The Tressel Movement

[Wick250]

I am surprised that nobody has reported this yet.  For the benefit of those outside the area, Tim Ryan sent a letter to the Board of Trustees urging the appointment of Jim Tressel to the presidency.  It was signed by a Who's Who of 31 community leaders including Denise DeBartolo York, Tony Cafaro, Sam Covelli, plus high tech and traditional business owners and union leaders.  As I mentioned in the Dunn thread, a modern university president has little hands-on control of academic matters.  Instead, he must be proficient in public relations, fundraising, and lobbying.  I would grade Tressel highly in each of those.  This is still a long shot, but if the movement grows it could make trustees very uncomfortable and more willing to think outside of the box.

[ysufan0505]

Has anybody thought about this.... Does Tressel even want to come back here??? I'm all for him coming back, but I haven't heard one inkling of him wanting to come back to YSU. I heard he loves it up in Akron and supposedly is on the task of trying to build Akron a new basketball arena at the moment. I'm all for this.... Just seems like a long shot.

[paladin]

The rumor is he is in line to replace the current Prez of Akron who will retire shortly. Bigger $$$$$$$$ and more high profile than YSU. He was promoted to V-P as they groom him to take over.

[IAA Fan]

The rumor is he is in line to replace the current Prez of Akron who will retire shortly. Bigger $$$$$$$$ and more high profile than YSU. He was promoted to V-P as they groom him to take over.

Right ...it is a "done deal". He has a buyout for coaching jobs. I would be interested in seeing those terms. It looks like he already makes more than the president of Akron. Tressel would be the greatest AD in the country, but no-one could afford him at that capacity aside from upper-end big-6 universities.

[ScarletRook]

IAA

Is it really a "done deal ?"
I heard otherwise, but it seems you have more information.
Akron President was to retire in June and initially, Jim Tressel's name was not
on the list of the Board as to potential candidates.

[ysu2000]

I doubt Ryan would have sent the letter, plus attained the overwhelming support from business and community leaders, without some kind of indication from Tressel that he is interested.

[guinpen]

I doubt Ryan would have sent the letter, plus attained the overwhelming support from business and community leaders, without some kind of indication from Tressel that he is interested.

I agree, no doubt several of the local big shots that signed the letter have JT's cell number

[ValleyTalk]

This photo was blasted all over social media today. On Facebook, it has over 276 shares. On Twitter, it has over 125 retweets. For those of you that do not know social media, that is a significant amount of shares.

[YSUinBoston]

It's really embarrassing to the region and institution that people would be rallying so hard around someone so unqualified for the job of university president.  Only in NE Ohio can people think a football coach is qualified to run an institution of higher learning.  Tressel's academic credentials barely make him qualified to be an adjunct teacher at the school, let alone president.  It's a joke. 

[letsgoguins]

It's really embarrassing to the region and institution that people would be rallying so hard around someone so unqualified for the job of university president.  Only in NE Ohio can people think a football coach is qualified to run an institution of higher learning.  Tressel's academic credentials barely make him qualified to be an adjunct teacher at the school, let alone president.  It's a joke.

Easy for someone living in Ivy League country to say. Do some research. YSU is not the only school to go outside the mold to hire a non-traditional President. Read this study: www.aascu.org/uploadedFiles/AASCU/Content/Root/MediaAndPublications/PublicPurposeMagazines/Issue/11summer_presidentpipeline.pdf

Our social media push continues to grow. The excitement we are seeing toward this university is very high right now. Keep pushing folks.

To conclude, Boston, numerous media reports cite Tressel as a candidate for Akron, a school double the size of YSU. He is learning a great deal as VP at Akron and he already has community relations, fundraising, and leadership qualities that are necessary for the job. If chosen, Tressel will surround himself with an A+ staff to ensure our academic standards remain high.

[YSUinBoston]

Great three page article    Unfortunately, Tressel doesn't really fit the bill on transferable outside experience either.  I know he has some vanity title at Akron and does fundraising.  That's great.  If he is so great at fundraising, put him in the development office.  He has no credibility when it comes to academics or scholarly research.  None.  That's actually what the point of a college is.  Just because Akron is willing to damage it's academic reputation by hiring a football coach as university president, doesn't mean YSU should too.  But---we are talking about the same region of the world that needed federal prison and congressional redistricting to finally stop sending Jim Trafficant to congress.  So, I get where this is coming from...

[Lets_Talk]

First of all, I'm not sure why Tressel would want the stress and aggravation that comes with being President of a University. He seems very comfortable and at peace in his current position at Akron. I really do not see him leaving Akron unless it would be for a Head Coaching job in the NFL.

As for Tressel as President at Akron, just do not see that happening. I understand that being able to raise money and do all of the PR things are a big part of being a University President. But, I think it is also important to have a person with a strong academic background in higher education. The job at Akron is a very good fit for Tressel, because he gets to interact with students, faculty and staff, teaches and he also helps with fundraising and increasing the profile of the University.

I think it would be great to have him in the administration at YSU, but not as President. It really does not say much about YSU if Jim Tressel is the best the school can do as it's President. Then again, in the Mahoning Valley, it seems as if the vast majority of Principals and Superintendents in the K-12 schools system are former coaches. So, not really a surprise that many in the area, even those who are "prominent" would be pushing for Tressel as President.

[Wick250]

I am not suggesting that Tressel has the academic qualifications to preside over university academic programs.  Clearly, he does not.  The job of a college president has changed radically over the past few decades.  In the old days, when states properly funded their colleges, presidents rose from the ranks of professors.  They had little to worry about finances.  Raising funds was a low priority.  Today, with state support for education at historic lows, fundraising is priority number one.  That is why many universities are turning to manager-CEO types for leadership.  Their presidents are fundraisers and public relations men.  Academics are handled exclusively by a provost.

That is what could happen here.  The provost position is currently open, and we should be conducting an exhaustive search for the person who would have complete and total control over all academic matters. The president could be the new style executive.  The face of the university.  His realm would be exclusively public relations, fundraising, and lobbying.  With the academic component removed, Tressel is perfect.

[IAA Fan]

What you say makes a lot of sense Talk. One thing that I heard from several sources was that Minnesota was willing to "go to bat" for Tressel (against the NCAA sanction and show cause) to have him come work with the team when they expected coach Kill to be out for at least one season. They felt that seeing as though coach T was only gong to be there temporarily, the would be granted the order. Once again Kill looks much better and this never transpired. I also think that Minnesota tested the waters in advance and did not like what they heard from official sources.

[Pizza]

What this country needs is LESS academics.......running our academics!!!!!!

Tressel for President!!