Canzano: Oregon State President Jayathi Murthy talks Pac-12 rebuild, firing (and hiring) a football coach, her vision, Nvidia, and more
Exclusive: A sit-down with Jayathi Murthy.
Oregon State President Jayathi Murthy has been on the job for three years. She sat down with me on Saturday for a 1-on-1 interview in her suite at Reser Stadium.
Watch the full video of our interview on YouTube.
We talked about the Pac-12 Conference rebuild, her expectations for OSU’s football program, the midseason firing of coach Trent Bray, her confidence in Athletic Director Scott Barnes, Nvidia, and more.
Some highlights…
Murthy on the importance of athletics at Oregon State:
“The thing that our fans should know is that I’ve always understood athletics to be deeply, deeply important to OSU’s identity. There can be no doubt about that. The way our students engage with OSU, the way our parents generally engage, is through athletics. It’s where the excitement lies. It’s where the connection lies… I never forget that.”
On how Trent Bray’s firing unfolded in her world:
“Scott Barnes and I always talk about these decisions. I was absolutely part of that decision. I just want to say how much gratitude I have for Trent Bray. You remember when he came in, it was desperate times. The Pac-12 had just melted down, our previous coach (Jonathan Smith) had left, we did not have a media contract, the transfer portal was opening up, it was just a desperate situation. He came in, and helped us out. There’s enormous amounts of gratitude for what he did. But for where we’re headed now — we’ve got the new Pac-12 being built — there’s a larger leadership and vision role that you have to have because the opportunity is so big. So it’s not really about wins and losses, of course, we hate to lose, but there’s a larger mission in front of us now. It’s important. We had to make a change… we had to get set up and get going.”
Murthy on whether Oregon State could involve Jensen Huang and Nvidia in their football coaching hire:
“Jensen is the CEO of a $5 trillion company — $5 trillion. Think about that. It’s probably the most valuable company in the world. He has the tiger by the tail. This is a fast-moving world and lots and lots of competition. I don’t know that football is the highest thing on his mind, but I will tell you that OSU is very dear to him. I don’t know that I’d involve him in this kind of detail. I think that’s really our job and we ought to do our job right.”
Could OSU become a leader in artificial intelligence when it comes to athletics?
“I think there’s absolutely a role for AI in athletics. People are already working on these things. Athletic data has a lot of rich information. Certainly, we’re entering an era where college and professional athletics already have a lot of AI in them… we’re plotting and planning every day.”
On the relationship (growing rivalry?) between OSU and Washington State:
“We absolutely don’t hate each other. I had a really good relationship with the prior president, Kirk Schulz, and Betsy Cantwell is a mechanical engineer like me, so we’ve known each other for years. So we think in very similar ways about our institutions. We’ve been having really good conversations about how important land-grant (universities) are. They’re a land grant. There’s a natural affinity for our mission, and that’s essential.”
On the new-world Pac-12 members:
“I think what’s great about the current situation is that we really do have a slate of schools that are very similar and similar-minded. Everyone is really hopeful and excited about the future. We’re doing something that nobody’s done. I mean, look at this whole thing that we did. And so their part of that ideation and the future. We’re starting with a blank slate, it’s very different than anything anybody ever had… there’s all of that plotting and planning. I love those meetings.”
On Pac-12 expansion possibilities:
“First of all, I think it’s really important for us to finish the thing that we started doing. Alright, so we’ve got our schools in place. We’ve met the NCAA requirements, so that’s a huge relief. The building up of the Pac-12 to address the needs of the entire set of schools we now have is not a small task… the staffing went from 150 to 30, and now we’ve got to build it back up to service all of these schools.
“(Pac-12 Commissioner) Teresa (Gould) and all of us are determined to be creative. We’re going to be one of the top-five conferences. What that means is that we’ve got to have resources to do that. That’s not just media rights, but all of these new business opportunities that we’re all looking at, Pac-12 Enterprises and so on, and it’s going to take this year to do that. It’s not easy to do. Expansion is always on our mind. We’re always looking for like-minded partners, but we’ve got to finish the meal that we’ve bitten off.”
What it felt like to get to the NCAA minimum of eight all-sports members:
“Sheer relief. Actually, incredulity and relief. Who thought this was possible, right? When we first started talking about it seemed like a strange thing to be taking on. But it worked. We pulled it off. We are safe now, and now we can think about the way forward.”
On whether ongoing litigation with the Mountain West plays a role in the next pieces of the Pac-12 media rights announcements being slow to announce:
“It’s actually going really well. I can’t say a lot in detail. There aren’t any issues with it at all. Everything I’m hearing is very positive. It has nothing to do with litigation, nothing at all.”
On fan frustration with Athletic Director Scott Barnes:
“We hate to lose. I hate to lose at anything. I hate to lose at Tic-tac-toe, let alone football, so we’re all very competitive. Losing doesn’t feel good. It doesn’t feel good to him. It doesn’t feel good to me. But when I think about Scott and Scott’s role, I don’t know if there’s anybody else who could have done what he’s done these last couple of years. What I’m looking for is really the long haul. It’s fine. We’ve got a season. We’re in an enormous transition. We’ll figure this out. The real focus is the long haul… he’s the right guy, for the right moment.”
On where the president of Oregon State comes into the football hire:
“I will absolutely be consulted. I don’t insert myself into the search process. That’s too much detail, and it’s a level of knowledge I wouldn’t have that Scott (Barnes) would have. He’s well set up. He’s got a great committee and a great search firm. They know exactly what they want. At some point in the process, where it’s suitable, I’ll definitely be called. But I depend on Scott. Scott knows what he’s doing.”
On her support for Barnes:
“100 percent, I absolutely have his back. He has had my back for three years. I don’t know if people don’t understand that.”
On what she and her husband, Sanjay, who is an aerospace engineer, talk about at dinner:
“We’re probably thinking about who cooked dinner, and didn’t do it right, and who’s going to do the clean-up.”
On whether the expectation for OSU and WSU is to play at the top of the new-world Pac-12 Conference:
“Absolutely. We have to be at the top of the conference. We’re all throwing very significant resources into the programs. That’s exactly right.”
She talked about much more in our 25-minute interview.
Watch the full video of the interview on YouTube:
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Barnes was crucial in rebuilding the PAC and without him we would be in a much darker lace. We should thank him for his dedication and hard work.
With that said, the new PAC point is to get back to the Power level, and to do that requires a nimble AD with a pulse on the current NIL market, but also marketing. Barnes is not forward thinking, he is reactive and always too slow in the reaction.
Its not an insult, its not disrespect, every one of us has a date we need to step down from our role, and Barnes is at that point, if he truly wants what is best of the Oregon State is to pass the baton off to the next AD.
This may be selfish, but if President Murthy wants to leave a lasting legacy at OSU and endear herself to Beaver Nation, she needs to get Jensen & NVIDIA on board with Beaver football in every capacity possible. Enrollment, academics and the new AI center at OSU are gonna happen with or without her, those aren't legacy moves. She has one job here: make Jensen Huang the Phil Knight of Oregon State. lolz