SU Human Resource Complaint Towards Heather Lyke

[Fly Rodder]

Does anyone have an idea when AD will be announced?

Supposedly by Monday or Tuesday.

 

[kingtidge]

Why would the University hire Lykes with her history to begin with? I never could understand it and at one time wondered if she was even working here because we never heard another thing about her until now.

She has a reputation as an abrasive, overbearing, and over-reaching exec (regardless of her other financial and bad management shortcomings)... and it would appear Kent wanted an attack dog to turn the screws on Wildhack and the Athletics Department, since he obviously had issues with how the department was being run and figured he could silver platter her for the AD position when Wildhack was out.

Terrible hire any way you slice it and a terrible approach in dealing with an Athletics Department you did not se eye to eye with...

I think her hiring and this episode says as much (if not more) about Kent, TBH...

 

[richmondcuse03]

Supposedly by Monday or Tuesday.

that's my understanding as well. early next week most likely.

 

[LpoolNative]

that's my understanding as well. early next week most likely.

Exciting times

 

[Newhouser]

Brandon should not be in consideration either.

 

[kingtidge]

Brandon should not be in consideration either.

Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone...

 

[Cusefan95]

She has a reputation as an abrasive, overbearing, and over-reaching exec (regardless of her other financial and bad management shortcomings)... and it would appear Kent wanted an attack dog to turn the screws on Wildhack and the Athletics Department, since he obviously had issues with how the department was being run and figured he could silver platter her for the AD position when Wildhack was out.

Terrible hire any way you slice it and a terrible approach in dealing with an Athletics Department you did not se eye to eye with...

I think her hiring and this episode says as much (if not more) about Kent, TBH...

I’d like to hear one of the Kent defenders who say he was highly committed to athletics defend why she was hired in the first place. I can’t see any way this was going to end in a positive manner…it just appears to have been a mind-bogglingly bad decision.

 

[Millhouse]

I’d like to hear one of the Kent defenders who say he was highly committed to athletics defend why she was hired in the first place. I can’t see any way this was going to end in a positive manner…it just appears to have been a mind-bogglingly bad decision.

checking boxes

 

[hoopsupstate]

I’d like to hear one of the Kent defenders who say he was highly committed to athletics defend why she was hired in the first place. I can’t see any way this was going to end in a positive manner…it just appears to have been a mind-bogglingly bad decision.

Her salary could pay for an additional 20 support staff on athletic teams. What a waste.

 

[007]

I’d like to hear one of the Kent defenders who say he was highly committed to athletics defend why she was hired in the first place. I can’t see any way this was going to end in a positive manner…it just appears to have been a mind-bogglingly bad decision.

Not a "Kent defender," or the decision to hire Lyke, but you might want to Google Syverud's role in "College Sports Tomorrow" and the "College Student Football League" to get a better handle on his commitment to trying to save college athletics from themselves.

 

[im4cuse]

Not a "Kent defender," or the decision to hire Lyke, but you might want to Google Syverud's role in "College Sports Tomorrow" and the "College Student Football League" to get a better handle on his commitment to trying to save college athletics from themselves.

Sure but she’s utterly unfit given how she broke the bank at Pitt and made disastrous hires.
Academic politics are the worst. She had a well placed angel in the chancellor’s office and they conspired to rehab her failed career at JHs expense. Said angel needs to be shown the door as Haynie’s first act.

 

[Cusefan69]

So Candace Jackson brought in Lyke to help resuscitate Lykes career (because they were friends from law school)knowing it would undermine Wildhack and then she influenced the outcome of the complaint submitted by people in the AD? Is that the gist of it?

 

[Cheriehoop]

Not a "Kent defender," or the decision to hire Lyke, but you might want to Google Syverud's role in "College Sports Tomorrow" and the "College Student Football League" to get a better handle on his commitment to trying to save college athletics from themselves.

Wonder if it will benefit all sports conferences equally or will he side with the Big 10/SEC at the expense of the ACC and other conferences? Yikes I don’t like being so cynical.

 

[Toga]

So Candace Jackson brought in Lyke to help resuscitate Lykes career (because they were friends from law school)knowing it would undermine Wildhack and then she influenced the outcome of the complaint submitted by people in the AD? Is that the gist of it?

 

[007]

Wonder if it will benefit all sports conferences equally or will he side with the Big 10/SEC at the expense of the ACC and other conferences? Yikes I don’t like being so cynical.

My understanding (haven't read a lot about it admittedly) is: "The top 72 programs, mostly composed of Power Five schools, would play in the Power 12 Conference, split into six, geography-based divisions. The remaining 64 programs, mostly made up of Group of Five schools, would compete in a Group of Eight Conference." Way more than just BiG10/SEC.

 

[FloridaCuse]

Is this a hostage press release or a very BAD sign of things to come?

