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Post by beeryb on May 31, 2024 17:34:09 GMT -6
So ANYWAY ... Glad to see the Board of Trustees being proactive. I do hope that we maintain stability in the athletic program, as we seem to have the right AD and coach in place. I do wonder what impact, if any, situations like this will have in the near future if Wardle has a successful season (wins the MVC and maybe wins a game or 2 in the NCAA Tourney). It seems like institutional stability and endurance would factor into any decision he makes about how long to stay. OTOH, if he has that level of success next season, it might be inevitable that he makes a move. Interesting dynamics.
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Post by tribecalledquest2024 on May 31, 2024 17:47:32 GMT -6
Being a University President is a hard, oftentimes, thankless job. So many people rag on those in the positions - but so few actually have any idea what the job entails. There is a reason there is a ton of turnover in those positions.
Selfishly I want the AD to be someone who invests in the athletic department and sees the value there - and there is a lot of value there. Invest in MBB, WBB, baseball, VB. Those are the "big four".
Academically - I admittedly don't know as much about the school as I did as when I was a student - but go back to the bread and butter that made Bradley good. Focus on the business and engineering schools. Get good students but don't worry about being some elite institution. Get local and Chicago area kids first and spread from there.
This is an opportunity for the University to reset and get it right.
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Post by beeryb on May 31, 2024 18:05:30 GMT -6
Being a University President is a hard, oftentimes, thankless job. So many people rag on those in the positions - but so few actually have any idea what the job entails. There is a reason there is a ton of turnover in those positions. Selfishly I want the AD to be someone who invests in the athletic department and sees the value there - and there is a lot of value there. Invest in MBB, WBB, baseball, VB. Those are the "big four". Academically - I admittedly don't know as much about the school as I did as when I was a student - but go back to the bread and butter that made Bradley good. Focus on the business and engineering schools. Get good students but don't worry about being some elite institution. Get local and Chicago area kids first and spread from there. This is an opportunity for the University to reset and get it right. I agree. I'm a graduate who majored in International Studies (slated for elimination) and foreign languages. I especially hate to see the International Studies program go because it was one of the oldest and best programs in the Midwest. But engineering and business were (and I assume are) what Bradley was (is) really known for, so I can support emphasizing those areas over liberal arts type programs ... whatever will sustain the institution. I do hope Bradley will always find a way to provide a well-rounded experience regardless what majors are offered. BU produced US cabinet secretaries, elite politicians and military officers, celebrities, so many successful grads -- obviously including athletes. It's imperative that the institution survive in modern times. We should all support that effort. |
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Post by catalyst82 on May 31, 2024 19:14:08 GMT -6
I love whenever something happens these days, someone is immediately on about how is was because someone or something is "too woke." Apparently, anything I don't like is "woke," and the more I don't like it, the more "woke" it is?
Thr guy didn't seem to be doing anything. I can count on one hand the number of times I even saw the guy at a Bradley function. I couldn't pick him out of a lineup. I'm sure this is a terrible time to be a University President, but he certainly didn't inspire much confidence (even though I agree eliminating some majors was necessary).
Given the cost of college, I think they need to focus on upgrading the dorms. No one wants to pay $45,000 a year to live in a cinder block dump (Geisert Hall represent).
