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All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

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Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

dggoddard said:
Clearly Ritchie saved the school, but there is plenty to question.

Ritchie had Shawn Walsh commited to a handshake agreement that blew up in the 11th hour. He hired Dianne Murphy as AD. He ran DU like a business, not a university. Left us with Chancellor Coombe who is clearly not equipped to handle the role. He tried to destroy the fraternity system on campus and then did a 180, and helped rebuild Kappa Sigma, Lamda Chi and some others.

He saved the university, built tons of beautiful buildings and built the Endowment Fund (which lost $40+ million last year $300 mil down to $255 million).

All in all a great person and an incredible leader, made poor decisions on hiring, but certainly he left the school in far better shape than he found it. His greatest shortcoming was not finding a solid replacement.

On a personal note, one of the most interesting and dynamic people I've ever met. Like most ultra-successful people he could take very complex issues and describe them in a sentence.
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Well, as far as Swami and I are concerned, he DID destroy the fraternity system. :mad:
 
Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

dggoddard said:
His greatest shortcoming was not finding a solid replacement.
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Coombe is a caretaker type who was selected to appease the faculty after Ritchie scared them into submission with his wallet and his fear.

The next chancellor will need to be far more charismatic to take DU to the next level.

And yes, the fraternity of Old Pio and yours truly was a casualty of the Ritchie regime.
 
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Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

Puck Swami said:
Coombe is a caretaker type who was selected to appease the faculty after Ritchie scared them into submission with his wallet and his fear.
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Just received DU's Annual report in the mail yesterday.

A cursory glance shows Coombe doing just enough to save his job, but nothing that would cause another university to ever hire him.

A few highlights:


  • Freshman class (1,145)
  • Record attrition (ie-students enroll but don't graduate)
  • Enrollment - 5,324 Undergrads 5,691 Graduate Students
  • Tuition rose 4.9% last year
  • Endowment Fund grew from $195 million to $300 million from 2005-08
  • Endowment Fund lost $45 million last year to settle at $255 million
  • Revenue was the same as the previous year but expenses continue to climb
 
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Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

Somewhere along the line, DU's Alumni Association has to be totally self-sufficient, with its own revenue stream. Otherwise, it will continue to be a toothless tiger, fearful of the administration and unable or unwilling to get involved, by expressing itself and yes, throwing its weight around.

I've probably mentioned before the meeting of the Alumni Board of Directors where a certain unnamed director had drawn up a resolution recommending the university take steps to upgrade or replace the Arena.

We spent the better part of an afternoon session not debating the merits of the proposal, but whether we should offer an opinion at all. You can't imagine how frustrating it was to have members of a so-called board of directors afraid of merely offering an opinion to the administration of a university for which they were volunteering.

I want DU's alumni to be a vital part of what goes on, not just the recipients of the obligatory rhetorical pats on the head about what a vital "constituency" we are. I want DU chancellors to at least consider what the alumni will think at some big fork in the road. And that cannot and will not happen if the Alumni Association is seen solely as a part of the development effort.

I want alumni voices to be really heard. Take the situation with the hockey team I referred to earlier, part of the problem was there was no independent voice where alumni would hear about the deterioration of the program and the facilities. Thus, many alumni who would have been concerned, weren't. Things are different now, in no small measure because of these threads.

I want the alumni association consulted, taken into consideration, and if needs be, feared by the administration; say when they're considering dropping the D-Rah as a for instance. The threat of a boycott of an annual fund raising effort could serve to focus their attention, know what I mean? Individually, we give our 100 bucks or whatever and that's the end of it. But collectively, our voices could and should be heard.

And I'll worry about alumni having "too much of a voice" when and if that ever happens.
 
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Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

Old Pio said:
Somewhere along the line, DU's Alumni Association has to be totally self-sufficient, with its own revenue stream. Otherwise, it will continue to be a toothless tiger, fearful of the administration and unable or unwilling to get involved, by expressing itself and yes, throwing its weight around.

I've probably mentioned before the meeting of the Alumni Board of Directors where a certain unnamed director had drawn up a resolution recommending the university take steps to upgrade or replace the Arena.

We spent the better part of an afternoon session not debating the merits of the proposal, but whether we should offer an opinion at all. You can't imagine how frustrating it was to have members of a so-called board of directors afraid of merely offering an opinion to the administration of a university for which they were volunteering.

