Nancy Zimpher on her way out

[Matt700wlw]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/education/03suny.html?ref=education

SUNY Expected to Pick University of Cincinnati Leader as Chancellor

By LISA W. FODERARO

The trustees of the State University of New York are poised to select Nancy L. Zimpher, the president of the University of Cincinnati, to be the next chancellor of SUNY, the nation’s largest public university system, according to people involved in the process. They said an announcement could come within days.

The choice of Dr. Zimpher, who is widely credited with strengthening the University of Cincinnati financially and academically, was all but assured when a search committee of the SUNY board endorsed her last week. Dr. Zimpher, 62, has spent her entire academic and professional life in the Midwest, and would fill a leadership void that has stretched for nearly two years. And the choice would end a search that was stalled first by the turmoil surrounding Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s abrupt resignation and then by the withdrawal of some candidates.

David M. Henahan, a spokesman for SUNY, declined to comment on the appointment. Dr. Zimpher also declined to discuss the matter, but issued a statement in response to questions.

“The State University of New York system has approached me to discuss their search for a chancellor,” it said. “It is not uncommon for me to receive such inquiries. I see it as recognition of the progress made by the University of Cincinnati on academic quality and accountability, urban issues, our strong research program and our collaborative endeavors throughout the region and state.”

If approved by the full board, as expected, Dr. Zimpher would be the first woman to take over SUNY, which has 64 campuses and almost half a million students. She would assume leadership at a time of growing financial uncertainty. The system has an operating budget of $10 billion a year, and is facing severe budget cuts in the next year.

The previous chancellor, John R. Ryan, a retired Navy vice admiral, left after less than two years to run a nonprofit organization in North Carolina.

Dr. Zimpher in 2003 took the helm of the University of Cincinnati, which has about 37,000 students and a $1 billion annual budget, after serving as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for five years. Her predecessor at Cincinnati had overseen a multiyear building boom that led to many campus improvements, but also left the university in poor fiscal health.

“President Zimpher has brought in a great team and is doing her best to improve the financial situation of the university,” said Russel Durst, head of the English department at McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, one of 16 colleges, schools and divisions at the University of Cincinnati. “She is digging us out of a mountain of debt.”

Another professor, Steve Howe, who heads the psychology department at McMicken, added, “We overspent and Nancy deserves a good deal of credit for having brought in a fiscal team that operated very transparently about the university finances and the deficit spending.”

Like Dr. Durst, Professor Howe, who is also president of the university’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, praised Dr. Zimpher for her academic strategy, laid out in “UC/21: Defining the New Urban Research University.” That plan called for strengthening research, fostering interaction between faculty and students, taking greater advantage of technology and bolstering study-abroad programs, among other things.

“It’s basically the right vision for the university and stresses the importance of research and puts students at the center,” Professor Howe said. “We’re doing a better job of recruiting undergraduate students than we had, and the College of Arts and Sciences has a more prominent role in the culture of the university.”

Dr. Zimpher, who is known for her vibrant outfits in the school’s colors of red and black, also demonstrated a willingness to stand up to a popular basketball coach who had led a winning team for 16 years.

The coach, Bob Huggins, brought embarrassment to the university after he was arrested on a drunken driving charge in 2004. His role at Cincinnati had attracted negative publicity even before then, with his players getting arrested in connection with everything from domestic violence to punching a police horse.

Dr. Zimpher forced him out in 2005, after declaring, “Character counts” before a room full of reporters and television cameras.

Dr. Durst called the move a “formative event in her presidency.”

He recalled about the coach: “The last straw was when one of his players was walking on campus in the middle of the day and a loaded gun fell out of his pocket and went off.” The coach, he said, “challenged her authority.”

But while many faculty members applauded her willingness to take on the athletic juggernaut — Mr. Huggins led Cincinnati to 14 straight N.C.A.A. tournament appearances — others in the community resented her move long afterward.

“She goes to sports events and people boo her,” Dr. Durst said.

[Bip Roberts]

Join school
fire its history
get pay raise
leave school to make more money while really doing nothing to deserve it

[SeeinRed]

Join school
fire its history
get pay raise
leave school to make more money while really doing nothing to deserve it


My understanding is there is a pay cut involved. She also strengthened the acedemics at UC. The board is to blame for Hugg's firing and the way it was handled IMO...