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JMM28
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Post by JMM28 on May 31, 2024 19:14:29 GMT -6
I think you can date the end of his tenure back to Easter Sunday. As soon as Bradley social media posted happy tranny day of visibility instead of happy easter, he was toast. Lavender graduation posts finished the deal and cost Bradley a lot of donor money. It’s a shame. I doubt very much that many Bradley graduates/supporters/fans are so ignorant and upset by other people's sexuality or identity that a few social media posts embracing the LGBTQ community would drive a wedge between themselves and Bradley University. What's a shame is coming on board here to participate in the Bradley basketball community and, instead of reading about hoops and BU and how we can help that community, having to read this kind of post instead. You can believe whatever you like. I’m just telling you the truth. Can’t be bad at your job AND piss off the check writers. |
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Post by beeryb on May 31, 2024 19:20:59 GMT -6
I doubt very much that many Bradley graduates/supporters/fans are so ignorant and upset by other people's sexuality or identity that a few social media posts embracing the LGBTQ community would drive a wedge between themselves and Bradley University. What's a shame is coming on board here to participate in the Bradley basketball community and, instead of reading about hoops and BU and how we can help that community, having to read this kind of post instead. You can believe whatever you like. I’m just telling you the truth. Can’t be bad at your job AND piss off the check writers. Here we go again. I usually enjoy your posts about college basketball. I wish you'd stick to those. And btw, I'm a "check writer," and I don't give a rat's a$$ about the stuff you're talking about because I see no link whatsoever between people's sex lives and Bradley basketball. If you do, then you need to check that with your shrink. |
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JMM28
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Post by JMM28 on May 31, 2024 19:26:11 GMT -6
You can believe whatever you like. I’m just telling you the truth. Can’t be bad at your job AND piss off the check writers. Here we go again. I usually enjoy your posts about college basketball. I wish you'd stick to those. And btw, I'm a "check writer," and I don't give a rat's a$$ about the stuff you're talking about because I see no link whatsoever between people's sex lives and Bradley basketball. If you do, then you need to check that with your shrink. I’m not sharing an opinion. Bradley lost 6 figures worth of donations from that and that’s just what’s been made known. It is what it is. |
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Post by panthergrad2011 on May 31, 2024 19:37:11 GMT -6
I think you can date the end of his tenure back to Easter Sunday. As soon as Bradley social media posted happy tranny day of visibility instead of happy easter, he was toast. Lavender graduation posts finished the deal and cost Bradley a lot of donor money. It’s a shame. Well it's a good thing those two days fall on the same day every year. Spoiler alert: They don't. |
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Post by beeryb on May 31, 2024 19:43:12 GMT -6
Here we go again. I usually enjoy your posts about college basketball. I wish you'd stick to those. And btw, I'm a "check writer," and I don't give a rat's a$$ about the stuff you're talking about because I see no link whatsoever between people's sex lives and Bradley basketball. If you do, then you need to check that with your shrink. I’m not sharing an opinion. Bradley lost 6 figures worth of donations from that and that’s just what’s been made known. It is what it is. I would need to see documentation for that. If it's true, then that's 6 figures (that's not a lot, btw) from people who were not real Bradley fans to begin with and who are so hopelessly ignorant that we'll just have to survive without them. Over some tweets to make gay people feel welcome. Oh the horror. Someone get the smelling salts and fainting couch. Snowflakes. |
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Post by beeryb on May 31, 2024 20:00:24 GMT -6
I love whenever something happens these days, someone is immediately on about how is was because someone or something is "too woke." Apparently, anything I don't like is "woke," and the more I don't like it, the more "woke" it is? Thr guy didn't seem to be doing anything. I can count on one hand the number of times I even saw the guy at a Bradley function. I couldn't pick him out of a lineup. I'm sure this is a terrible time to be a University President, but he certainly didn't inspire much confidence (even though I agree eliminating some majors was necessary). Given the cost of college, I think they need to focus on upgrading the dorms. No one wants to pay $45,000 a year to live in a cinder block dump (Geisert Hall represent). LOL When I was at BU late 80's early 90's the story was that Geisert Hall had been built improperly and would topple over within 10 years. Is that still a thing or did that BU legend run its course? |
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Post by laviola on May 31, 2024 21:08:58 GMT -6
Here we go again. I usually enjoy your posts about college basketball. I wish you'd stick to those. And btw, I'm a "check writer," and I don't give a rat's a$$ about the stuff you're talking about because I see no link whatsoever between people's sex lives and Bradley basketball. If you do, then you need to check that with your shrink. I’m not sharing an opinion. Bradley lost 6 figures worth of donations from that and that’s just what’s been made known. It is what it is. That’s fine. The world is changing and I hope BU continues to move towards inclusivity rather than closed minded beliefs. Let’s open the doors to everyone to feel welcome and we’ll very quickly replace six figures with 1000 two figure donations. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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Post by ljsites on May 31, 2024 21:33:18 GMT -6
This is certainly a thread lol. I'd make a Don Quixote reference about slaying windmills, but I'm guessing windmills are considered "too woke" these days. The reference also doesn't hit when you've never read a book. Woke is kind of like slang that goes stale when the old people start using it wrong. Nothing like grandpa trying to use bussin or lit in the right context. Woke started as a subculture reference and once it hit the mainstream it lost all of its meaning. Now it's a verbal crutch for people that can't properly express themselves or are just parroting what their friends (or cable news) say.
