[And boom goes the dynamite!] Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na …

Betsy Mills — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:58:03 +0000

It’s three games into Uncle Stan’s tenure as head coach of the Ball State Fighting Cardinals, and signs are already appearing that the chirping fans are ready to see him go.

Behold FireStanParrish.com, an under-construction website devoted to the ultimate demise of the newest Cardinal football coach.

(Ironically, the page ganks this welcome graphic from BallStateSports.com.)
Thanks to Kyle Ellis for the find.

Originally Posted to BewilderedSociety.com

[ShitFanWatch] Ball State initiates hiring freeze. In related news: Who wants to be our football coach?

Dave Studinski — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:44:15 +0000

Early this afternoon Ball State University faculty and administrators received a letter from President Jo Ann Gora highlighting, above all else, Indiana’s imminent middle finger to higher education funding. What this means to the university who just lost its head football coach?

No more new hires! Gora writes:

In the short term, we are announcing a hiring freeze for vacant and new positions. Exceptions to this policy will be limited and require my approval in consultation with the cabinet.

Well shit. What about that football coach you just lost to the sunny Cali skies?

Some reports indicate a new coach from within is already confirmed. A Muncie Star Press article today, however, further clusters the clusterfuck:

But Collins, who also specifically denied the report that BSU has already offered the job to Parrish, said there is still a process the school must go through to hire a new coach.

“We haven’t even started yet,” Collins said. “I’ve got paperwork I’ve got to do here on campus to get the job posted.”

The AD said he would meet with school human resource officials later today to discuss the administration’s next course of action.

Better drop by the Prez’s office first, TC!

It’s a safe bet that this freeze will not directly affect the coaching position, although certainly money is an issue. It seems logical this announcement would be made the day after Hoke said his farewell in lieu of the Pacific Ocean and a handsome salary increase. With such a cost-cutting measure on the horizon, BSU had no choice but to let Hoke run away for his Benjamins. SDSU is giving Hoke $3.5 million over five years, and that’s a tough pill for Indiana’s third-ranked state school to swallow … especially when it’s now unable to hire any other staff. Imagine the internal doom if Hoke had taken a remotely similar amount from BSU. Try explaining that to overworked secretaries.

Budgets aside, perception is everything. Hardcore sports fans clash with financial officers here. In the end, Hoke is now the poster child for BSU’s financial climate.

Gora’s full letter, below the fold.

Last week — moments after I provided a fairly positive financial outlook to the University Senate — I received a call from Governor Daniels’ office about the economic shortfall facing the state. The next day, many of you may have seen the headlines where Governor Daniels discussed the state’s financial situation. The governor ordered state agencies to immediately cut an additional 3 percent of their spending (on top of 7 percent cuts already in place) and announced that state employees would receive no pay increases next year. Governor Daniels also plans “some marginal reductions” in higher education spending during this fiscal year but has not yet announced specifics. It is highly likely that budget cuts will continue, and may be increased, in the coming year.

As we look at reductions in every sector of the economy, we cannot expect higher education to be spared sacrifice. However, the university has already been working to reduce expenses for some time now, in ways large and small. The cost per-square-foot for building maintenance, custodial services, utilities, landscaping, and administration has been reduced for each of the past seven years. Moving to electronic documentation for capital projects has saved literally hundreds of thousands of dollars. Our recent move to a single-source provider for office supplies has increased productivity and lowered costs. And something as seemingly trivial as switching to foam hand soap has saved $17,000 a year.

While this forethought has mitigated the impact of this latest development, we need to do more. We should anticipate that revenue projections for the state will continue to lag. We need to position the university for several more months of challenging finances. Ball State must emerge from the economic downturn at least as strong, if not stronger, than we were going into it.

In the short term, we are announcing a hiring freeze for vacant and new positions. Exceptions to this policy will be limited and require my approval in consultation with the cabinet. In addition, I have asked cabinet members to identify tangible cuts to their immediate operating budgets for the remaining six months of this fiscal year. These cuts will likely include further reductions or freezes in travel and the purchasing of goods and services.

To prepare for the long term, I have asked each cabinet member to look across their areas for additional ways to reduce expenses and increase external funding. Now is the time to get creative and look at areas where efficiencies can be gained and real-dollar expenses can be reduced. In addition to those initiatives, we anticipate very limited — or even no — salary increases for the coming fiscal year.

Throughout this challenging period, we will remain focused on student success. Our first priority at Ball State is delivering the distinctive educational experience and services our students expect. We will ensure that we do not create obstacles for students in the completion of their degrees. Our students and their parents can be reassured that their educational experiences and degree completion will be unharmed.

While we would all prefer a different situation, in comparison to others, the state and the university are well positioned to weather this storm. Times of crisis provide opportunities for improvement. I am continually impressed with the entrepreneurial spirit, teamwork, and creativity on this campus. I know together we will serve the university well through this challenging time.

Sincerely,

Jo Ann M. Gora
President

Originally Posted to BewilderedSociety.com

[SYSK] BREAKING: Stan is JoGo’s man

Will O'Hargan — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:42:15 +0000

ESPN is reporting, already, that Stan Parrish will be named as the new head coach of Ball State. This seems odd on a number of levels. First, when Tracy Roller left Ball State one of the first things we heard from Ball State to diffuse the immediate cry of ‘promote Lisa McDonald’ was that all university positions have to be posted for two weeks before a hire can be made. It smelled fishy then, and now it seems even more fishy.

The second, and perhaps most confounding thought is contract negotiations take time. Look how long it took from when Brady interviewed at San Diego to when he was named there. These things are never done overnight. This is the fastest hire I have seen in the history of hires. That means that talk–on some level–of what to offer Stan and what he would accept took place. Hell, until two days ago the word was Stan was not interested in the position. Now he’s the head coach.

This is the most bizarre thing I’ve seen from an administration that has done an overwhelming number of bizarre things in respect for athletics. Time will tell if it will pay off, but know this: Stan Parrish is not a long term answer for this program. Brady Hoke had that potential. Stan Parrish will be enough of a fix for Gora and TC to save face and move on to places closer to where they actually want to be. But what do we do then?

Originally Posted to BewilderedSociety.com

Bewildered Society » Stan Parrish

[And boom goes the dynamite!] Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na …

[ShitFanWatch] Ball State initiates hiring freeze. In related news: Who wants to be our football coach?

[SYSK] BREAKING: Stan is JoGo’s man