If this will get fans back into the Shoe I'm all for it though.

[Reds4Life]

Ding, dong the witch is gone!

There will be much rejoicing on the UC campus.

[Cyclone792]

Ding, dong the witch is gone!

There will be much rejoicing on the UC campus.

You said it, man! Boy the beer is going to taste even better tonight!

[Chip R]

Join school
fire its history
get pay raise
leave school to make more money while really doing nothing to deserve it


Hire new football coach
Go to Orange Bowl

[Bip Roberts]

Hire new football coach
Go to Orange Bowl

kill 1 program luck into another is more like it

[WVRed]

I don't really follow UC that much, but is there any likelihood that with Zimpher leaving that Mick Cronin is going to be on the hot seat? (if he isn't already?)

[NJReds]

Good Luck, Nancy. NY State is really short on cash. Expect lots of SUNY job cuts and tuition increases.

[Chip R]

kill 1 program luck into another is more like it


Kill? A little harsh, don't you think? I have news for you, even if Huggins had not been fired, they more than likely wouldn't be doing much better than they are now. They aren't in Conference USA anymore.

[Bip Roberts]

Kill? A little harsh, don't you think? I have news for you, even if Huggins had not been fired, they more than likely wouldn't be doing much better than they are now. They aren't in Conference USA anymore.

They certainly wouldnt be as bad as they are. She killed the program and its just now kinda getting back and thats wording it nicely.

[Chip R]

They certainly wouldnt be as bad as they are. She killed the program and its just now kinda getting back and thats wording it nicely.


So she didn't kill it since it's "kinda getting back."

I'll agree she didn't handle it well but she didn't make Huggins drive drunk.

[Reds4Life]

So she didn't kill it since it's "kinda getting back."

I'll agree she didn't handle it well but she didn't make Huggins drive drunk.

Huggins wasn't fired unitl A YEAR after the DUI, that wasn't her excuse for booting him.

[SeeinRed]

Ding, dong the witch is gone!

There will be much rejoicing on the UC campus.

Completely off topic, but I have been watching ATHF a lot lately. Seeing your avatar and your first line bring up a certain episode.

Shake: Ding, Dong the **** is dead Carl!

One of the funniest episodes...


Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about how UC has fallen in the eyes of the city. When I went to the Providence game earlier this year, I thought about how the Shoe used to be packed. That place used to rock. UC games used to be the big event. Now, nobody cares. Why? Are UC fans really bandwagoners? Is it the financial turmoil going on right now? Was it Nancy Z? Is it because the football team has been winning?

Maybe that will all change in a year or two, but it is hard to fathom that big of a turnaround. IMO, UC will get there again, but I'm not sure it will ever be the same year in and year out. To think that this all started from one poorly handled and poorly timed act... UC may not be dominating every year with Huggs, but they aren't where they are now either. Even with Huggs still being fired in a manner more appropriate (and there are a lot of people who say it was time) UC isn't in as bad of shape as they have been. Hopefully this doesn't turn into a Big Red Machine Era deal where UC has to remember what it used to be like.

Again, I don't blame Nancy. I blame the fans more than I blame Nancy.

[Bip Roberts]

So she didn't kill it since it's "kinda getting back."

I'll agree she didn't handle it well but she didn't make Huggins drive drunk.

Kinda getting back is me being nice about it. The program is still demolished right now.

[Chip R]

Huggins wasn't fired unitl A YEAR after the DUI, that wasn't her excuse for booting him.



It sure didn't help him. She just didn't have the political capital to do it then.

I would think at 4-5 in the Big East with a 14-8 record overall, there are a lot of programs that would want to be that demolished. Incidentally, West Virginia is 4-4 in the Big East and 15-6 overall. Is Huggins' program there demolished too since they are only a 1/2 game better than poor, demolished UC?

[Matt700wlw]

I'm over the Huggins departure, he probably needed it, and a new direction to the program probably wasn't a bad thing, looking back on it.

It's how she did it....instead of being decisive, she danced around, wouldn't make decisions, made it impossible to recruit, and let the program get almost 2 years beind in the Big East.