Bradley "losing" donations is a farce unless the check was written, handed over, and then cancelled. Even so, it's not a donation until the cash is in the bank. What was "lost" is the "intent" to donate which absolutely any jackass can claim. Guess what, I also pulled a 6-figure donation because one of my majors is gone. See how easy that was? If these "donors" really wanted to make a statement, instead of hiding behind pulled donations, they would put their money where their mouth is and donate $1m to get rid of their woke enemies. But these people operate in hyperbolic threats instead of reality. You can pull a $100k donation unlimited times, but you can only hand it over once.
The fact is that we've had a truly horrific run of BU Presidents. They've done nothing or squandered big opportunities one after another with small wins sprinkled along the way. Bradley's dorms have been a complete shitshow for decades. I know there have been very minor improvements over the years, but catalyst is right - no one wants to be forced to live on-campus for two years when there are zero decent options.
Agreed, Bradley does need to focus on it's bread and butter. But they need to decide what the bread and butter is for the next 25 years and go all-in. Is it engineering, business, nursing, and teaching? One issue is that the business school seems to have gone backwards in the last 15 years, despite the millions spent on the convergence center, and teachers pick cheaper schools because they know they can't pay back private school loans. Find some good industry comps, model the things they do well, and infuse it with some new ideas to make Bradley unique.
First - hire someone that isn't a bump on a log collecting fat checks.
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Post by ljsites on May 31, 2024 21:38:29 GMT -6
I love whenever something happens these days, someone is immediately on about how is was because someone or something is "too woke." Apparently, anything I don't like is "woke," and the more I don't like it, the more "woke" it is? Thr guy didn't seem to be doing anything. I can count on one hand the number of times I even saw the guy at a Bradley function. I couldn't pick him out of a lineup. I'm sure this is a terrible time to be a University President, but he certainly didn't inspire much confidence (even though I agree eliminating some majors was necessary). Given the cost of college, I think they need to focus on upgrading the dorms. No one wants to pay $45,000 a year to live in a cinder block dump (Geisert Hall represent). LOL When I was at BU late 80's early 90's the story was that Geisert Hall had been built improperly and would topple over within 10 years. Is that still a thing or did that BU legend run its course? There were also giant cracks in the foundation of the Engineering/Business convergence center  |
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Post by tribecalledquest2024 on May 31, 2024 22:05:32 GMT -6
This is certainly a thread lol. I'd make a Don Quixote reference about slaying windmills, but I'm guessing windmills are considered "too woke" these days. The reference also doesn't hit when you've never read a book. Woke is kind of like slang that goes stale when the old people start using it wrong. Nothing like grandpa trying to use bussin or lit in the right context. Woke started as a subculture reference and once it hit the mainstream it lost all of its meaning. Now it's a verbal crutch for people that can't properly express themselves or are just parroting what their friends (or cable news) say. Bradley "losing" donations is a farce unless the check was written, handed over, and then cancelled. Even so, it's not a donation until the cash is in the bank. What was "lost" is the "intent" to donate which absolutely any jackass can claim. Guess what, I also pulled a 6-figure donation because one of my majors is gone. See how easy that was? If these "donors" really wanted to make a statement, instead of hiding behind pulled donations, they would put their money where their mouth is and donate $1m to get rid of their woke enemies. But these people operate in hyperbolic threats instead of reality. You can pull a $100k donation unlimited times, but you can only hand it over once. The fact is that we've had a truly horrific run of BU Presidents. They've done nothing or squandered big opportunities one after another with small wins sprinkled along the way. Bradley's dorms have been a complete shitshow for decades. I know there have been very minor improvements over the years, but catalyst is right - no one wants to be forced to live on-campus for two years when there are zero decent options. Agreed, Bradley does need to focus on it's bread and butter. But they need to decide what the bread and butter is for the next 25 years and go all-in. Is it engineering, business, nursing, and teaching? One issue is that the business school seems to have gone backwards in the last 15 years, despite the millions spent on the convergence center, and teachers pick cheaper schools because they know they can't pay back private school loans. Find some good