ISU's new President and athletics

[fdbird83]

I had seen on the SIU board reports that the new Chancellor is gutting the Athletic Dept. He has cut 3 million this year with more cuts coming for the next year.
I read the story on our new President in the Alumni magazine but didn't see anything on her take on the importance to athletics to the University. I was wondering if anyone has heard her feelings.

 

[Total Red]

I've only had a brief meeting with her but I think we're in a really good place with President Kinzy and AD Brennan. I also liked what I read in this Pantagraph article from 9/4, particularly the last two paragraphs.

Kinzy settling into president's role at Illinois State University

Illinois State University’s new president had two major requirements from any potential new job she was applying to a year ago: it had to be in the Midwest and it

pantagraph.com

We have leadership that people will want to get behind.

 

[SgtHulka]

I've only had a brief meeting with her but I think we're in a really good place with President Kinzy and AD Brennan. I also liked what I read in this Pantagraph article from 9/4, particularly the last two paragraphs.

Kinzy settling into president's role at Illinois State University

Illinois State University’s new president had two major requirements from any potential new job she was applying to a year ago: it had to be in the Midwest and it

pantagraph.com

We have leadership that people will want to get behind.

Will take time to see if this is positive or not, but at this point we look to have good folks at the top. Hoping they make good choices

 

[Total Red]

Will take time to see if this is positive or not, but at this point we look to have good folks at the top. Hoping they make good choices

The article shows she has a picture of Hancock Stadium in her office. That's a good choice.

 

[Bird Friend]

My understanding is that she loves sports, so take that for what it's worth.

 

[TBS_20]

I think some colleges that have lost half their enrollment are more focused on surviving and not athletics. Nowadays, you really don't need college unless you're going for a doctorate in something. Everything else can be taught much quicker or even for free in most cases on YouTube. I went to a 1 year vocational school while others went to a 4-year college and I make exactly the same. 2/3 years of college are absolutely pointless. Unless you want some high degree why would you even go to college to be in debt $50,000-$150,000.

 

[Total Red]

Everything else can be taught much quicker or even for free in most cases on YouTube.

My apologies in advance because I'm going to take this even further off topic but I think you bring up an important issue.

I graduated from Illinois State in '81 with a liberal arts degree. On the surface it would appear that I didn't use it and didn't need it. I spent the bulk of my career in a sales/service position where I was responsible for managing my own territory. At one point that territory stretched from Cleveland to Bentonville, Ark. Obviously I was dealing with a lot of different people. At Illinois State I was an introverted sports geek. Not much has changed. But I did gain exposure to students and faculty from Chicago, from downstate, and from foreign countries. I performed class assignments with people of different races, different religions and different ways of thinking. I was shocked to learn that some students never went to basketball or football games. All of that interaction became crucial to me surviving in my chosen career. One of my most critical accounts was a large closed door pharmacy in Indianapolis. My contact was a Nigerian man who spoke English with a thick accent. We started slowly as I had difficulty understanding him, but it got easier over time and I learned to laugh when he laughed and I learned to be serious when he was serious. I earned his trust and his business.

So live in-person classes and interactions with people that would go on to be professionals with college degrees meant everything to me. You might say that I had a traveling sales job so that was different. But sooner or later everybody needs social skills. Even if you're a computer programmer in a cubicle by yourself you still have to get along with a supervisor and co-workers. You have to come to an understanding on work assignments and deadlines etc. A lack of social skills can be disruptive to any career.

That's why I liked the last two paragraphs of that Pantagraph article. We spend too much time already on phones, laptops and TV's. We can pick our own news and we can simply reinforce existing belief systems. We need to talk to people with different backgrounds that think differently than we do. We need to try to understand why they think the way the do and we need the opportunity to express our own beliefs. We need safe places to do this free from violence and vandalism. We need students to be in classes with other students that are taught live and in-person. I'm not sure we'll survive without it.

 

[SgtHulka]

Well stated TR. I had never considered that aspect, but you're spot on.

 

[TIMMY]

My apologies in advance because I'm going to take this even further off topic but I think you bring up an important issue.

I graduated from Illinois State in '81 with a liberal arts degree. On the surface it would appear that I didn't use it and didn't need it. I spent the bulk of my career in a sales/service position where I was responsible for managing my own territory. At one point that territory stretched from Cleveland to Bentonville, Ark. Obviously I was dealing with a lot of different people. At Illinois State I was an introverted sports geek. Not much has changed. But I did gain exposure to students and faculty from Chicago, from downstate, and from foreign countries. I performed class assignments with people of different races, different religions and different ways of thinking. I was shocked to learn that some students never went to basketball or football games. All of that interaction became crucial to me surviving in my chosen career. One of my most critical accounts was a large closed door pharmacy in Indianapolis. My contact was a Nigerian man who spoke English with a thick accent. We started slowly as I had difficulty understanding him, but it got easier over time and I learned to laugh when he laughed and I learned to be serious when he was serious. I earned his trust and his business.

So live in-person classes and interactions with people that would go on to be professionals with college degrees meant everything to me. You might say that I had a traveling sales job so that was different. But sooner or later everybody needs social skills. Even if you're a computer programmer in a cubicle by yourself you still have to get along with a supervisor and co-workers. You have to come to an understanding on work assignments and deadlines etc. A lack of social skills can be disruptive to any career.

That's why I liked the last two paragraphs of that Pantagraph article. We spend too much time already on phones, laptops and TV's. We can pick our own news and we can simply reinforce existing belief systems. We need to talk to people with different backgrounds that think differently than we do. We need to try to understand why they think the way the do and we need the opportunity to express our own beliefs. We need safe places to do this free from violence and vandalism. We need students to be in classes with other students that are taught live and in-person. I'm not sure we'll survive without it.

You sure didn't miss comp and rhet 101 did you?