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Barry Shiller's avatar

The lede: “I (Schulz) had somebody on my staff who said, ‘Hey, Kirk, don't you dare put Anne in let her do all the tough work, and then go hire somebody from the outside that comes in after somebody’s made the really hard decisions.’ And I thought that was just a really good piece of advice.”

I worked for/with nine presidents and several others (Provosts, etc) who later became presidents. Only a few a) were secure enough to truly welcome critical input or advice b) admitted that others’ input informed their decisions c) appreciated the strategic importance of wading into and keeping an eye on athletics.

Schulz appears to be all three. And whatever animus exists (and no president worth their salt is without some) in Cougar Nation, be careful what you wish for. This guy appears to be someone I would have loved to work for.

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Mike's avatar

I worked in academia for 9 years on the administrative support side, specifically introducing technology and distance learning into the curriculum. It was so often a frustrating experience in dealing with the faculty, department chairs, etc who wanted nothing to do with it, despite the fact that embracing it was crucial for enrollment.

It seems like a field that generally attracts people who are very set in their ways and not open to other points of view or learning new things (ironic, isn't it?). But like anywhere else there was the occasional rare bird who, relative to the others, would be a joy to work with and made it a worthwhile endeavor.

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Barry Shiller's avatar

No one with higher Ed experience would call it “entrepreneurial.” 😊

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Ed Hill's avatar

Thank you for sharing this.

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