industry comps, model the things they do well, and infuse it with some new ideas to make Bradley unique. First - hire someone that isn't a bump on a log collecting fat checks. All of this. Honestly - this is what it’s really about. I don’t doubt there were folks who pulled promised money because of some social issues they didn’t like. That is their right. Folks also supposedly pulled donations when Jim Les was fired. And when Jim Molinari was fired. Or when a female president was hired. I would say the people that care strongly about on campus social issues aren’t moving the needle in any major way. Same as if someone got pissed about a student group that wanted to bring Tucker Carlson to speak. Vocal minority. Bradley’s downfall won’t be because of Pride Flags being flown at the LGBTQ+ office or if the frats fly “We Support Israel” flags and haze this shit out of their newbies. The shit that matters is where Bradley has fucked up. Let’s focus on that. |
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Post by catalyst82 on May 31, 2024 22:45:57 GMT -6
I love whenever something happens these days, someone is immediately on about how is was because someone or something is "too woke." Apparently, anything I don't like is "woke," and the more I don't like it, the more "woke" it is? Thr guy didn't seem to be doing anything. I can count on one hand the number of times I even saw the guy at a Bradley function. I couldn't pick him out of a lineup. I'm sure this is a terrible time to be a University President, but he certainly didn't inspire much confidence (even though I agree eliminating some majors was necessary). Given the cost of college, I think they need to focus on upgrading the dorms. No one wants to pay $45,000 a year to live in a cinder block dump (Geisert Hall represent). LOL When I was at BU late 80's early 90's the story was that Geisert Hall had been built improperly and would topple over within 10 years. Is that still a thing or did that BU legend run its course? That was the legend when I was there in the 2000s, but I then moved into an even dumpier frat house. My mother cried the first time she saw the inside. |
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Post by laviola on Jun 1, 2024 6:40:16 GMT -6
LOL When I was at BU late 80's early 90's the story was that Geisert Hall had been built improperly and would topple over within 10 years. Is that still a thing or did that BU legend run its course? That was the legend when I was there in the 2000s, but I then moved into an even dumpier frat house. My mother cried the first time she saw the inside. I’m not sure I ever let my mother see the inside of mine. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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JMM28
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Post by JMM28 on Jun 1, 2024 6:57:14 GMT -6
Being a University President is a hard, oftentimes, thankless job. So many people rag on those in the positions - but so few actually have any idea what the job entails. There is a reason there is a ton of turnover in those positions. Selfishly I want the AD to be someone who invests in the athletic department and sees the value there - and there is a lot of value there. Invest in MBB, WBB, baseball, VB. Those are the "big four". Academically - I admittedly don't know as much about the school as I did as when I was a student - but go back to the bread and butter that made Bradley good. Focus on the business and engineering schools. Get good students but don't worry about being some elite institution. Get local and Chicago area kids first and spread from there. This is an opportunity for the University to reset and get it right. Yep. Let’s not pretend Bradley is a great school. It’s good. When it’s thrived, it was recruiting, local and suburban, mediocre high school students who’s parents can pay full tuition. When you’re a 5000 enrollment kind of school, you can’t recruit a bunch of weirdos from all over paying 10 or 20% of full tuition and expect to survive. The math doesn’t work. Thats the kind of math that only makes sense if you believe you can replace 6 figures with 1000 2 figures. 😉 Same math that said “hey let’s have more majors than the flagship state university and pay professors big money for doing absolutely nothing.” Good thing they dropped the math major, it obviously wasn’t working on campus. Have to improve the living situations too. 90% of campus housing is garbage. The dorms haven’t been meaningfully upgraded in at least 20 years and the rental houses are generally crap. I don’t know if there’s an appetite to take on more debt for a major dorm project, but it should have been prioritized over other projects. Standifird was good with athletics so there’s always a devil you know vs the one you don’t chance here. Need to have a President in place before March of next year though in case there is a coaching search. |
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Post by Braves4Life on Jun 1, 2024 7:04:34 GMT -6
