President McRobbie to retire

[68Hoosier]

How does this retirement play into the next administrations with Athletics.  

https://www.insidethehall.com/2020/08/14/iu-president-michael-mcrobbie-to-retire-on-june-30-2021/

 

[5 championships]

Thank the Lord!! He was Awful for athletics! 

[68Hoosier]

Pro Athletics hire vs someone who is not.  How was McRobbie viewed?  Did he care about the schools athletics beyond the revenue or was there a true interest in letting the teams compete and win?

[68Hoosier]

Just now, 5 championships said:

Thank the Lord!! He was Awful for athletics! 

Was just asking about that as I did not know where he stood.  

 

[Cutter]

My understanding is Glass butted heads with him often 

[iuthruandthru]

This was all part of the plan.  This was known to be coming and this also means they know who will replace him.  They will use this opportunity due to Covid to elevate someone internal to IU and not do a national search.  Same reason a few high profile deans in BL have been placed in the role for the next few years I expect the same thing to happen here.  I have an idea of who will take this role, and I don’t think it will be Robel.

In the end don’t expect anyone who is necessarily pro sports, but hard to know how any potential President would be for athletics as they will come from an academic background.  But maybe someone that understands how sports are a key marketing cog to the university mission would go a long way.

[IowaHoosierFan]

Honestly i am happy we're changing up the upper administration with a new AD and now a new president.  I hope the Board looks for someone who not only wants to be a world class university but also have world class athletics.

My opinion is that we've been mediocre for the last 20 years because of the upper administration. 

[IU Scott]

36 minutes ago, iuthruandthru said:

This was all part of the plan.  This was known to be coming and this also means they know who will replace him.  They will use this opportunity due to Covid to elevate someone internal to IU and not do a national search.  Same reason a few high profile deans in BL have been placed in the role for the next few years I expect the same thing to happen here.  I have an idea of who will take this role, and I don’t think it will be Robel.

In the end don’t expect anyone who is necessarily pro sports, but hard to know how any potential President would be for athletics as they will come from an academic background.  But maybe someone that understands how sports are a key marketing cog to the university mission would go a long way.

I don't think the president has to be necessarily pro sports but just don't get in the way of things that is needed to be competitive. 

[GaloisGroupe]

2 hours ago, 68Hoosier said:

Pro Athletics hire vs someone who is not.  How was McRobbie viewed?  Did he care about the schools athletics beyond the revenue or was there a true interest in letting the teams compete and win?

For a second there, I thought you were proposing a UK model of athletics 😉!

[btownqb]

Good

[milehiiu]

Could be wrong on this.  But. Thought I read at one time, he took B1G money, and reallocated to academics.  Not sure if that is entirely a bad thing... considering all the major athletic physical improvements that occurred during his tenure.  I also believe IU's endowment continued to grow to be one of the biggest in the B1G under him.

Like... kind of on the fence.   As life goes on.  Bring on the next guy or gal !

From IU :

President McRobbie to retire in 2021 after 14 years at the helm; presidential search to begin: News at IU: Indiana University

[BobSaccamanno]

The bigger issue is who will be hired.  It would be nice to have someone who has spent a day or two outside the Ivory Tower.  You look at Mitch Daniels.  He is obviously a brilliant man.  He's run a state, of course.  But he also ran strategy for Eli Lilly & Co.  He ran the budget for the federal government.  Daniels can connect the dots between athletics, the profile of the university, donations, applications, etc.  He also can function efficiently.  A hallmark of McRobbie's legacy is rearranging an org chart, where he shuffles people around with his solution looking for a problem style of management. 

We'd be better off with someone out of McKinsey, Lilly or Silicon Valley who has learned high level strategy as opposed with some lifelong academic who cannot truly transform the university's current trajectory.  IU can only be as good as its administration, and you have had one mediocrity after another on the Board and in upper management.  If you compare it with a top corporation, it's an embarrassment.   That's fine if you are a physician or a lawyer in Evansville or a realtor.  But that doesn't qualify you to be on the Board of a major institution.  That's not going to be the composition of a Board of an elite corporation.  IU's Board is composed largely of people who help with fundraising.  There is no nexus between that kind of work, which is essentially busy work, and playing a strategic role in a massive organization such as IU.  These are fundamental flaws with IU's direction that cannot be changed until the whole system is corrected.  

[Seeking6]

If I had my way I'd back up the Brinks truck and call Mitch Daniels and say what do you want or need to be the President of the Flagship university in the State. And give it to him.

[milehiiu]

2 minutes ago, Seeking6 said:

If I had my way I'd back up the Brinks truck and call Mitch Daniels and say what do you want or need to be the President of the Flagship university in the State. And give it to him.

Got to say, I don't know much about Mr. Daniels.  However.... it sounds like you guys are impressed with him. 

[Seeking6]

1 minute ago, milehiiu said:

Got to say, I don't know much about Mr. Daniels.  However.... it sounds like you guys are impressed with him. 

He's as fine a person and business person as it gets. Single handedly took the torch that was given to him in the State of Indiana as Governor and took Indiana to an entirely another level. Financial frugality but business savvy. No secret why Purdue is enjoying some of their best joint (football and hoops) years since he jumped on board. 