I want DU's alumni to be a vital part of what goes on, not just the recipients of the obligatory rhetorical pats on the head about what a vital "constituency" we are. I want DU chancellors to at least consider what the alumni will think at some big fork in the road. And that cannot and will not happen if the Alumni Association is seen solely as a part of the development effort.

I want alumni voices to be really heard. Take the situation with the hockey team I referred to earlier, part of the problem was there was no independent voice where alumni would hear about the deterioration of the program and the facilities. Thus, many alumni who would have been concerned, weren't. Things are different now, in no small measure because of these threads.

I want the alumni association consulted, taken into consideration, and if needs be, feared by the administration; say when they're considering dropping the D-Rah as a for instance. The threat of a boycott of an annual fund raising effort could serve to focus their attention, know what I mean? Individually, we give our 100 bucks or whatever and that's the end of it. But collectively, our voices could and should be heard.

And I'll worry about alumni having "too much of a voice" when and if that ever happens.
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Clap clap clap clap clap!!:)
 
Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

I think the DU attitude toward alumni has changed for the better in recent years - they are much more interested in what alumni think than they used to be, becuase they know they need them now after 30 years of token pats on the head and ignoring them.

The new head of alumni came from the USOC, and he's pretty open to ideas, and DU has put more money into alumni relations, with 5 new staffers. They also are trying to get more chapters going in different cities. They also do a lot of stuff for alums without asking for money, which is cool - things like the annual alumni symposium, for example. Chancellor Coombe does a lot of road shows around the country as well.

That said, I think the faculty now carries a disproportionate share of administrative influence at DU than they used to, because Coombe has really catered to their interests (he is a 25 year faculty member and provost before he got the top job) and that's his power base.

The feel of DU has also changed a lot under Coombe. DU used to be a very conservative place under Ritchie, and still is in comparison to a place like CU Boulder, but today's DU is more centrist place than it used to be, as rise of the liberal faculty have tended to offset some of the conservative dominance of earlier eras. This has both upsides and downsides, depending on your place on the political spectrum.

The next Chancellor will be a critical selection.
 
Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

Puck Swami said:
I think the DU attitude toward alumni has changed for the better in recent years - they are much more interested in what alumni think than they used to be, becuase they know they need them now after 30 years of token pats on the head and ignoring them.

The new head of alumni came from the USOC, and he's pretty open to ideas, and DU has put more money into alumni relations, with 5 new staffers. They also are trying to get more chapters going in different cities. They also do a lot of stuff for alums without asking for money, which is cool - things like the annual alumni symposium, for example. Chancellor Coombe does a lot of road shows around the country as well.

That said, I think the faculty now carries a disproportionate share of administrative influence at DU than they used to, because Coombe has really catered to their interests (he is a 25 year faculty member and provost before he got the top job) and that's his power base.

The feel of DU has also changed a lot under Coombe. DU used to be a very conservative place under Ritchie, and still is in comparison to a place like CU Boulder, but today's DU is more centrist place than it used to be, as rise of the liberal faculty have tended to offset some of the conservative dominance of earlier eras. This has both upsides and downsides, depending on your place on the political spectrum.

The next Chancellor will be a critical selection.
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That's all good, but the changes you describe are incremental and they're not enough. "Improvements" in the Alumni Department generally relate principally to the bottom line. We deserve more. I'm saying alumni need a seat at the table. And the way to assure that is for the association to be independent. I see far more co-operation than opposition here btw. But at the end of the day, the head of the alumni association should be chosen by alumni, not the university. As long as it's the latter, then the administration will continue to view alumni as sheep who require annual shearing and as pests who need to be kept in the dark and at arm's length whenever,wherever and for as long as possible.

Here's a hypothetical scenario I like to see sometime down the road. A chancellor has made a controversial decision (without consulting with the alumni)and gets a call from the alumni director or alumni president. Beads of perspiration form on his forehead and he says under his breath: "chit, I wonder what the h**l she wants!" Being from Chicago, what I'm advocating is clout. We've earned it, we deserve it, but it will never be given, it must be demanded. I'm sounding like a union organizer here, aren't I?

