Originally Posted by
LookingForResults
By way of extreme example, Hitler did a fantastic job of roadbuilding, while at the same time setting Germany on a path of ruination.
Just because you accomplish some good, that is not an automatic qualifier for having done a good job. Only by understanding the extent of what he failed to do, things which were in his control, can you understand the magnitude of his failure. The merger is the most recent example. DR failed to accept the fact that his job is first and foremost, political, not academic. A PRIMARY responsibility is to understand the State's political structure and to cultivate allies. Had DR done so over the past quarter century, the merger chance of success would have been hugely increased. Another PRIMARY responsibility that he utterly ignored is endowment growth. Had he acted responsibly and with a sense of urgency over 25 years in this regard, we would not now be so impacted by each successive budget cut and would in much better shape to underwrite athletic needs. Another PRIMARY responsibility which he utterly ignored is the coordination of athletics and academics into a seamless identity of quality so that the public perception of Tech is always bolstered despite the venue, be it athletic or academic.
Had DR made any effort previously, we would long ago have been a CUSA member. Who can know what we might have achieved in this latest round of conference realignment had we been steadily growing all these wasted years?
You want to praise the growth of a penny to a dime. I condemn the foreseeable failure to grow a penny into a fortune. And yes, it's fair to judge what didn't happen because had DR undertaken any primary responsibilities, even modest projections over 25 years would have us at a remarkably loftier position than we find ourselves today.