APRIL 29, 2009
Headline of the Day: President McCain signs legislation to open up drilling in ANWAR to offset $6.00/gallon gas prices.
Dr. Duckgood, here.
Listen all! This is the truth of it. Quacking leads to fighting, and fighting gets to warring. And it might be the death of us all. Look at us now! Busted up, and everyone talking about it raining in Autzen Stadium! But we can learn, by the dust of them all… Ducktown can learn. Now, when Ducks get to fighting, it happens here! And it finishes here! Many Ducks enter; few Ducks leave.
Welcome to Oregon’s Thunderdome!
Thunderdome’s simple. Get to your arguments, use them any way you can. I know you won’t break the rules, because there aren’t any!
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls…arguin’ time’s here!
WILL DAVE FROHNMAYER APPOINT A NEW ATHLETICS DIRECTOR BEFORE RETIRING?
University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer’s retirement is a few short months away. And Athletics Director Pat Kilkenny will be stepping down at the same time. What happens next, Ducktown?
The Master: Yes. President Frohnmayer will name Football Head Coach Mike Bellotti as the new Athletics Director before retiring. In turn, Coach Bellotti resigns and names Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly as his successor.
The Blaster: No. President Frohnmayer will not appoint a new Athletics Director before leaving the University of Oregon. Instead, he will leave that prerogative to the next University President.
WHO WILL BE THE NEXT ATHLETICS DIRECTOR?
The Master: Mike Bellotti. He will transition from being Head Football Coach to Athletics Director. And he might serve in both positions for a year or two.
The Blaster: Current Athletics Director Pat Kilkenny could stick around for a third year. But that’s unlikely. It’s probably going to be someone from outside of the Athletics Department. Frohnmayer. Gone. Kilkenny. Gone. Bev Smith or Ernie Kent. Gone. There will be someone new in that position, and at a lot of other positions.
WILL THE NEXT UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT NAME A NEW ATHLETICS DIRECTOR?
The Master: Yes. But that fight starts with the the naming of the next President of the University of Oregon. And that battle will be a worthy of the Thunderdome! The Academics versus the Athletics. And the Academics would love to have an anti-Athletics Academic in that office. But Academics are supposed to be smart. Pulling a Vanderbilt and not naming an Athletics Director would not only damage the North side of the Willamette, but it would hurt the South side of the Willamette, as well. No A.D. No Phil Knight. No money.
The Blaster: No. The Academics will capture this Presidency, unlike the Democrats and the White House (Senators Obama and Clinton continued down their path of mutual assured destruction right into to also-ran Presidential history.). And in Battlestar Galactica-speak, Oregon’s next President says, “Frak’em.”
Dr. Duckgood, here again.
Thank you, Master-Blaster. If only we knew what was at stake for the University of Oregon in April of 2008, we might have been able to do something.
Hank Hosfield Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
As a formerly proud UO alum pointed out to me just moments ago, Frohnmayer was both a lawyer and a politician before he became president at Oregon, so it’s not surprising that the integrity of the UO ain’t exactly what it used to be. No wonder also, that I’m not the president of his fan club.
As for his being on the job for another 14 months (will it take that long to shred all the documents?), if it helps him get out of the door any sooner, I’d be glad to help load all of his crap into a moving van. Then again, with all of the gold that he’s raking, he can certainly hire better help. (I just read another post on Willamette Week’s blog that mentioned that he’s pulling down $540K at the UO and will probably cash out close to $300K a year from PERS–the largest in PERS history. He also set up a golden parachute programs for his fellow retiring UO administrators, so he can also cash out nicely on the side after he retires as a consultant–you know, in the event that his UO successors request his mentorship in proper appeasement of Mr. Nike.)
But before Frohnmayer shuffles off, he may want to confer a degree or two upon Kilkenny so Pat can move up to the presidency if Phil so wishes–without so much embarrassment.
Yeah, we’re not on the cusp of becoming a national laughingstock for nothing. Even worse than our plummeting academic rating is the feedback I get from former UO professors who say the school isn’t nearly as good as it was 20 years ago. In fact, one very disgusted professor emeritus quipped: “If hypocrites could fly, that place would be an airport.” So much for progress.
But I welcome new leadership. Or, just leadership.
As to who all may eventually ascend to the thrones, I don’t know…but I bet Phil does.
(I know, you’re thinking: Hank, cynical much? It’s just the best predictor of what someone will do in the future is what they’ve done in the past.)
Jay Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Hank -
Dave Frohnmayer is one of the most decent people I know.
Yes, I graduated from SEHS and was friends with his daughter, Kirsten. And his son, Mark, was in my wife’s graduating class. I even worked on his gubernatorial campaign in 1990 (and he would have won if it hadn’t been for Al Mobley).
Am I biased? Probably. But there’s nothing that I can say that will convince you otherwise.
All I know is that he has my full respect.
Jay
DSN
Matt Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Dave Frohnmayer is a good man. Your not-so-thinly veiled insults just show your ignorance of the job he has done here, and insulting lawyers and politicians is nothing more than an unoriginal cheap shot. You could never hope to achieve what he has achieved.
The professors who insist on insulting their own university and placing the blame on athletics are simply misguided. Our athletics department is self-sufficient; it takes no money from their classrooms. What’s more, many of the largest athletic doners are also our largest academic doners. You cannot tell people how to spend their money. Those who value academics could just put their money where their mouths are and save all of the time they spend voicing inane complaints.
The quality of the university has declined because funding from taxes has declined, and that is not the fault of Dave Frohnmayer.
Hank Hosfield Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Doners, Matt? Is this a UO diploma at work? If it has Frohnmayer’s signature on it, I understand.
Also, your estimation that I could never hope to achieve all that Frohnmayer has achieved (how do you know what I hope?) totally put me in my place. Snap! For the record, I also doubt that I will ever accomplish all that Stalin, Hitler, Castro, Bush or Bin Laden have on their resumes, so perhaps by your way of thinking I also have no business voicing any disagreement with any of their leadership. Fair enough.
Also, upon further consideration, I’m retracting every less-than-fawning statement about Frohnmayer that was in my prior post. Especially that offer to help him move out. That was not a sincere offer.
You’re also right about wishing that people who care about academics start putting their money where their mouths are, because I think all want a university of which our football can be proud.
In case you’re wondering, my views on academics and athletics (I’m enthusiastically for both) can be found in detail on previous posts on this blog signed with my full name next to my opinions.
Lastly, that thing about the university’s decline due to declining funding from the state not being Frohnmayer’s fault? It actually is partially his fault.
Zachary Vishanoff Says:
May 6th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
To testify against Frohnmayer’s latest rapidly changing UO arena proposal there is a hearing for all interested tommorrow(wed may 7) at Eugene city hall council chamber at 5 pm. The hearing is occuring because UO would like to bypass all the normal regulations for Phil’s project. A diversity of testimony in opposition to the UO arena proposal at this hearing will lead to a better outcome in the long run and less wreckless eminent domain scams . You are encouraged to provide testimony.
Richard Says:
May 7th, 2008 at 7:45 am
I’d also be curious to know why the AD is still holding on to the Cultural Exchange endowment money that is supposed to now go to OSU and PSU. Lot of money there that UO is holding hostage.