Of course I realize what I'm suggesting would be an unprecedented institutiional change. And I'm guessing the administration would fight this every step of the way, should any momentum gather behind the concept. There would be legal issues over service marks and access to data bases just to name two. And we'd need serious start up money to get the thing going. So I'm not optimistic, having fought this battle for the better part of a decade. I'm just happy with having the Pioneers back among the elite and a contender for the NC just about every year. And having a bottle of Crown Royal nearby all the time.
 
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Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

Carle vs. Hillen tonight as the Isles are hosting the Flyers. Its 1-1 halfway thru the 3rd. Matt Carle leads the NHL in +/- with a +18.
 
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Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

GO DU!!
 
Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

happy Thanksgiving fellow DU fans. I'm thankful for the overall health of our squad, especially the chevy's. And unthankful that my fiancee's bday falls on a home weekend (had to give my tix up).

Hope you all have a wonderful day.

r
 
Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

Happy Thanksgiving to you DU fans! I love it when the Tigers and Pioneers are tied for first place in the league and ranked nationally. It adds to the rivalry and makes the season series that much better.

And, I do love how passionate and knowledgeable the DU fans on this board are. Good luck (until 12/4/09)!
 
Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

Thanks, Rich. Best to you and the CC posters as well.

I knew CC would be much better than a lot of people thought, and I think we're going to see four great games between DU and CC this year, and possibly more.

Some people love these boards for the smack talk that takes the message boards to be an electronic extension of the in-rink experience.That has it's place of course, but I always like to see the fans' passion channeled into message board contributions that make us better informed as well as simply entertained.
 
Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

Bump!! Who's on the thread tonight? Anyone have the line ups? I am wondering if Salazar and Miaini are going to step it up? They, especially Salazar are due!!!
 
Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

Dmann said:
Bump!! Who's on the thread tonight? Anyone have the line ups? I am wondering if Salazar and Miaini are going to step it up? They, especially Salazar are due!!!
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Well. I'll be there since I don't get the tv feed for NHL or FSN RM. But Jay will keep me informed. Hope du78 is here to start the thread, because when I did--the Seawolves feasted on us.:eek: :( :o :eek:

And you know I just made a similar comment on the SCSU-DU thread about Maiani and Salazar. It is time to step it up!
 
Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

vizoroo said:
Well. I'll be there since I don't get the tv feed for NHL or FSN RM. But Jay will keep me informed. Hope du78 is here to start the thread, because when I did--the Seawolves feasted on us.:eek: :( :o :eek:

And you know I just made a similar comment on the SCSU-DU thread about Maiani and Salazar. It is time to step it up!
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Thread was started early this morning :D;)

I'll be watching the NHL Network and hopefully the game is in HD.
 
Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

Dmann said:
Bump!! Who's on the thread tonight? Anyone have the line ups? I am wondering if Salazar and Miaini are going to step it up? They, especially Salazar are due!!!
Click to expand...

Now that my visiting privileges to Alaska have been revoked, I've got no choice, I'll be there.
 
Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

s11r9seat8 said:
A little whine before we leave for the game. (Seat7 is driving):
We really miss "Scores from Around the League". It was the highlight of the second halftime. We can still usually get them from the radio on the way home or from the web at home, but somehow someone should sponsor that feature! We have at least an hours drive and inquiring minds wanna know whilst we are at the game.
(not even slurring my words yeth)
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I was wondering what happened to those?
 
Re: All Things DU XXV - Murray Up and Get The Chevy Out of The Repair Shop

Bump!! OK, so it's my birthday today, clap clap clap yes,clap clap clap thank you,clap clap clap come on now,clap clap clap you're too kind.clap clap clap..and I was thinking, what an awesome birthday present it would be to get the sweep. Man those guys we're a determined bunch. Lots of effort, speed everything. That save Chevrie made and the ensuing goal was so sweet. I saw it developing and was sure they were going to score and that we were in for a heart breaker. This team, DU, is special. They don't seem to care if they don't score first, they never give up and scoring can come from just about anywhere!! I sure would like to see Salazar again. Is he in the doghouse? and Brookwell needs to come back. So, those are my thoughts for today, I will proudly wear my DU sweatshirt today and see you on the scoring thread tonight!!

Go DU!!!!
 
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