Now that the Post Standard has published their story

[dasher]

I do admire your drive to make something happen. That said, hard to successfully cash in two piles of personal/political chips by not knowing AW or the Chancellor and relying on a BOT member to cash in a bit of her's.

Sounds harsh, but giving you credit for making you leap despite the situation.

How much of political chips is making a call telling the Chancellor who I am. As I said, just a few years before, I cashed in a lot of chips in helping her.

 

[RedtheGOB]

I would also love to meet you. And I agree that this was not handled properly at all. As someone said above, the way this university and other educational institutions handle things leaves a lot to be desired. Many know that I ran 2 alumni clubs and served 2 terms as a Director of the National Alumni Board. I saw a lot that was not right and handled poorly.

It’s a crazy world we live in but it’s reality right now. People on old school message boards more willing to meet in person than if they connected on garbage like Facebook or Twitter or Instagram.

Just reading some of the crap posted on what social media and I’m not sure if I’m just seeing bots or trolls or people that are so clueless they have no idea but just want to see things burn.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

dasher my syracusefan name is for sale

I’ll give you a buck for it.

 

[MadNY3]

How much of political chips is making a call telling the Chancellor who I am. As I said, just a few years before, I cashed in a lot of chips in helping her.

...but you not knowing AW, I don't blame the person for not pushing the Chancellor. "It would be great for everyone" is well intentioned, but...

 

[Sherman20]

I feel it is time for me to share my experience with this story. Loving Syracuse the way
I do, the way we all do, I thought I was in a unique position to maybe broker a peace
deal between the parties. I have known one of the Trustees well for over 30 years.
Plus, I had access to a couple of others. It was my intention to have them introduce me
to the Chancellor and for me to get the Chancellor and Adaw W together for a lunch.
Let's see if we can come up with a solution that both sides could live with. At this
point, I had never spoken with either the Chancellor or Adam W.
The first thing I did was call Adam W. After a couple of misses, we finally spoke.
I found Adam to be charming and more than willing to this potential meeting.
He said he just needed a bit of notice. For me, I thought one half of my plan had
been accomplished. Next, I contacted a BOT member that have known extremely well
for 32 years. The response couldn't have been colder. The message was that she would
pass my request through official channels to the Chancellors office. Keep in mind,
this is a person I had done a very big favor for with the University just a few years ago.
I explained that I needed more than that. I needed a phone call to the Chancellor. The
request was refused. I contacted two other BOT members and got even less of a
response. One saying that Kent will never meet with Adam. Well, I have had to fight
for everything I have ever got in my life so I wasn't going to just take a couple
of no's and quit. So I wrote the nicest letter to the Chancellor. Very complimentary
and respectful. I explained who I was and all I wanted was a lunch meeting. My treat.
The Chancellor never responded. I waited a few days and sent another message.
I provided the Post Standard with these messages. Once again, the Chancellor
never responded. No, thanks but no thanks. No go to hell. I guess he left his
manners back in D.C.. As i told the Post Standard, the message was clear.

I get that Kent and the Syracuse BOT are ultimately running an academic institution, and that’s what matters most. But sports have become an increasingly vital component of universities’ identities and value. If they want to compete in the current environment for the best students and boost their schools’ academic standings, successful athletic departments are pivotal. I don’t know if Kent is the dynamic leader needed to guide Syracuse anymore. It seems pretty apparent he’s thin skinned and short sighted. And it’s not like he goosed the university’s academic ratings. If anything they’ve fallen.

 

[Irt4su]

I think you should still go out to lunch w AW!

 

[dasher]

...but you not knowing AW, I don't blame the person for not pushing the Chancellor. "It would be great for everyone" is well intentioned, but...

But she didn't know that. And you don't know our history, do you? You don't know what I have done for her. But she does. And at no time did I ask her to "push" the Chancellor. I asked for an introduction. You see, she knows me. And she knows what type of person I am.

