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General Ohio University Discussion/Alumni Events Topic
Topic: TOS to Ohio?
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cbus cat fan
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Posted: 5/13/2021 11:28 AM
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It seems President Nellis wants to return to teaching. Those in the know probably have a handle on this and why? Who and what qualities should the next President possess?
https://www.ohio.edu/news/2021/05/m-duane-nellis-announce...

Ted Thompson
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Posted: 5/13/2021 12:10 PM
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M Duane, we hardly knew ya. WWYWIFE?
The Optimist
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Posted: 5/13/2021 12:13 PM
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Great decision.
shabamon
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Posted: 5/13/2021 12:17 PM
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I see the LOVE has weighed in elsewhere.
rpbobcat
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Posted: 5/13/2021 12:21 PM
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In the email I got from him he says he's a tenured member of the faculty.

Did Nellis teach classes while he was President ?

How can you get tenure that quickly ?

Could someone "in the know" explain how this works ?

maybe O.U. could put a call in to Mc Davis.
mf279801
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Posted: 5/13/2021 12:27 PM
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rpbobcat wrote:expand_more
In the email I got from him he says he's a tenured member of the faculty.

Did Nellis teach classes while he was President ?

How can you get tenure that quickly ?

Could someone "in the know" explain how this works ?

maybe O.U. could put a call in to Mc Davis.
My understanding is that it’s common for presidents, provosts, etc. to be given tenure in their academic area/department when they join the university.
Basing that solely on what i observed/heard from the professor i worked for in 2003-05 when the new provost was given tenure in Biology (i think it was biology, could have been COM)
rpbobcat
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Posted: 5/13/2021 1:01 PM
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According to what I've read,he had 2 years left on his contract.

It seems,from everything that's come out so far,including his own announcement, that this wasn't something anyone saw coming.

So my question is,"why now" ?
SBH
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Posted: 5/13/2021 1:04 PM
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I'm sure he was pushed. Enrollment decline must be reversed.

Given this and the news that Northwestern's AD has resigned, I wouldn't be surprised to see Julie Cromer apply for the job in Evanston.
rpbobcat
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Posted: 5/13/2021 1:14 PM
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I thought everybody at O.U. really liked her and thought she was doing a good job ?
Last Edited: 5/13/2021 1:14:52 PM by rpbobcat
BillyTheCat
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Posted: 5/13/2021 1:18 PM
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rpbobcat wrote:expand_more
I thought everybody at O.U. really liked her and thought she was doing a good job ?
They do, however, you think she fully was explained the mess she was getting into? The actual depths of the problems even before Covid.
rpbobcat
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Posted: 5/13/2021 1:25 PM
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BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
I thought everybody at O.U. really liked her and thought she was doing a good job ?
They do, however, you think she fully was explained the mess she was getting into? The actual depths of the problems even before Covid.
Could you please give bit more detail on you mean by "mess" ?

I thought the athletic department was one of the "bright spots" at O.U. right now.
OUPride
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Posted: 5/13/2021 1:58 PM
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My ideal candidate is someone who combines being an outspoken salesman for the university (McDavis was that) with also being a shrewd political operator who can play well with OSU and the legislature to ensure that Ohio is one of the "winners" when the dust settles on the system a few years from now. Someone with a long game realistic strategic plan and the ability to move back up their talk (McDavis was decidedly not that).
OUPride
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Posted: 5/13/2021 2:00 PM
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rpbobcat wrote:expand_more
I thought everybody at O.U. really liked her and thought she was doing a good job ?
They do, however, you think she fully was explained the mess she was getting into? The actual depths of the problems even before Covid.
Could you please give bit more detail on you mean by "mess" ?

I thought the athletic department was one of the "bright spots" at O.U. right now.
Just because the marquee sports are doing well on the field doesn't mean that all is well. I think it's well understood that she inherited a financial basket case that is only going to get worse given the degree to which it relies on student fees at a university facing an enrollment crisis.
rpbobcat
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Posted: 5/13/2021 2:12 PM
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OUPride wrote:expand_more
My ideal candidate is someone who combines being an outspoken salesman for the university (McDavis was that) with also being a shrewd political operator who can play well with OSU and the legislature to ensure that Ohio is one of the "winners" when the dust settles on the system a few years from now. Someone with a long game realistic strategic plan and the ability to move back up their talk (McDavis was decidedly not that).
I always thought the primary function of the University President was to be
a the outspoken salesman and fundraiser.

I thought the Board of Trustees were more of the "political operators".

I would also think that any "strategic plan" has to be a collaborative endeavor.
I don't know, when it comes to enacting policies, including a "strategic plan" how much authority a university president has or if he/she can merely make recommendations.
Last Edited: 5/13/2021 2:13:14 PM by rpbobcat
SBH
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Posted: 5/13/2021 2:19 PM
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Needs to be a Vern Alden caliber hire. Not Claude Sowle.

