ISU President Kinzy resigns

[isuquinndog]

Ok we are going to try this again. I'm not going to let rumors run rampant. I'm also not going to allow any "wink wink" posts or "PM me for more info". Talk about facts, how it might affect ISU and athletics, who may be the next President after the interim president term runs out in June 2024.

ISU President Terri Goss Kinzy resigns less than 2 years on the job

Illinois State University President Terri Goss Kinzy has resigned after less than two years on the job. No reason was given for Kinzy’s abrupt resignation.

www.wglt.org

Unanswered questions about Kinzy's exit hover over ISU's Founding Celebration

A former Illinois State University trustee told WGLT on Thursday that former president Terri Goss Kinzy's abrupt resignation was about her fit in the role, not any accusations of wrongdoing.

www.wglt.org

Two quick exits from the ISU presidency, but with different payout sizes

The money for the separation agreement of former Illinois State University president Terri Goss Kinzy invites a comparison to at least one past high-level departure.

www.wglt.org

 

[SgtHulka]

After two recent quick strike outs, maybe we need to revisit the vetting process?

 

[Adunk33]

GREAT reporting by WGLT. Good for them.

 

[isuquinndog]

Yeah, they are really doing a great job with this. I hope they keep it up.

 

[dpdoughbird06]

After two recent quick strike outs, maybe we need to revisit the vetting process?

File under we can always handle it worse:

- Use the firm the Bears used 20 years ago to hire a coach without telling him he’s hired, announce the hire and in doing so piss him off to the point where he rejects the job and forces us to find a Plan B.

- Repeat our own local Dewey def. Truman episode and make a premature early call, feed bad intel, or override solid intel (depending on your confidential source) to the press to obfuscate who we actually hired, like we did during Muller v. Judson.

So many possibilities…

 

[ChiRedbirdfan]

After two recent quick strike outs, maybe we need to revisit the vetting process?

Well stated Hulka. I am not going to comment on any individual ISU Board of Trustee but will share my personal belief that the board composition, as a whole, is (and has been) incredibly underwhelming given the size of ISU and given that it is a national university. This has been that way for quite some time, IMO. In typical state of Illinois governing fashion, several BOT seats are not even filled. Too bad it is a political appointment. I have seen many small non-for-profit boards that were much more impressive than ISU's current or past boards.

 

[Bird Friend]

After two recent quick strike outs, maybe we need to revisit the vetting process?

Same search firm was used . . .

 

[Bdub777]

I will just say: 1. Thanks for taking down the earlier thread, which contained some incredibly irresponsible speculation, rumor and innuendo; and 2. I think you can trust Bob Dobski’s insights. Let’s hope the next President is the ideal person for the job.

 

[DougSutton]

Greatly appreciate you taking down the earlier thread as well. I'm not sure what I missed out on after the last time I checked it although I'm sure it wasn't anything positive and didn't belong on here. The news is surprising for sure. I don't think I ever met President Kinzey in person although from the little that I saw from her, I appreciated her passion for ISU athletics and she seemed like she was liked by those that knew her, including coach Pedon's comments in the press conference after last night's game.

From the article, it appears there are a number of dynamics going on at Illinois State that need to be addressed, including within the Board of Trustees. I don't care to speculate but am interested in how things will unfold going forward. I feel we've been incredibly fortunate to have Presidents like Al Boman, Larry Dietz and what, on the surface I perceived to be in Kinzey who were all supporters of and fans of the athletic department.

 

[DougSutton]

Ok we are going to try this again. I'm not going to let rumors run rampant. I'm also not going to allow any "wink wink" posts or "PM me for more info". Talk about facts, how it might affect ISU and athletics, who may be the next President after the interim president term runs out in June 2024.

ISU President Terri Goss Kinzy resigns less than 2 years on the job

Illinois State University President Terri Goss Kinzy has resigned after less than two years on the job. No reason was given for Kinzy’s abrupt resignation.

www.wglt.org

Unanswered questions about Kinzy's exit hover over ISU's Founding Celebration

A former Illinois State University trustee told WGLT on Thursday that former president Terri Goss Kinzy's abrupt resignation was about her fit in the role, not any accusations of wrongdoing.

www.wglt.org

Two quick exits from the ISU presidency, but with different payout sizes

The money for the separation agreement of former Illinois State University president Terri Goss Kinzy invites a comparison to at least one past high-level departure.

www.wglt.org

These are some very good articles. Massive respect and appreciation for WGLT. These are the types of stories (and just as important, getting immediately on it) that I would have hoped the Pantagraph would cover. Each of these articles are quality content that is clear the writers have made an effort to inform the public to the best of their ability. I'm impressed.

