Mope of all Mopes. Speculate all you want but he isn't going anywhere. He has a contract through 2019 and the quicker we accept the fact that we are stuck with this non qualified used car salesman the easier it will be on everyone. Pretty safe to say that a lot of us wish we had the job security Al does and he flat out sucks at his job. Clearly nothing took place from a University leadership standpoint as Al hasn't changed a bit from last year nor has his staff. If anything its gotten worse and the man feels no heat as he is labeled a savior to UM suits for sticking with us when he could of bailed. You can bet your *** that Al is playing that card as hard as anything. That's the real problem and root of the issue.
don't disagree with the basic premise of your analysis... but would take issue with the second part:
1) You bet your *** he's feeling the heat-- it may not be hot/high enuf for him to be worrying about his finances or whether he can make his mortgage payment, etc., but with the public shaming that is building and the brutal critiques from all angles, make no mistake he hears it, knows it, and it's keeping him up at night. NO ONE wants to look bad or be called out to this degree-- in the public eye--or otherwise.
2) Many seem to think his "staying with us" when the **** hit the fan somehow incoculates him from any scrutiny within the administration. I have a much different opinion. You only hold a gun to someone's head ONCE. And when you assert your leverage (rightly so in his case at the time) don't think the parties involved "liked" having that gun at their temple (pardon pun). A savior sticks with you regardless, Fat Albert parlayed our admin's "less than forecoming" approach into a ridiculously lucrative extension--one that's got us by the short & curlies. So nobody in the Hecht is genuflecting at this guy given the results on the field. Publicly, sure they'll say ALL the right things. But they know they got taken, and have only themselves to blame. Doesn't mean they like it. Nor him.