jackedaround
Junior
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2015
- Messages
- 4,185
The year was 1993 and I met Donna Shalala for the first time at the inaugural ball for President Clinton. Little did I know less than a decade later she would begin to ruin everything the University of Miami Football program stood for and even the very foundation of the University's mission (academia).
In 2001 I was between a lot of schools but the two main schools were USC (West) and Miami. The reasons were germane enough, warm weather, scantily clad women and the like but what wasn't germane was a very simple fact; I wanted to go to a college with a great football program. I also applied to ND and Penn State. Yes, I know, I know.
Things changed in the fall of 2001 when I attended a seminar for prospective USC students. Although it focused some on athletics the main driving force was their love of medical research and touting the safeness of the campus. Yes, this was their sales pitch along with videos of 1970s football irrelevance. I left that seminar saying F no to what they were selling. Luckily I got into Miami it was a blessing and I still feel that way today.
When I got to campus the Canes were in their heyday. No one could touch us. It would all come crashing down some 4 years later. I still have nightmares about inexplicable losses to UT and the LSU Peach Bowl debacle. Stories of recruiting being done through the internet and ghosts of Kyle Wright still haunt me as well.
While the football program burned down one thing did not burn - Donna Shalala's insatiable thirst for turning the school into a research facility that was more concerned with cash and philanthropic keepsakes than with the well being of student life. Now before I go further I appreciate medical research and understand its importance in our society. I just feel differently about what Miami should be primarily focused on so back to the story. Don't believe me? When I was at school UM was up ticking in terms of academic ranking nationally into the high 30s. It fell shortly after hitting that mark and has never recovered to this day. Likewise the football, basketball and baseball programs got worse and worse. Some of the bleeding was stopped by Coach L, a miracle in its own right. A coincidence that all three major sports programs would tailspin? Not a chance.
All the while research costs grew in the financial statements of the University. From under $100 million to over a quarter of million dollars last year alone. Shahala aligned herself with deep pockets but be warned those monies never benefited the athletic programs. They benefited Shalala's legacy of turning UM into a research institution powerhouse. A philanthropic venture little concerned with the primary purpose of the University. The mission statement shifted to where it remains today.
Some blame Larry Coker, Shannon, Golden, Blake James, Paul Dee, Richt, Haith, Morris etc for what has happened in terms of on field performance and years of under performance. But the blame lies at the top with Donna Shalala and the BOT. All are more interested in their philanthropic legacy which has little to do with advancing Miami as an educational institute and more with preserving their names as those who changed medicine forever. A noble cause indeed but not the cause I signed up for when I said yes to the school. From time to time things get bad enough that Flexseal is used to try and patch the Titanic. It works for a little bit to appease those who actually believe the University should be grounded in stellar athletic and academic programs and not medical research. However, never enough to actually establish a culture shift. Makes sense because the lifeblood shifted from athletics to research over the last two decades.
So here we sit, with a new guy who has proven he cares a little, Julio Frenk, but the jury is out on whether it is enough to shift the tone at the top. I won't hold my breath. After all, similarly to Roger Goodell his interest lies with the BOT and those who funnel money through the University to preserve their legacy. Shame it comes at the expense of what Howard Schnellenberger built. Miami doesn't have to be a sandcastle program or a has been. It doesn't have to revert back to lower academic rankings. The stark reality is the way things are going I can't see a change.
You can fight it all you want and good luck doing so. The level of frustration will never cease. It has been established this is the way it is going to be. It all started with a politicians' vision of what Miami should be. That in and of itself is a sad reality for the true Canes who remain today....
In 2001 I was between a lot of schools but the two main schools were USC (West) and Miami. The reasons were germane enough, warm weather, scantily clad women and the like but what wasn't germane was a very simple fact; I wanted to go to a college with a great football program. I also applied to ND and Penn State. Yes, I know, I know.
Things changed in the fall of 2001 when I attended a seminar for prospective USC students. Although it focused some on athletics the main driving force was their love of medical research and touting the safeness of the campus. Yes, this was their sales pitch along with videos of 1970s football irrelevance. I left that seminar saying F no to what they were selling. Luckily I got into Miami it was a blessing and I still feel that way today.
When I got to campus the Canes were in their heyday. No one could touch us. It would all come crashing down some 4 years later. I still have nightmares about inexplicable losses to UT and the LSU Peach Bowl debacle. Stories of recruiting being done through the internet and ghosts of Kyle Wright still haunt me as well.
While the football program burned down one thing did not burn - Donna Shalala's insatiable thirst for turning the school into a research facility that was more concerned with cash and philanthropic keepsakes than with the well being of student life. Now before I go further I appreciate medical research and understand its importance in our society. I just feel differently about what Miami should be primarily focused on so back to the story. Don't believe me? When I was at school UM was up ticking in terms of academic ranking nationally into the high 30s. It fell shortly after hitting that mark and has never recovered to this day. Likewise the football, basketball and baseball programs got worse and worse. Some of the bleeding was stopped by Coach L, a miracle in its own right. A coincidence that all three major sports programs would tailspin? Not a chance.
All the while research costs grew in the financial statements of the University. From under $100 million to over a quarter of million dollars last year alone. Shahala aligned herself with deep pockets but be warned those monies never benefited the athletic programs. They benefited Shalala's legacy of turning UM into a research institution powerhouse. A philanthropic venture little concerned with the primary purpose of the University. The mission statement shifted to where it remains today.
Some blame Larry Coker, Shannon, Golden, Blake James, Paul Dee, Richt, Haith, Morris etc for what has happened in terms of on field performance and years of under performance. But the blame lies at the top with Donna Shalala and the BOT. All are more interested in their philanthropic legacy which has little to do with advancing Miami as an educational institute and more with preserving their names as those who changed medicine forever. A noble cause indeed but not the cause I signed up for when I said yes to the school. From time to time things get bad enough that Flexseal is used to try and patch the Titanic. It works for a little bit to appease those who actually believe the University should be grounded in stellar athletic and academic programs and not medical research. However, never enough to actually establish a culture shift. Makes sense because the lifeblood shifted from athletics to research over the last two decades.
So here we sit, with a new guy who has proven he cares a little, Julio Frenk, but the jury is out on whether it is enough to shift the tone at the top. I won't hold my breath. After all, similarly to Roger Goodell his interest lies with the BOT and those who funnel money through the University to preserve their legacy. Shame it comes at the expense of what Howard Schnellenberger built. Miami doesn't have to be a sandcastle program or a has been. It doesn't have to revert back to lower academic rankings. The stark reality is the way things are going I can't see a change.
You can fight it all you want and good luck doing so. The level of frustration will never cease. It has been established this is the way it is going to be. It all started with a politicians' vision of what Miami should be. That in and of itself is a sad reality for the true Canes who remain today....
