Canzano: Pac-12 CEO Group about to get a new voting member
Plus... a special sports event coming soon.
The Pac-12 CEO Group is comprised of the conference’s three chancellors and nine university presidents. The group shapes policy and makes foundational decisions for the Pac-12.
The CEO Group held the keys when the conference decided to halt the football season amid the pandemic, then restart it. It also identified and hired Commissioner George Kliavkoff. And it will hold ultimate approval on what to do when it comes to the Pac-12’s media rights.
Coaches do the coaching. Athletic directors steer the respective athletic departments. But the CEO Group is the governing body of the conference and there are only 12 votes in the room, one for each conference member.
Oregon State is a couple of days away from appointing the newest member of the Pac-12 CEO Group. OSU will name its next president on Tuesday, per a source. That individual will join the 11 other voting members.
The finalists:
Jayathi Murthy, dean of Engineering and Applied Science at UCLA.
Charles R. Martinez, Jr., dean of the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin.
Update:
I don’t have a dog in this fight. But I can tell you this is a critical decision for both OSU and the Pac-12. The conference needs another smart, committed, engaged voice in the room. And students and faculty on campus in Corvallis need a sound, smart, stable leader.
Oregon State’s trustees botched the last president hire by failing to do basic diligence. A couple of key telephone calls and a Google search would have alerted them that F. King Alexander was fleeing LSU amid cries for his job.
He was the campus leader in Baton Rouge when the university lost its way and put college football success in front of campus safety. A third-party investigation later found that LSU’s handling of allegations of rape, sex abuse, and violence against women during Alexander’s seven-year term were part of a “systemic failure.”
Oregon State hired that guy.
It was an F. King disaster.
The engineering folks on campus in Corvallis are pulling for Murthy. The education people would love to see Martinez get the job. I’m just glad the trustees conducted the this search with more transparency and depth than it did the last time.
According to OSU, “The search process included community feedback opportunities on each finalist candidate and thorough background checks and due diligence on each finalist.”
I don’t think the next president needs to have a rich sports background or be a die-hard fan. Oregon president Michael Schill is the chair of the CEO Group. He was the dean of the University of Chicago Law School when he was hired by UO. He’s confessed on a number of occasions that he became a bigger sports fan after getting the job, in part, because he knew he had to learn it.
One thing is certain — OSU has to get this hire right. Whoever gets the job on Tuesday needs to advocate for Oregon State while also making sound decisions on behalf of the conference. It’s a big hire.
WORLDS OF SPORT: The inaugural Worlds of Sport event is going to be held in less than two weeks (June 18-19) at the Oregon Convention Center. You’ve heard me talk about it on the radio show and I’ve posted here about it a few times. It’s going to be a special event featuring the biggest sports brands, athletes, and fans.
Kick a field goal?
Make a basket, putt or run through an obstacle course?
Play a freshly released video game?
Hear panel discussions featuring Pac-12 Conference athletes?
Worlds of Sports is sort of like Disneyland for a sports fan. It includes memorabilia, product releases, and some special VIP appearances. It also benefits local charities and I’m stoked about seeing sports celebrated in 90,000-square feet of space that would otherwise be empty on Father’s Day weekend.
Brian Kappel, the creative director of the College Football Playoff, has designed an amazing sports experience. He talked with me about it in an interview recently here:
Sports entities such as the Trail Blazers, Timbers, Thorns, Winterhawks, Hops, Oregon, Oregon State and others will be on display. And sponsors such as Columbia, Dutch Bros., Portland Gear, Toyota and more will all be there to celebrate you — the sports fan. The event is worth your attention. I’d like to see more of this kind of stuff in the Pacific Northwest.
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an “F-King” disaster 😂 Crafty JC !!
I'm sure whomever OSU hires will be the right one. I remain flabbergasted at the F.KA. fiasco. How is that even possible?