She, and only she let the program crubmble, when she could have made the transistion a lot smoother, and less devastating. Now Mick has to rebuild it in this league...not easy.

Some people are still hung up on Huggs...I'm glad to see her go because of how she handled it...

I believe the basketball program is what got UC into the Big East....



I don't go to UC, and don't follow the academics that closely to know how things improved under Nancy in that respect. I hear it has...that's a good thing.

[Bip Roberts]

It sure didn't help him. She just didn't have the political capital to do it then.

I would think at 4-5 in the Big East with a 14-8 record overall, there are a lot of programs that would want to be that demolished. Incidentally, West Virginia is 4-4 in the Big East and 15-6 overall. Is Huggins' program there demolished too since they are only a 1/2 game better than poor, demolished UC?

huggins has been at WV for all of 1 and a half seasons right? Not to mention just coming off a sweet 16 appearance.

[Chip R]

huggins has been at WV for all of 1 and a half seasons right? Not to mention just coming off a sweet 16 appearance.


So you agree that since they have a similar record, they are a demolished program too?

[SunDeck]

Join school
fire its history
get pay raise
leave school to make more money while really doing nothing to deserve it

I am guessing this refers to firing Huggins.
As a UC alum I am happy with what she did. It's a better school now than it was when I went there.

[Bip Roberts]

So you agree that since they have a similar record, they are a demolished program too?

huggins already has his program out producing the one that ditched him 3 years ago.

[Chip R]

huggins already has his program out producing the one that ditched him 3 years ago.


By a half game.

[Bip Roberts]

By a half game.

Maybe one day UC will finally catch up.

[NorrisHopper30]

Maybe one day UC will finally catch up.

He had a bit of a head start, considering Mick could barely field a team in his first year. I recall last year handing WVU a 30 point loss at WVU, but you probably didn't hear about that.

[Bip Roberts]

He had a bit of a head start, considering Mick could barely field a team in his first year. I recall last year handing WVU a 30 point loss at WVU, but you probably didn't hear about that.

Who's fault is it that the program was so badly demolished and didnt have the head start...

The point im making is that she is a huge reason why UC fell so hard. She did nothing to help the program in her time here.

[NorrisHopper30]

Who's fault is it that the program was so badly demolished and didnt have the head start...

The point im making is that she is a huge reason why UC fell so hard. She did nothing to help the program in her time here.

I don't like NZ either, but she did hire Mick Cronin - who I think will prove himself over the next 2 years as a solid replacement for Huggs.

I'm interested to see if attendance will increase with Zimpher gone.

[Bip Roberts]

I don't like NZ either, but she did hire Mick Cronin - who I think will prove himself over the next 2 years as a solid replacement for Huggs.

I'm interested to see if attendance will increase with Zimpher gone.

Cronin needs some time but that time is getting shorter by the game. If this team isnt close to being a NCAA tourney team by next season his time better be close to being up.

[Boss-Hog]

Cronin needs some time but that time is getting shorter by the game. If this team isnt close to being a NCAA tourney team by next season his time better be close to being up.
There are a lot of things that upset me watching this year's team, but it could certainly be argued that they're close to an NCAA tournament team this year.

[Bip Roberts]

There are a lot of things that upset me watching this year's team, but it could certainly be argued that they're close to an NCAA tournament team this year.

If they go nuts and string off some wins in the Big east tourney maybe but there is no way they are close to being a NCAA tourney team right now.

unless they win the big east tourney they have no shot.

[LoganBuck]

WLW ran off some statistics about nonathletic things that have changed at UC since she was hired. The class rankings of incoming students, number of national merit scholars, annual giving, the capital improvement campaign, campus construction, and faculty awards. The difference was substantial.
Two months ago, I was in a debate over whether or not UC would be able to retain Brian Kelly, which they obviously have, for now. She had a sit down with Kelly, and Mike Thomas, and they hatched out a plan that Kelly seemed to agree with that is keeping him in town, so far. She has vision, and it should not be downplayed.

It is obvious that some UC fans, underestimate how much good she did for the university. The Bob Huggins thing was not handled well, but a university should not be defined by how they hire and fire a basketball coach.