 

[chuck]

I feel it is time for me to share my experience with this story. Loving Syracuse the way
I do, the way we all do, I thought I was in a unique position to maybe broker a peace
deal between the parties. I have known one of the Trustees well for over 30 years.
Plus, I had access to a couple of others. It was my intention to have them introduce me
to the Chancellor and for me to get the Chancellor and Adaw W together for a lunch.
Let's see if we can come up with a solution that both sides could live with. At this
point, I had never spoken with either the Chancellor or Adam W.
The first thing I did was call Adam W. After a couple of misses, we finally spoke.
I found Adam to be charming and more than willing to this potential meeting.
He said he just needed a bit of notice. For me, I thought one half of my plan had
been accomplished. Next, I contacted a BOT member that have known extremely well
for 32 years. The response couldn't have been colder. The message was that she would
pass my request through official channels to the Chancellors office. Keep in mind,
this is a person I had done a very big favor for with the University just a few years ago.
I explained that I needed more than that. I needed a phone call to the Chancellor. The
request was refused. I contacted two other BOT members and got even less of a
response. One saying that Kent will never meet with Adam. Well, I have had to fight
for everything I have ever got in my life so I wasn't going to just take a couple
of no's and quit. So I wrote the nicest letter to the Chancellor. Very complimentary
and respectful. I explained who I was and all I wanted was a lunch meeting. My treat.
The Chancellor never responded. I waited a few days and sent another message.
I provided the Post Standard with these messages. Once again, the Chancellor
never responded. No, thanks but no thanks. No go to hell. I guess he left his
manners back in D.C.. As i told the Post Standard, the message was clear.

Typical smug politics from the higher ups at the university. Not surprising one bit. Unfortunately they have a control on what narrative gets printed for the most part.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I was stunned. And it takes a lot to do that to me. I must admit, I reminded them of what I did for them in the context that they said you have to go through proper protocols. I reminded her, I didn't go through proper protocols when you asked me for help a few years ago. I wish I had thought to do that then.

Oof.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Well I believe SU’s academic ranking has declined every year he’s been there.

To be fair, under Nancy, too.

 

[Cusefan95]

I was stunned. And it takes a lot to do that to me. I must admit, I reminded them of what I did for them in the context that they said you have to go through proper protocols. I reminded her, I didn't go through proper protocols when you asked me for help a few years ago. I wish I had thought to do that then.

I think you learned something about the character of the person you helped a few years ago, and it doesn’t reflect well on her.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Higher ed, man.

I've worked in it for 13 years at a few different institutions, and this how a lot of these situations go down. Higher ed administration is a weird, weird subculture.

The culture is trash on the Hill. A mix of arrogance and ineptitude.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I think you learned something about the character of the person you helped a few years ago, and it doesn’t reflect well on her.

Well, if it's who we might think, she has done an enormous amount of good things for this online community, for many of us personally, and is a genuinely nice person.

That said, at a certain point, when you become an "emeritus" kind of person in that community, you just don't want the drama. I can see how that could be the case. Who wants to become "controversial" at this point in time?

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I’ll give you a buck for it.

I'll give you two of SUFaninNJ's bucks for it.

 

[Willy75]

To be fair, under Nancy, too.

Dropped from 56 to 58 over her tenure; now 73.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Dropped from 56 to 58 over her tenure; now 73.

You sure it wasn't more than that?

She got hammered for giving scholarships to inner city students.

That had to bring down their exclusivity, which counts for too much in the rankings.

 

[FloridaCuse]

You sure it wasn't more than that?

She got hammered for giving scholarships to inner city students.

That had to bring down their exclusivity, which counts for too much in the rankings.

We also lost our membership in the AAU (and the possibility to the B1G) under Nancy.

 

[dasher]

I think you learned something about the character of the person you helped a few years ago, and it doesn’t reflect well on her.

For sure.

 

[dasher]

Well, if it's who we might think, she has done an enormous amount of good things for this online community, for many of us personally, and is a genuinely nice person.

That said, at a certain point, when you become an "emeritus" kind of person in that community, you just don't want the drama. I can see how that could be the case. Who wants to become "controversial" at this point in time?

No It is not Joyce. . I didn't ask her. And I feel badly that anyone here might have thought I was referring to her for one second.