I say break the mold and reach outside traditional academia.
Last Edited: 5/13/2021 2:22:29 PM by SBH
OUPride
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Posted: 5/13/2021 2:35 PM
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SBH wrote:expand_more
Needs to be a Vern Alden caliber hire. Not Claude Sowle.

I say break the mold and reach outside traditional academia.
As OCF and I have discussed, Alden made some huge strategic blunders that are plaguing the university to this day. Namely, he sided with Miami's machinations to force OSU into open admissions with the expectation that Ohio and Miami would become selective. The Miami cabal then stabbed him in the back though, and Ohio remained open admissions for almost another three decades. We created historical bad blood with OSU for nothing. They went to selective admissions the minute that the Rhodes appointees to their board slid into the minority in the mid 80s while we remained open admissions for several years (that admittedly is on Ping) after that, and we're still playing catch up.
SBH
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Posted: 5/13/2021 3:00 PM
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Documentation? OCF's recollection can be sketchy/fantastical.
stub
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Posted: 5/13/2021 6:31 PM
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SBH wrote:expand_more
I'm sure he was pushed. Enrollment decline must be reversed.
Trustees met Monday, probably asking for his resignation.
Last Edited: 5/13/2021 6:32:08 PM by stub
Mike Johnson
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Posted: 5/13/2021 10:02 PM
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How likely is it that Ohio will ever have a president who is widely regarded as perfect?

Alden blundered by not anticipating that Miami would stab Ohio in the back. McDavis lacked ability to back up his talk. Ping didn't value sports. How about Glidden?

Perhaps I'm in the minority in thinking that all four of those presidents did well for our alma mater.
Bobcat Love
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Posted: 5/14/2021 7:41 AM
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Mike Johnson wrote:expand_more
How likely is it that Ohio will ever have a president who is widely regarded as perfect?

Alden blundered by not anticipating that Miami would stab Ohio in the back. McDavis lacked ability to back up his talk. Ping didn't value sports. How about Glidden?

Perhaps I'm in the minority in thinking that all four of those presidents did well for our alma mater.
This is a real reach. It's clear - Alden and McDavis are/were highly regarded who helped the University make great strides. Ping and Glidden were not highly regarded, they were seat warmers.

This last clown....I can't even.
Bobcat Love
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Posted: 5/14/2021 7:46 AM
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By the way, the Facebook post from the Ohio Alumni Association has 1 comment posted about Nellis retiring.

I'd argue, the apathy is the most dangerous/powerful/lasting statement about Nellis's tenure. Put bluntly, nobody gives a shit anymore.

The Lesbian Wedding on College Green got eleven billion times the engagement than the firing of Nellis.

I'll say it again, when your Trustees make New Mexico, South Dakota, and Texas Tech your peers during the Presidential Search -> you reap what you sow.

DeWine's merry band of Trustees set this University back 100 years. Really sad.
BillyTheCat
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Posted: 5/14/2021 8:14 AM
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rpbobcat wrote:expand_more
I thought everybody at O.U. really liked her and thought she was doing a good job ?
They do, however, you think she fully was explained the mess she was getting into? The actual depths of the problems even before Covid.
Could you please give bit more detail on you mean by "mess" ?

I thought the athletic department was one of the "bright spots" at O.U. right now.
Mess = the financial status of the University, the budget picture that is/was worse than led on. And the situation is not getting any better any time soon.
Recovering Journalist
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Posted: 5/14/2021 9:15 AM
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Bobcat Love wrote:expand_more
By the way, the Facebook post from the Ohio Alumni Association has 1 comment posted about Nellis retiring.

I'd argue, the apathy is the most dangerous/powerful/lasting statement about Nellis's tenure. Put bluntly, nobody gives a shit anymore.

The Lesbian Wedding on College Green got eleven billion times the engagement than the firing of Nellis.

I'll say it again, when your Trustees make New Mexico, South Dakota, and Texas Tech your peers during the Presidential Search -> you reap what you sow.

DeWine's merry band of Trustees set this University back 100 years. Really sad.
This seems at tad harsh, but overall I agree. I get that we may not be competing with the Ivies or even the B1G for presidents, but grabbing someone clearly on the tail-end of their career was a bad call that has not served the university well. We need someone with a proven ability to raise funds, expectations and standards while navigating a rapidly changing higher ed landscape. It's a hard job and not one for someone in the twilight of their career.
The Optimist
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Posted: 5/14/2021 3:59 PM
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Bobcat Love wrote:expand_more
DeWine's merry band of Trustees set this University back 100 years. Really sad.
DeWine is garbage.

This just goes to show, you can’t trust Miami grads.
OUPride
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Posted: 5/15/2021 1:00 PM
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I don't know much about the current board composition, but I hardly think that Dewine has appointed much of the board since he's only been in office for a little over two years.

What I can tell about the board is that it is very incestuous in that almost all the members are Ohio alums. That kind of insularity can breed complacency. I'd like to see a mix of Ohio alums and prominent alums of other schools.
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