[Reds4Life]

WLW ran off some statistics about nonathletic things that have changed at UC since she was hired. The class rankings of incoming students, number of national merit scholars, annual giving, the capital improvement campaign, campus construction, and faculty awards. The difference was substantial.
Two months ago, I was in a debate over whether or not UC would be able to retain Brian Kelly, which they obviously have, for now. She had a sit down with Kelly, and Mike Thomas, and they hatched out a plan that Kelly seemed to agree with that is keeping him in town, so far. She has vision, and it should not be downplayed.

It is obvious that some UC fans, underestimate how much good she did for the university. The Bob Huggins thing was not handled well, but a university should not be defined by how they hire and fire and basketball coach.

It's not just the Bob Huggins incident. She ran off the dean of CCM (top school in the nation), and several others. She insulted former graduates by implying thier degrees were worthless. The fact is, Nancy burned a lot of bridges in this town, and she knows it. Her image here will never change, she sealed her own PR problems with her arrogant attitude, probably part of the reason she's been interviewing for a new job for the past few years.

[Cyclone792]

WLW ran off some statistics about nonathletic things that have changed at UC since she was hired. The class rankings of incoming students, number of national merit scholars, annual giving, the capital improvement campaign, campus construction, and faculty awards. The difference was substantial.
Two months ago, I was in a debate over whether or not UC would be able to retain Brian Kelly, which they obviously have, for now. She had a sit down with Kelly, and Mike Thomas, and they hatched out a plan that Kelly seemed to agree with that is keeping him in town, so far. She has vision, and it should not be downplayed.

It is obvious that some UC fans, underestimate how much good she did for the university. The Bob Huggins thing was not handled well, but a university should not be defined by how they hire and fire a basketball coach.

Nancy Z could have kept her hands 100 percent out of athletics and I would still loathe that woman. I was a student at UC when she arrived in town, and her attitude toward the current students there was, as R4L stated, insulting. She carried with her the stench of arrogance everywhere she went on campus with a type of holier than thou attitude.

Were there improvements at the university overall? Possibly so. But the way that woman went about doing things was completely absurd. Burning bridges and insulting the students and alumni is no way to go about bringing change to a university.

[Hoosier Red]

Is CCM still a top school?
Are the other programs much higher thought of than when she went in?

No body likes the person who comes in to kick tail and shape everyone up, but from what I've seen, it's certainly looks like the University is in better shape when she leaves than it was when she came in.

As I recall, everyone pretty much liked Dr. Steger(who I believe was her predecessor) but the school wasn't in better shape when he left it, than it was when she left it.

[Reds4Life]

Is CCM still a top school?
Are the other programs much higher thought of than when she went in?

No body likes the person who comes in to kick tail and shape everyone up, but from what I've seen, it's certainly looks like the University is in better shape when she leaves than it was when she came in.

As I recall, everyone pretty much liked Dr. Steger(who I believe was her predecessor) but the school wasn't in better shape when he left it, than it was when she left it.

Most of the renovations and buildings on campus (that Nancy likes to take credit for) were actually formulated by Joe Steger, not Nancy. And yes, CCM is still a top school, just like it was when Steger was there, along with DAAP.

[Hoosier Red]

Most of the renovations and buildings on campus (that Nancy likes to take credit for) were actually formulated by Joe Steger, not Nancy. And yes, CCM is still a top school, just like it was when Steger was there, along with DAAP.

Still didn't answer my question though, Is the university better off now than it was when she came into office?

All indications are yes. Despite firing the dean of CCM, it remains a top music school. She made an absolute ton of changes to the deans of a number of schools, are you saying the school has improved in stature in spite of these changes?

[Reds4Life]

Still didn't answer my question though, Is the university better off now than it was when she came into office?

All indications are yes. Despite firing the dean of CCM, it remains a top music school. She made an absolute ton of changes to the deans of a number of schools, are you saying the school has improved in stature in spite of these changes?

Some have, some have not. In addition, the school now faces a huge budget crisis, her appointment for Senior VP of Finance is her old lawyer, Monica Rami, who has NO finance/accounting expierence before this, now she's in charge of a billion dollar budget. It has been a disaster for the school.

[Caveat Emperor]

I certainly hope whoever is hired as her replacement will be on board with the football program, and coack Kelly, the same way that she was.

