Canzano: Football provides education
Michael Schill's tenure at Northwestern is a case study.
Our old friend Michael Schill announced on Thursday that he’ll resign as president at Northwestern University.
Battered by a battle over federal funding, sacked by politics, and grilled on Capitol Hill over his stance on a pro-Palestinian encampment, Schill finally threw in the keys.
The former Oregon president will do some work for the Northwestern Law School. I can’t help but think he’d still be campus president if he hadn’t fumbled a decision related to his football program.
Schill’s resignation came two weeks to the day after the university settled a $130 million lawsuit brought by former head football coach Pat Fitzgerald. Schill suspended Fitzgerald, then fired him in the summer of 2023 after an investigation into NU football uncovered a hazing problem.
“I don’t know much about football,” Schill told me once.