I am a 1971 grad and have friends who will no longer contribute to the University due to the woke policies. Mine is not a politcal statement, just a fact. I can’t imagine a university President would be fired for something as trivial as this. There are far more important things that move the needle. It sounded like Standifird was doing a shitty job as President while also not working very hard. That’s what gets dudes fired. Not whether or not there are Gender Neutral bathrooms on campus or whatever gets folks riled up. Was it dumb to Tweet out the Trans Visibility Day and not Happy Easter? Sure. I didn’t see it but also don’t follow any BU social media accounts. There just has to be more actual substantive stuff that got him out of there. And from what I’ve heard there is a ton of shit and he was bad at his job and was also pretty unprofessional out of office. Today is the first time I’ve heard of anything related to the supposed social issue/problem. I agree tribe. I'm sure the social media outcry didn't help his cause but it wasn't the main reason he was fired...and he WAS fired regardless of the press release. Bradley might have screwed up with their social media posts on Easter by posting the "all-inclusive" stuff before they posted about Easter, but they DID post about Easter that day. Standifird has been on shaky ground for a while with some of the more powerful and vocal members of the board and donor community and I think the board just decided a change between school years was in the best interests of all involved. When a university president loses the trust and respect of his bosses and peers it's time to make a change. One more thing, Bradley had better get this next hire right. It might be the most important hire in the 100+ year history of the university. Critical decisions about many, many issues need to be made in the next 5 years and if the new president gets this wrong... Sayonara Bradley. |
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Post by Braves4Life on Jun 1, 2024 7:17:25 GMT -6
This is certainly a thread lol. I'd make a Don Quixote reference about slaying windmills, but I'm guessing windmills are considered "too woke" these days. The reference also doesn't hit when you've never read a book. Woke is kind of like slang that goes stale when the old people start using it wrong. Nothing like grandpa trying to use bussin or lit in the right context. Woke started as a subculture reference and once it hit the mainstream it lost all of its meaning. Now it's a verbal crutch for people that can't properly express themselves or are just parroting what their friends (or cable news) say. Bradley "losing" donations is a farce unless the check was written, handed over, and then cancelled. Even so, it's not a donation until the cash is in the bank. What was "lost" is the "intent" to donate which absolutely any jackass can claim. Guess what, I also pulled a 6-figure donation because one of my majors is gone. See how easy that was? If these "donors" really wanted to make a statement, instead of hiding behind pulled donations, they would put their money where their mouth is and donate $1m to get rid of their woke enemies. But these people operate in hyperbolic threats instead of reality. You can pull a $100k donation unlimited times, but you can only hand it over once. The fact is that we've had a truly horrific run of BU Presidents. They've done nothing or squandered big opportunities one after another with small wins sprinkled along the way. Bradley's dorms have been a complete shitshow for decades. I know there have been very minor improvements over the years, but catalyst is right - no one wants to be forced to live on-campus for two years when there are zero decent options. Agreed, Bradley does need to focus on it's bread and butter. But they need to decide what the bread and butter is for the next 25 years and go all-in. Is it engineering, business, nursing, and teaching? One issue is that the business school seems to have gone backwards in the last 15 years, despite the millions spent on the convergence center, and teachers pick cheaper schools because they know they can't pay back private school loans. Find some good industry comps, model the things they do well, and infuse it with some new ideas to make Bradley unique. First - hire someone that isn't a bump on a log collecting fat checks. I love everything about this post LJ. I don't disagree that some potential big donors made threats to not contribute after the whole "Easter fiasco", but let's see if those big checks start rolling in now that Standifird is gone. News Flash: They won't. Bradley needs to find a president who's a master fundraiser, like High Point University did 20 years ago in Nido Quebein. During his tenure HPU has grown exponentially and has been immune to the problems that may universities face -- www.highpoint.edu/president/transformation/ |
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Post by Butler Blue on Jun 1, 2024 8:13:12 GMT -6
Boy, blunt statements of fact sure got some people riled up here. Check out the board of directors, folks. I hate to tell you, but there are several Trump voters in important positions right now.
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