Firing Huggins was a bad move, but hiring Brian Kelly and dedicating herself to retaining him / improving the football program is more than adequate mitigation.

[paintmered]

WLW ran off some statistics about nonathletic things that have changed at UC since she was hired. The class rankings of incoming students, number of national merit scholars, annual giving, the capital improvement campaign, campus construction, and faculty awards. The difference was substantial.
Two months ago, I was in a debate over whether or not UC would be able to retain Brian Kelly, which they obviously have, for now. She had a sit down with Kelly, and Mike Thomas, and they hatched out a plan that Kelly seemed to agree with that is keeping him in town, so far. She has vision, and it should not be downplayed.

It is obvious that some UC fans, underestimate how much good she did for the university. The Bob Huggins thing was not handled well, but a university should not be defined by how they hire and fire a basketball coach.

She also took reduced my college from top billing to red-headed stepchild. That's my biggest complaint with her. It's sobering to think that UC Engineering once ranked in the top 10 nationally. :(

[acredsfan]

She also took reduced my college from top billing to red-headed stepchild. That's my biggest complaint with her. It's sobering to think that UC Engineering once ranked in the top 10 nationally. :(She's also alienated people on outer campuses by cutting programs that helped working people earn bachelor degrees without going to Clifton. It's obvious that she had her own set of priorities, which is to be expected with each new president. She was her own worst enemy in the end though. I was once a part of that Engineering program that is nowhere near where it once was. She was slowly trying to turn us into OSU south. UC actually had more programs rated as some of the best nationally when she took over.

She gets way too much credit for the academics. All she really did was raise the criteria to get into the different colleges, but smarter students do not alone make for a great university. From the inside it just seems like we are a University of many good programs rather than a University of select top programs. I'd rather go to a University that is tops in my actual area of study than have many good colleges. But that's just my opinion.

[Hoosier Red]

She gets way too much credit for the academics. All she really did was raise the criteria to get into the different colleges, but smarter students do not alone make for a great university. From the inside it just seems like we are a University of many good programs rather than a University of select top programs. I'd rather go to a University that is tops in my actual area of study than have many good colleges. But that's just my opinion.

There is some merit to this. My dad always said Harvard was actually a little overrated and was pretty easy. If you were smart enough to get in, you were smart enough to get through.

[Matt700wlw]

Paul Daugherty:
Former athletic director Bob Goin had proposed this, as a solution to the Huggins mess: Allow him to coach a year in the Big East, with the stipulation that he resign after that season. That way, Huggins could coach UC for a year, in a league he helped get the Bearcats into, while also trolling for other job options. This would give Zimpher ample time to search for Huggins' replacement, and for someone to replace Goin, who was retiring at the end of that year.
None of this would be made public, so at the end of the year, the transition would appear seamless.
"He (Huggins) had agreed to resign," Goin said today.
Zimpher rejected the deal.

[WVRed]

Paul Daugherty:
Former athletic director Bob Goin had proposed this, as a solution to the Huggins mess: Allow him to coach a year in the Big East, with the stipulation that he resign after that season. That way, Huggins could coach UC for a year, in a league he helped get the Bearcats into, while also trolling for other job options. This would give Zimpher ample time to search for Huggins' replacement, and for someone to replace Goin, who was retiring at the end of that year.
None of this would be made public, so at the end of the year, the transition would appear seamless.
"He (Huggins) had agreed to resign," Goin said today.
Zimpher rejected the deal.

Thats all fine well and good, except a fellow conference rival likely would have made room for Huggins and made the divorce a little more bitter.

Could you really see UC letting the world know their coach is available after the season, and West Virginia likely being named the front runner even with Beilein at the helm?

It would be a bigger mess than what Zimpher did.

[SeeinRed]

Thats all fine well and good, except a fellow conference rival likely would have made room for Huggins and made the divorce a little more bitter.

Could you really see UC letting the world know their coach is available after the season, and West Virginia likely being named the front runner even with Beilein at the helm?

It would be a bigger mess than what Zimpher did.


I'm sure there would have been some control over where he interviewed while still under contract at UC. Doc later says to the effect of part of the thought was that public sentiment would have forced Nancy to extend his contract.

I don't know how circumstances could have been much worse.