Ok, I'm running out of angles so figured I'd try this one. The BOT has a smaller President Selection Committee. Within that selection committee, there is a student member Amy Halpern, a Senior. I have no idea if this student "gets" the criticality of supporting our football program, but since we've been talking to deaf ears in the administration, figured this couldn't hurt.
So far, there has been no response.
Message to Amy Halpern a.halpern@umiami.edu
I am an alumnus from the University of Miami's class of 1997, and first of all would like to congratulate you on your achievements at the U.
As a student trustee within the board, you have quite a bit of responsibility at hand, especially since you were selected as one of the committee members who will elect our next president. And, you may be the only hope left for millions of alumni and fans of our beloved school who rely on our great student athletes to brings millions to help fund our academic programs.
I am not sure how the current situation facing our football program is discussed within the BOT, but I would hope this is an area of visible concern within the campus.
Among many alumni and fans, we believe the current state of our Hurricanes is beyond crisis mode. We believe we are in a "do or die" situation whereby, unless change is embraced soon, our program will return to the unknown, irrelevant, and mediocre status it had in the 1970's.
For those who have paid our dues and made strong career achievements from our degrees, we "get" the impact a national brand can do in terms of opening up deals, creating opportunities, and generating dialogue with customers and partners.
For the last 13 years, we have witnessed an incredible decline in our school's devotion to the student athlete, replaced by what seems like a nearsighted philosophy to focus away from it and, essentially "milk" our brand as a cash cow for the betterment of the school's near term bottom line. Examples of this include the salary cuts in 06, the hiring and extensions of unproven coaches at bargain rates, and a decision to favor playing at Sun Life Stadium, taking away a key UM and Miami landmark.
We believe we only have a few years left before our school will become utterly irrelevant to incoming freshmen student athletes, and this will hurt us all financially. As we look to the long term once existing deals like the ACC TV contract reach maturity, we will reach an irreversible tipping point that could dry the school's funding and force us to become a local niche school. The value of our degrees will decline, and so will our career opportunities, especially to those new and upcoming alumni who are just starting their post collegiate careers.
Several in the media have tried to reason with the athletic department for a change, to no avail. However, most believe this nearsightedness stems deeper in the annals of the administration.
My ask is that you help us alumni and fans have a voice inside the BOT, especially as you help select a new president.
We need to start investing in better coaches. As painful as this will be in the near term due to rushed past decisions, it will position the school for a better future. Also, we need to continue to invest in our facilities, and eventually in a stadium. To do this, we need a new vision that once again incorporates the student athlete as a key part of our mission.
We owe this to our predecessors who built the program that we benefitted so greatly from.
Are you willing to help us? You may be our only hope. Please let us know your point of view and hope you can help us have a voice.
Thanks in advance for your reply.
So far, there has been no response.
Message to Amy Halpern a.halpern@umiami.edu
I am an alumnus from the University of Miami's class of 1997, and first of all would like to congratulate you on your achievements at the U.
As a student trustee within the board, you have quite a bit of responsibility at hand, especially since you were selected as one of the committee members who will elect our next president. And, you may be the only hope left for millions of alumni and fans of our beloved school who rely on our great student athletes to brings millions to help fund our academic programs.
I am not sure how the current situation facing our football program is discussed within the BOT, but I would hope this is an area of visible concern within the campus.
Among many alumni and fans, we believe the current state of our Hurricanes is beyond crisis mode. We believe we are in a "do or die" situation whereby, unless change is embraced soon, our program will return to the unknown, irrelevant, and mediocre status it had in the 1970's.
For those who have paid our dues and made strong career achievements from our degrees, we "get" the impact a national brand can do in terms of opening up deals, creating opportunities, and generating dialogue with customers and partners.
For the last 13 years, we have witnessed an incredible decline in our school's devotion to the student athlete, replaced by what seems like a nearsighted philosophy to focus away from it and, essentially "milk" our brand as a cash cow for the betterment of the school's near term bottom line. Examples of this include the salary cuts in 06, the hiring and extensions of unproven coaches at bargain rates, and a decision to favor playing at Sun Life Stadium, taking away a key UM and Miami landmark.
We believe we only have a few years left before our school will become utterly irrelevant to incoming freshmen student athletes, and this will hurt us all financially. As we look to the long term once existing deals like the ACC TV contract reach maturity, we will reach an irreversible tipping point that could dry the school's funding and force us to become a local niche school. The value of our degrees will decline, and so will our career opportunities, especially to those new and upcoming alumni who are just starting their post collegiate careers.
Several in the media have tried to reason with the athletic department for a change, to no avail. However, most believe this nearsightedness stems deeper in the annals of the administration.
My ask is that you help us alumni and fans have a voice inside the BOT, especially as you help select a new president.
We need to start investing in better coaches. As painful as this will be in the near term due to rushed past decisions, it will position the school for a better future. Also, we need to continue to invest in our facilities, and eventually in a stadium. To do this, we need a new vision that once again incorporates the student athlete as a key part of our mission.
We owe this to our predecessors who built the program that we benefitted so greatly from.
Are you willing to help us? You may be our only hope. Please let us know your point of view and hope you can help us have a voice.
Thanks in advance for your reply.