Mitch even does sports talk shows too. Couple interviews here in Indy over the last several months. Guy is knowledgeable and understands sports importance on major college campuses. Would love to have him or someone from his tree.

[milehiiu]

1 minute ago, Seeking6 said:

He's as fine a person and business person as it gets. Single handedly took the torch that was given to him in the State of Indiana as Governor and took Indiana to an entirely another level. Financial frugality but business savvy. No secret why Purdue is enjoying some of their best joint (football and hoops) years since he jumped on board. 

Mitch even does sports talk shows too. Couple interviews here in Indy over the last several months. Guy is knowledgeable and understands sports importance on major college campuses. Would love to have him or someone from his tree.

Thanks.  Sounds like he would be a good pick.

[IowaHoosierFan]

This will be a big hire.  Get this right and we can climb back to prominence.  The wrong hire could mire us for another 20 years.  I really hope that doesn't happen

[IU Scott]

49 minutes ago, milehiiu said:

Could be wrong on this.  But. Thought I read at one time, he took B1G money, and reallocated to academics.  Not sure if that is entirely a bad thing... considering all the major athletic physical improvements that occurred during his tenure.  I also believe IU's endowment continued to grow to be one of the biggest in the B1G under him.

Like... kind of on the fence.   As life goes on.  Bring on the next guy or gal !

From IU :

President McRobbie to retire in 2021 after 14 years at the helm; presidential search to begin: News at IU: Indiana University

That is the kind of thing when I said don't get in the way of the athletic department.

[Coach1K]

Need a president that can promote both academics and athletics he promoted academics more than athletics.

[iuthruandthru]

I would be shocked if they spend a lot of time on this and don’t promote someone already at IU.  If you read the tea leaves they just setup someone to take this role you just have to connect the dots.

[milehiiu]

42 minutes ago, iuthruandthru said:

I would be shocked if they spend a lot of time on this and don’t promote someone already at IU.  If you read the tea leaves they just setup someone to take this role you just have to connect the dots.

I believe that Harry Gonzo is on the committee to find a replacement. Would like Harry to leave heavily towards an IU person.  Male or Female.

[Muddy River]

I was a Mitch fan as governor, but not so much as a college president.  Mitch basically said the main campus at West Lafayette should  be for out of state students, and that instate students have the satellite campuses.  I know IU is doing the same thing without outwardly saying it, but I have a big problem with it.  I'd really like to see a president who puts a premium on instate students, but I know that will not happen, as cash is king.  I will also say it scares me a little that I had to get to the 7th post in this thread before someone mentioned academics.

[Euroclydon]

The next president is likely to be a short term hire. A hatchet to come in and cut programs/teams due to covid-19 budget issues. They will be paid well to take the heat and then move on. IU can then pretend it was just a bad fit and the next president will be their "true" hire. It's a con game.

[Stlboiler23]

49 minutes ago, Muddy River said:

I was a Mitch fan as governor, but not so much as a college president.  Mitch basically said the main campus at West Lafayette should  be for out of state students, and that instate students have the satellite campuses.  I know IU is doing the same thing without outwardly saying it, but I have a big problem with it.  I'd really like to see a president who puts a premium on instate students, but I know that will not happen, as cash is king.  I will also say it scares me a little that I had to get to the 7th post in this thread before someone mentioned academics.

Mitch has been nothing short of outstanding for us. I wish he had been there when I was in school. 

[BobSaccamanno]

1 hour ago, Muddy River said:

I was a Mitch fan as governor, but not so much as a college president.  Mitch basically said the main campus at West Lafayette should  be for out of state students, and that instate students have the satellite campuses.  I know IU is doing the same thing without outwardly saying it, but I have a big problem with it.  I'd really like to see a president who puts a premium on instate students, but I know that will not happen, as cash is king.  I will also say it scares me a little that I had to get to the 7th post in this thread before someone mentioned academics.

IMO, IU should work on getting the best in-state talent and improve as an institution.  If IU can improve as an institution, it will be a greater benefit in so many ways.  If you get good out of state talent to come to IU it will actually help you keep tuition down for top in state students who I agree should be a priority for a state institution.   

There are still plenty of other state schools that accommodate the second tier in-state kids.  Ball State, ISU, satellite schools, Evansville, etc.  IU is operating as the flagship state school and should work on the cream.  That’s how it works for the better state schools.  If you are in-state and you want to get into Cal, UCLA, Michigan, Illinois, Virginia, North Carolina, etc., you better have the record to get you in.  If you don’t, you will end up at another instate school along the lines of Western Michigan or Illinois State.  I’m not taking a shot at those schools as it will be perfect for some kids.  

As I’m sure everyone knows, IU ranks near the bottom of the B1G overall academically in most measures, and well off the pace of Purdue.   Thank goodness for Nebraska, which isn’t a B1G caliber school to begin with.  I believe the gap with Purdue has widened.  If anything, Purdue has reason to believe that they will close the gap with schools way out of reach for IU like Wisconsin or Illinois.  There are always departments you can point to at IU, but in the end, as an institution as a whole, IU is lagging.