good look making a huge donation to wvu. Now, if he is our President maybe the past actions by him would some how help wvu / MU collaborate to mutually benefit each other and the state. In the past, it seems to me wvu is only interested in benefiting itself.
I'm still chuckling at the thought of our BoG sitting around saying..."well we are going to have to fire the president, he donated to the school or to the foundation that supports the school". good stuff.
I'm not sure the person you are responding to understands basic "conflicts of interest". It seems that what he lacks in knowledge, he makes up for with confidence.
It is in the history of the Medical School, which is no longer in print. Title was something like “with $100 in the bank”. Gee, in his first run at WVU president went to an AMA meeting and asked them to discredit the school, the only time a college president had done so in history.
When asked about this and how it jived with the severe physician shortage in WV, he made the quote.
Remember, if you don’t live in north central WV, WVU is where YOU pay and OTHERS benefit.
High Point's campus is unreal. That place is flowing in money.
I prefer someone with a heavy emphasis on money management and budgets, that would be Smith. Marshall faces some huge challenges going forward, stagnant enrollment, less dollars from the state and mounting costs. The person in charge needs a strong background in finances and money. The faculty and Provost can take of the academic side. Smith can raise the dollars, keep us on track and possibly bring in new donors as well. He knows Marshall, the area and our challenges.
The others may be here 5-6 years and then leave.
Also, what would JJ think of Brad being president?
The others may be here 5-6 years and then leave.
Also, what would JJ think of Brad being president?
Marshall is never going to be considered educationally elite. It would be an unrealistic goal to chase, so getting an entrenched member of the academic establishment that views academic standing as the end all be all shouldn’t be a top priority.
I agree the school should always work to lift its academic profile, but what is really needed is to build enrollment, both on campus and online. That requires effective marketing. Become a great place for your average college kid to go, enjoy the experience, learn some skills, and graduate without a ton of debt. You don’t need somebody with a bunch of PhDs to make that happen. You need someone with experience growing a brand and business.
I agree the school should always work to lift its academic profile, but what is really needed is to build enrollment, both on campus and online. That requires effective marketing. Become a great place for your average college kid to go, enjoy the experience, learn some skills, and graduate without a ton of debt. You don’t need somebody with a bunch of PhDs to make that happen. You need someone with experience growing a brand and business.
The charter for colleges and universities is to educate. They are not designed for or have the structures in place to be run like a business. The only reason some want to increase enrollment is to extract fees from students to fund the Athletic program. We would be better served if the focus was on the quality of education. The university needs to be run by a person with an academic background. If hiring a business man to run school was the model of success everyone would be following the same path. This smells like the same political hack job that ran off a winning coach and an outstanding AD.
I respect your opinion…But I’ve never understood the venom that is directed towards those two.
How so? Why not make a huge impact on your home town and alma mater?
Scuttle is that he told the BOG he wanted the job. Interesting.
A few on hear have said as much.
Do we really know what’s transpired? I seriously doubt it - one way or another.
Wouldn't he have had to submit an application to be a candidate? That at least shows some serious level of interest.
I believe he will take it. He is a real candidate and could be the biggest thing to happen to Marshall since Randy’s impact on the football program. There is interest on his part. Appears like it will happen.
