The extra-ridiculous thing about Sasse’s excesses is that UF didn’t need fixing. It’s one of those rare state schools that are great for both academics and sports, and Gainesville is a pretty fun little city (golf carts are best left for the coastal towns and The Villages). Check out any rankings of schools. So what problems was he intending to fix with his staff of overpaid, inexperienced DC goofs? The hiring and coddling is typical of the corruption in a state run by a wannabe dictator.
I can't believe you didn't also ask for a suite at the football games. A big part of the job of the UF president this year is dealing with the inevitable demands of well heeled boosters to fire their football coach (it's not going well). At least hear that whining in style.
Let me give a pitch on a better way to hire university presidents: hire from within. Ten years ago the University of Hawaii hired David Lassner out of its own IT department, and as he retires at the end of this semester he is widely acknowledged to be one of the best UH presidents ever. And a large part is because he let the faculty and the colleges be faculty and colleges. And I’m pretty sure he’s not getting $1 million!
I'm always surprised at how common these golden parachute clauses are. It's not just university presidents; you see it in top executives at large companies and coaches in professional sports, just to name a couple that come immediately to mind. When a job candidate's negotiating position is, "Even if it turns out I suck at the job and you have to fire me, I still want to be paid for another five years," how does that not set off alarm bells?
I assume that DeSantis is only interested in investigating Sasse's spending as a guide for future exercises in corrupt sinecures, since that seems to be the GOP's main interest at this point in public universities in the states that they dominate--how to place influential friends and supporters into plum jobs while they ransack the institution for everything that isn't nailed down.
I'm in a high leadership role in academia. I sort of started considering several years ago whether I would move up or out when my current gig is done. I've had a lot of encouragement to go up. But the events of the 23-24 academic year, now culminating in Shafik's resignation have clarified that this is the last step for me before stepping into some "academia-adjacent" role until retirement.
And as a female person, it has not escaped my notice that the scalps hanging on Elise Stefanik's wall are all women in the first year or two of their presidency. In fact, a lot of wine has been poured in support of conversations between myself an my female colleagues about this. So, yeah, none of us plan to move up.
You think being the president of Columbia is hard?
Try being the next president at the University of Florida if Billy Napier, in his third year as football coach, has his third losing season in a row. Fans won't come after just him, or AD Scott Stricklin. They'll be coming after the president with pitchforks as well, Dr. Drezner.
Sure, it's tough to go before Congress and explain how you handle all this anti-Semitism business. But try speaking before alumni groups after the Gators have lost to Florida State yet again.
As a once-proud graduate of the University of Florida College of Journalism (1989), I heartily endorse you for the position of UF president. You would be a great improvement over the overpriced Sasse. You’ll love Gainesville! And Joe’s Stone Crabs is well worth the 6-hour drive to Miami Beach. Come on down! Also I completely agree with Todd, the commenter above me, on all that he says.
Actually, on reading the rest of the comments, I agree with them too. I was a community college professor and department chair in Florida for 20 years. There was no golden parachute for me, but I’m outta there and couldn’t be happier about it. In the 90s it was pretty good—all about teaching and helping students grow—but the politics in Florida have gotten increasingly toxic, and I’m so glad to be out of higher ed.
I would argue that getting an endowed/named chair/professorship puts you on a branch going irrevocably AWAY from administrative service. At most institutions choosing to climb the administrative ladder is an almost diametrically oppositional career route to entering admin. That said, I like your plan. Good luck!
The extra-ridiculous thing about Sasse’s excesses is that UF didn’t need fixing. It’s one of those rare state schools that are great for both academics and sports, and Gainesville is a pretty fun little city (golf carts are best left for the coastal towns and The Villages). Check out any rankings of schools. So what problems was he intending to fix with his staff of overpaid, inexperienced DC goofs? The hiring and coddling is typical of the corruption in a state run by a wannabe dictator.
Couldn’t agree more, as a two-time alum (‘95 and ‘99). What a sad and sordid story.
Oh, and for clarity, I received my master’s degree there in 1997 and had a sensational experience.
I can't believe you didn't also ask for a suite at the football games. A big part of the job of the UF president this year is dealing with the inevitable demands of well heeled boosters to fire their football coach (it's not going well). At least hear that whining in style.
Let me give a pitch on a better way to hire university presidents: hire from within. Ten years ago the University of Hawaii hired David Lassner out of its own IT department, and as he retires at the end of this semester he is widely acknowledged to be one of the best UH presidents ever. And a large part is because he let the faculty and the colleges be faculty and colleges. And I’m pretty sure he’s not getting $1 million!
I'm always surprised at how common these golden parachute clauses are. It's not just university presidents; you see it in top executives at large companies and coaches in professional sports, just to name a couple that come immediately to mind. When a job candidate's negotiating position is, "Even if it turns out I suck at the job and you have to fire me, I still want to be paid for another five years," how does that not set off alarm bells?
I assume that DeSantis is only interested in investigating Sasse's spending as a guide for future exercises in corrupt sinecures, since that seems to be the GOP's main interest at this point in public universities in the states that they dominate--how to place influential friends and supporters into plum jobs while they ransack the institution for everything that isn't nailed down.
I'm in a high leadership role in academia. I sort of started considering several years ago whether I would move up or out when my current gig is done. I've had a lot of encouragement to go up. But the events of the 23-24 academic year, now culminating in Shafik's resignation have clarified that this is the last step for me before stepping into some "academia-adjacent" role until retirement.
And as a female person, it has not escaped my notice that the scalps hanging on Elise Stefanik's wall are all women in the first year or two of their presidency. In fact, a lot of wine has been poured in support of conversations between myself an my female colleagues about this. So, yeah, none of us plan to move up.
You think being the president of Columbia is hard?
Try being the next president at the University of Florida if Billy Napier, in his third year as football coach, has his third losing season in a row. Fans won't come after just him, or AD Scott Stricklin. They'll be coming after the president with pitchforks as well, Dr. Drezner.
Sure, it's tough to go before Congress and explain how you handle all this anti-Semitism business. But try speaking before alumni groups after the Gators have lost to Florida State yet again.
Don't forget to ask for a clothing allowance for a bunch of Jack Donaghy style suits.
As a once-proud graduate of the University of Florida College of Journalism (1989), I heartily endorse you for the position of UF president. You would be a great improvement over the overpriced Sasse. You’ll love Gainesville! And Joe’s Stone Crabs is well worth the 6-hour drive to Miami Beach. Come on down! Also I completely agree with Todd, the commenter above me, on all that he says.
Actually, on reading the rest of the comments, I agree with them too. I was a community college professor and department chair in Florida for 20 years. There was no golden parachute for me, but I’m outta there and couldn’t be happier about it. In the 90s it was pretty good—all about teaching and helping students grow—but the politics in Florida have gotten increasingly toxic, and I’m so glad to be out of higher ed.
I would argue that getting an endowed/named chair/professorship puts you on a branch going irrevocably AWAY from administrative service. At most institutions choosing to climb the administrative ladder is an almost diametrically oppositional career route to entering admin. That said, I like your plan. Good luck!
I know you are being funny here-and it is funny!!-but I think you'd make a great university president.