 

[GoSU96]

I happen to know the Chancellor fairly well. I actually represented him in a past swearing in of the President of University of Arizona. I have had breakfast with him and his wife when they were her in town, and I was his guest at the 2016 Women's basketball first round NCAA game at the Dome. I also sat with him at the recent bowl game parade. I am going to say that 100% he never saw your email. In each of the above instances a "handler" made the plans. Even when the chancellor and his wife were running late for breakfast, I only heard from that contact person and never directly from the Chancellor. He told me he is directed by others as to whom to meet with and he doesn't get to make those decisions very often. He also may have been directed not to respond to any of this story. Whether or not he is a good Chancellor or what you think of him, I can say as a person he is upstanding and have enjoyed knowing him on a personal level.

Thanks for trying Dasher, and I do think someone could have sent you some sort of "polite" response.

Good lord, he’s in charge of a middling private university. That level,of isolation is ridiculous.

 

[Cusefan0307]

You sure it wasn't more than that?

She got hammered for giving scholarships to inner city students.

That had to bring down their exclusivity, which counts for too much in the rankings.

He’s right. This was discussed on the football board a few months ago. The ranking has dropped more under Kent.

 

[50YRsofCuse]

I was stunned. And it takes a lot to do that to me. I must admit, I reminded them of what I did for them in the context that they said you have to go through proper protocols. I reminded her, I didn't go through proper protocols when you asked me for help a few years ago. I wish I had thought to do that then.

This statement I am about to make should not be taken as an explanation for the poor response from the Chancellor’s office.

Sometimes, Dash It is not what favors you have done for the University, it is what have you done for them lately.

Sorry that you had to find out about their level of appreciation for you through their lack of respect.

 

[Newhouser]

SU's response - or lack thereof - to Dasher is higher ed in a nutshell. They are the next NCAA - a train is barreling towards them and they are oblivious. People are moving on from getting a quarter of a million dollars in debt from schools that have no clue how the real world operates.

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

I feel it is time for me to share my experience with this story. Loving Syracuse the way
I do, the way we all do, I thought I was in a unique position to maybe broker a peace
deal between the parties. I have known one of the Trustees well for over 30 years.
Plus, I had access to a couple of others. It was my intention to have them introduce me
to the Chancellor and for me to get the Chancellor and Adaw W together for a lunch.
Let's see if we can come up with a solution that both sides could live with. At this
point, I had never spoken with either the Chancellor or Adam W.
The first thing I did was call Adam W. After a couple of misses, we finally spoke.
I found Adam to be charming and more than willing to this potential meeting.
He said he just needed a bit of notice. For me, I thought one half of my plan had
been accomplished. Next, I contacted a BOT member that have known extremely well
for 32 years. The response couldn't have been colder. The message was that she would
pass my request through official channels to the Chancellors office. Keep in mind,
this is a person I had done a very big favor for with the University just a few years ago.
I explained that I needed more than that. I needed a phone call to the Chancellor. The
request was refused. I contacted two other BOT members and got even less of a
response. One saying that Kent will never meet with Adam. Well, I have had to fight
for everything I have ever got in my life so I wasn't going to just take a couple
of no's and quit. So I wrote the nicest letter to the Chancellor. Very complimentary
and respectful. I explained who I was and all I wanted was a lunch meeting. My treat.
The Chancellor never responded. I waited a few days and sent another message.
I provided the Post Standard with these messages. Once again, the Chancellor
never responded. No, thanks but no thanks. No go to hell. I guess he left his
manners back in D.C.. As i told the Post Standard, the message was clear.

Beuracrats are the worst

 

[Cusefan95]

Good lord, he’s in charge of a middling private university. That level,of isolation is ridiculous.

I worked for a company where the administrative assistant of the CEO would read all the email and meeting requests he got, print out the “important” ones (yes, print…) for him to read and set his calendar. He was so isolated that the company was essentially being run by a middle aged woman with an associates degree. Unshockingly, the level of dysfunction in the entire organization was enormous; working there felt like being trapped unwillingly in a Benny Hill skit.

Every once in a while I feel like I get more insight into why Syracuse University appears so dysfunctional…this is one of those times.