 

[CaliRdBrd]

This can’t be good

 

[dpdoughbird06]

Greatly appreciate you taking down the earlier thread as well. I'm not sure what I missed out on after the last time I checked it although I'm sure it wasn't anything positive and didn't belong on here. The news is surprising for sure. I don't think I ever met President Kinzey in person although from the little that I saw from her, I appreciated her passion for ISU athletics and she seemed like she was liked by those that knew her, including coach Pedon's comments in the press conference after last night's game.

From the article, it appears there are a number of dynamics going on at Illinois State that need to be addressed, including within the Board of Trustees. I don't care to speculate but am interested in how things will unfold going forward. I feel we've been incredibly fortunate to have Presidents like Al Boman, Larry Dietz and what, on the surface I perceived to be in Kinzey who were all supporters of and fans of the athletic department.

I had the good fortune to meet and talk with her and her husband a few times; I enjoyed the conversations.

 

[SlackBooDom]

As it relates to Athletics…

Kinzy pushed the IPF through which was a big win. Questions have come up about the funding there, but it’s being built regardless. She and Brennan are/were close and there was no question she was overly supportive of athletics. Did she have aspirations for realignment? FBS? Were there things on her radar? It would be hard to imagine a President coming in who supports athletics in a way she did. New bosses who didn’t hire you is always a bit touchy. Does this cause Brennan to look around? Brennan hired Pedon - a new AD and you start the whole new boss cycle over. There’s ripples here that certainly could have a lasting effect on the Birds.

 

[RedbirdSoxFan]

As it relates to Athletics…

Kinzy pushed the IPF through which was a big win. Questions have come up about the funding there, but it’s being built regardless. She and Brennan are/were close and there was no question she was overly supportive of athletics. Did she have aspirations for realignment? FBS? Were there things on her radar? It would be hard to imagine a President coming in who supports athletics in a way she did. New bosses who didn’t hire you is always a bit touchy. Does this cause Brennan to look around? Brennan hired Pedon - a new AD and you start the whole new boss cycle over. There’s ripples here that certainly could have a lasting effect on the Birds.

Dang! There goes Kinziger, Pence, and Walker!

 

[DougSutton]

As it relates to Athletics…

Kinzy pushed the IPF through which was a big win. Questions have come up about the funding there, but it’s being built regardless. She and Brennan are/were close and there was no question she was overly supportive of athletics. Did she have aspirations for realignment? FBS? Were there things on her radar? It would be hard to imagine a President coming in who supports athletics in a way she did. New bosses who didn’t hire you is always a bit touchy. Does this cause Brennan to look around? Brennan hired Pedon - a new AD and you start the whole new boss cycle over. There’s ripples here that certainly could have a lasting effect on the Birds.

Very good points. I believe Dietz hired Brennan however he was already on his way to retirement. Kinzy came in about 6 months after Brennan arrived and I understand they had a great working relationship. I appreciated her passion about Illinois State the few times I've seen her speak and Pedon had nice things to say about her (and then chose to not speak further) during the post game press conference after the Murray State game.

Dobski made a reference in his comments about it not being the right fit which based on that comment alone could be about a lot of different things. We may never know what specifically that is however I do know that there are a few contingents at Illinois State that are not aligned. This includes a group that want to see a move to FBS and to put a metaphorical throttle down to accelerate this path forward and another that doesn't prioritize or see the value in this. I have no knowledge if Kinzy or the Board of Trustees were aligned or misaligned on this topic but I also find it interesting how much turnover there has been amongst the Board of Trustees (this could potentially be more alarming than Kinzy leaving) so perhaps there are more ripples that are impacting all of this.

It'll be interesting to see what unfolds. From my perspective, I hope we find a new president that understands the value that a strong and prominent athletic department can have on Illinois State University and he or she is as passionate as Al Bowman, Larry Dietz and Kinzy appeared to be.

 

[dpdoughbird06]

Very good points. I believe Dietz hired Brennan however he was already on his way to retirement. Kinzy came in about 6 months after Brennan arrived and I understand they had a great working relationship. I appreciated her passion about Illinois State the few times I've seen her speak and Pedon had nice things to say about her (and then chose to not speak further) during the post game press conference after the Murray State game.

Dobski made a reference in his comments about it not being the right fit which based on that comment alone could be about a lot of different things. We may never know what specifically that is however I do know that there are a few contingents at Illinois State that are not aligned. This includes a group that want to see a move to FBS and to put a metaphorical throttle down to accelerate this path forward and another that doesn't prioritize or see the value in this. I have no knowledge if Kinzy or the Board of Trustees were aligned or misaligned on this topic but I also find it interesting how much turnover there has been amongst the Board of Trustees (this could potentially be more alarming than Kinzy leaving) so perhaps there are more ripples that are impacting all of this.

It'll be interesting to see what unfolds. From my perspective, I hope we find a new president that understands the value that a strong and prominent athletic department can have on Illinois State University and he or she is as passionate as Al Bowman, Larry Dietz and Kinzy appeared to be.