University Leadership Response to a March 2, 2026, Article Published in The Daily Orange Regarding Heather Lyke

University Leadership Response to a March 2, 2026, Article Published in The Daily Orange Regarding Heather Lyke “The characterizations in The Daily Orange article do not reflect the environment we have built in Syracuse Athletics. Heather Lyke has been a valued partner in our Athletics...

news.syr.edu

 

[kingtidge]

Is this a hostage press release of a very BAD sign of things to come?

University Leadership Response to a March 2, 2026, Article Published in The Daily Orange Regarding Heather Lyke

University Leadership Response to a March 2, 2026, Article Published in The Daily Orange Regarding Heather Lyke “The characterizations in The Daily Orange article do not reflect the environment we have built in Syracuse Athletics. Heather Lyke has been a valued partner in our Athletics...

news.syr.edu

And there it is ...

Gird ye loins, people.

 

[PauliePeppas]

Is this a hostage press release or a very BAD sign of things to come?

University Leadership Response to a March 2, 2026, Article Published in The Daily Orange Regarding Heather Lyke

University Leadership Response to a March 2, 2026, Article Published in The Daily Orange Regarding Heather Lyke “The characterizations in The Daily Orange article do not reflect the environment we have built in Syracuse Athletics. Heather Lyke has been a valued partner in our Athletics...

news.syr.edu

Think their throwing her a bone pr wise

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Is this a hostage press release or a very BAD sign of things to come?

University Leadership Response to a March 2, 2026, Article Published in The Daily Orange Regarding Heather Lyke

University Leadership Response to a March 2, 2026, Article Published in The Daily Orange Regarding Heather Lyke “The characterizations in The Daily Orange article do not reflect the environment we have built in Syracuse Athletics. Heather Lyke has been a valued partner in our Athletics...

news.syr.edu

If Syverud feels so strongly about her, he can definitely take her to UMich with him.

 

[Owens guy]

Hopefully this is just Syracuse covering their asses to prevent a future lawsuit and it like giving a recommendation letter for someone you don’t want to work for you any longer.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Is this a hostage press release or a very BAD sign of things to come?

University Leadership Response to a March 2, 2026, Article Published in The Daily Orange Regarding Heather Lyke

University Leadership Response to a March 2, 2026, Article Published in The Daily Orange Regarding Heather Lyke “The characterizations in The Daily Orange article do not reflect the environment we have built in Syracuse Athletics. Heather Lyke has been a valued partner in our Athletics...

news.syr.edu

 

[Cusefan69]

Think their throwing her a bone pr wise

Agreed and Haynie was probably like “this isn’t my mess, Kent and John, if you don’t mind please clean this up.” Best thing to do know honestly is make the decision ASAP on the AD and just look ahead. If I was Haynie, given all the “emotional damage” on the hill, I would announce asap and get the page turned before anything else can happen.

 

[MadNY3]

Is this a hostage press release or a very BAD sign of things to come?

University Leadership Response to a March 2, 2026, Article Published in The Daily Orange Regarding Heather Lyke

University Leadership Response to a March 2, 2026, Article Published in The Daily Orange Regarding Heather Lyke “The characterizations in The Daily Orange article do not reflect the environment we have built in Syracuse Athletics. Heather Lyke has been a valued partner in our Athletics...

news.syr.edu

I love it. I am laughing.

Everyone is playing their role.

This could be a 30 for 30 one day.

 

[Cusefan95]

Not a "Kent defender," or the decision to hire Lyke, but you might want to Google Syverud's role in "College Sports Tomorrow" and the "College Student Football League" to get a better handle on his commitment to trying to save college athletics from themselves.

So he’s great at brainstorming hypothetical solutions to system-wide existential problems, but absolutely terrible at handling the real world problems he’s directly responsible for.

I’d rather have someone that could have dealt successfully with the problems at Syracuse University and not added to them. Instead we had a guy who could talk brilliantly about the problems facing college athletics over brunch. The guy who is great at giving a TED talk over brunch but then bungles the decisions he’s responsible for is worse than useless - he’s a danger to the institution he’s charged with leading.

At the absolute best, he’s highly committed to athletics but is an incompetent buffoon who couldn’t demonstrate that in any meaningful way.

 

[elimunelson]

Not following this too closely.

Why are we building a statue of John Wildhack?

...oh, because he may have found a way to slow down Lykes ascension to AD? Don't know a ton about her but a friend who met her said she seemed ... extremely energetic.

Yeah I don’t get the defense of JW here

if I’m hired to run a dept and chancellor thinks so highly of me they bring in another AD who turns out to have a lot of red flags would have been something to Accelerate my retirement

Being loyal because you went to Syracuse means ultimately he was kinda taken advantage of here. If resignation was too drastic I would have used my Thamel hammer to let it be known this is bs

It’s too 11th hour for me now. Along w the we won’t fire Autry because it’s tacky. PC fired English in season. It can be done. They let him finish it off