Nancy Zimpher on her way out - RedsZone.com - Cincinnati Reds Fans' Home for Baseball Discussion

Matt700wlw · 02-03-2009, 09:43 AM

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/ed...?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 · 02-03-2009, 09:47 AM

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

SeeinRed · 02-03-2009, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bip Roberts

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 · 02-03-2009, 10:11 AM

Ding, dong the witch is gone!

There will be much rejoicing on the UC campus.

Cyclone792 · 02-03-2009, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reds4Life

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 · 02-03-2009, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bip Roberts

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 · 02-03-2009, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chip R

Hire new football coach
Go to Orange Bowl

kill 1 program luck into another is more like it

WVRed · 02-03-2009, 10:36 AM

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 · 02-03-2009, 10:39 AM

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

Chip R · 02-03-2009, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bip Roberts

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 · 02-03-2009, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chip R

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 · 02-03-2009, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bip Roberts

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 · 02-03-2009, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chip R

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 · 02-03-2009, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reds4Life

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 · 02-03-2009, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chip R

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.

02-03-2009, 09:43 AM	#1
Matt700wlw Making sense of it all Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 26,130	Nancy Zimpher on her way out http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/ed...?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. __________________ An excited shade of Red

02-03-2009, 09:47 AM	#2
Bip Roberts Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,189	Re: Nancy Zimpher on her way out Join school fire its history get pay raise leave school to make more money while really doing nothing to deserve it

02-03-2009, 10:11 AM	#4
Reds4Life Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 3,918	Re: Nancy Zimpher on her way out Ding, dong the witch is gone! There will be much rejoicing on the UC campus. __________________ Pessimists are well informed optimists

02-03-2009, 10:39 AM	#9
NJReds Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: New Jersey, USA Posts: 5,408	Re: Nancy Zimpher on her way out Good Luck, Nancy. NY State is really short on cash. Expect lots of SUNY job cuts and tuition increases. __________________ "The players make the manager, it's never the other way." - Sparky Anderson

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