Am I correct that the Board now only has one local member - whose term technically expired last month? How attuned to the rhythms of campus can a BOT be if most or all members are engaging from afar? Is this typical?

In a now-purple community of 150,000 strong Pritzker could have found a passionate and professional local Redbird of sufficient liberal persuasion. The board barely has enough members to reach a voting quorum, so the timing of ousting the president seems curious while so many vacancies remain.

 

[isuquinndog]

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY NO ONE CAN READ.

It's like my 5 yr old has taken over all your brains. I just said no rumors or "wink wink" type posts. And I just removed like 6 posts DOING EXACTLY THAT. Stop it!

 

[DougSutton]

Am I correct that the Board now only has one local member - whose term technically expired last month? How attuned to the rhythms of campus can a BOT be if most or all members are engaging from afar? Is this typical?

In a now-purple community of 150,000 strong Pritzker could have found a passionate and professional local Redbird of sufficient liberal persuasion. The board barely has enough members to reach a voting quorum, so the timing of ousting the president seems curious while so many vacancies remain.

This is all concerning for Illinois State University and what I personally am passionate about, the Athletic Department.

@dpdoughbird06 I just searched and it looks like there is a BOT meeting today at 1pm. If I was in town, I would absolutely attend!

For our next President, if possible I would prefer someone that's been at Illinois State for a long time, understands the community, is passionate about athletics and understands how a strong athletic department can be one of the biggest catalysts to public awareness and a competitive advantage to attract students. I'd be thrilled with someone like Al Bowman or Larry Dietz.

Here's the link about today's meeting Board of Trustees at Illinois State University

 

[Total Red]

I appreciate the WGLT article that asked the right questions and I appreciate former Board member Bob Dobski giving as much information as he felt he could, but unfortunately his answers were rather vague, and they only lead to more questions. Dobski said that ex-President Kinzy was "not the right fit" and a faculty and staff survey was also mentioned in the article. Ok, why was she not the "right fit" and if a faculty and staff survey was not favorable what issues were raised?

The university's attorney has sought to silence all parties involved. Unfortunately, this has become a common practice for many organizations. When a controversy arises many organizations quickly act to control the flow of information which wouldn't be too bad if it were not for the fact that they try to eliminate the flow of information altogether. The vast majority of the time that is unnecessary and rarely does it ever benefit the general public to be left in the dark.

I think former Chair of the Board William Sulaski said it very well.

“The first thought, and I know it's probably not an easy one, is to get all the information out there,” Sulaski said. “People are going to have their questions, so the quicker the information can get out there, whatever that is ... it helps to calm things down so people aren't drawing their own conclusions. Every time you read one of these headlines and they say we can't discuss … all that does is add more fuel to the fire. And that would be one of the first things, I hope that they can come out with enough information, whoever that is, whether it's the board chair or someone else. Let's get the information out. I know they have to protect the opportunity for people to get another job, but the public needs to get the real scoop.”

I want to trust the actions of the University just like I want to trust the actions of our local police. But we've seen that not all police officers can be trusted so we are requiring things like body cams and more steps may need to be taken. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. I would like to believe that this situation was properly handled but how can anyone know? Board members are not supplying a reason and Dr. Kinzy is not being given a chance to respond. The separation agreement includes a silence clause.

I'm not saying that Illinois State University has a legal obligation to divulge this information. They probably don't. But if they want my support then they need to start being more transparent and they need to start protecting diversity of thought. If those things are not a concern, then fine. I'll find other organizations to support. But based on the comments of William Sulaksi and others I am not alone in the idea that Illinois State University needs to be more forthcoming, open and honest.

Sometimes information comes out despite efforts at containment. When President Flanagan was dismissed after a confrontation with a groundskeeper the incident became public when the Superintendent of Grounds Patrick Murphy filed a complaint against Flanagan with the university police. The whole incident was somewhat embarrassing, but I was pleased that the board stood in support of an employee that was bullied by the University President. Let the story come out. Your actions will be judged but that judgement might be favorable. If you place a gag order on everyone, then you don't appear comfortable with your actions. You might think or hope that the whole thing will go away if you don't talk about it, but a lack of transparency creates a lack of trust and a lack of willingness to participate. Those things can linger.

 

[isuquinndog]

Nice article on now interm president Tarhule.

Faculty voice optimism about Tarhule’s new role as interim president

There’s a lot of confusion and uncertainty surrounding former Illinois State University President Terri Goss Kinzy’s abrupt resignation this week. But several faculty tell WGLT they’re pleased – and even excited – to see Provost Aondover Tarhule take the reins as ISU’s interim leader.

www.wglt.org

My early money is on him becoming the president, if that's what he wants.