Memo to former Vandy Prez, Gee...

[orange+white=heaven]

...You now lead a scool that actually HAS an athletic department!

Gordon Gee, formerly of Vandy athletics department reform fame, is now winning friends by the bucket load at Ohio State it seems...

AOL sports: Is Gee Good For OSU football?

"I have zero tolerance for those who do not live by the rules of the university or by the rules of the organizing body," Gee said in an interview Friday. "It's very important for us to set a very high standard for ourselves."​

Could you imagine an Ohio State the last few years without Troy Smith? Gee might have made it possible after Troy Smith ran into hot water for taking money from a booster several years back. Then there's the whole Maurice Clarett thing. Or Louis Irizarry. Like any big program the Buckeyes get a handful of bad apples. However, the new prez may not be in the mood for giving many second chances.​

From an OSU blog, Around the Oval....

But in terms of "sensible policies," Gee isn't off to a very good start. From the article:

. . . he also promised a "zero tolerance" policy for player misbehavior. . . .


See, I have this condition. Whenever I see "zero tolerance," I read "dumb." People make mistakes; they frequently deserve second chances after they do. They usually don't deserve harsh penalties for minor mistakes. Young college students are more prone to mistakes than a lot of people. It would seem, therefore, that a zero tolerance policy for college students would be an especially bad idea. Furthermore, is it right to hold student-athletes to a higher standard than the rest of the student body, especially if you'd like to de-emphasize the importance of athletics?

Good Luck with Mr. Gee, Buckeye nation...

 

[cd12]

he already has Bobby Johnson and Kevin Stallings on his wish list.....good news is... he doesn't have to replace the womens bball coach!

 

[orange+white=heaven]

Priority #1... NCAA bowling title.

 

[Lexvol]

This may be the perfect sequel to Somethings Gotta Give

 

[cd12]

Priority #1... NCAA bowling title.

you mean skeeball!

 

[Heebs]

When did Gee go from Vandy to OSU?

 

[cotton]

You know, looking back at his tenure at Vandy, I'm not sure why there is all of the fuss over this guy. Vandy promoted him as something Messianic, and now Ohio St has stolen him away.

Is Vandy a better undergraduate school since his arrival? I don't think so.

Are the graduate programs higher ranked? No.

Has he brought a ton of money into the school? I'm not really sure when Bronson Ingram died, but even if it was during Gee's tenure, he didn't have a lot to do with it.

Are the athletic programs better? I would suggest, when taken as a whole, they are not appreciably different.

The guy did a lot of strange stuff that was covered in the regional media, but I'm not convinced he did anything at Vandy other than maintain the status quo. Why would OSU be so hot and bothered to hire the guy back? Is it the bow tie?

 

[orange+white=heaven]

When did Gee go from Vandy to OSU?

in answer...

An interesting development for college football took place last week, but you wouldn't have heard about it from reading the sports page: The Ohio State University named its new president. Why this is noteworthy: Because the president in question is none other than the well-traveled Dr. Gordon Gee, formerly Ohio State's president from 1990-97 and, most recently, the chancellor of Vanderbilt.

This is SI's Mandel's article, which is actually the best read on the topic.

LINK

 

[orange+white=heaven]

You know, looking back at his tenure at Vandy, I'm not sure why there is all of the fuss over this guy. Vandy promoted him as something Messianic, and now Ohio St has stolen him away.

Is Vandy a better undergraduate school since his arrival? I don't think so.

Are the graduate programs higher ranked? No.

Has he brought a ton of money into the school? I'm not really sure when Bronson Ingram died, but even if it was during Gee's tenure, he didn't have a lot to do with it.

Are the athletic programs better? I would suggest, when taken as a whole, they are not appreciably different.

The guy did a lot of strange stuff that was covered in the regional media, but I'm not convinced he did anything at Vandy other than maintain the status quo. Why would OSU be so hot and bothered to hire the guy back? Is it the bow tie?

Nice points all...

I think there was some actual thought at OSU that this was a hire that could lend some instant cred to OSU's bruised reputation as a standup program.

That said, it would become a hire that was made to appeal to a perception, rather than further institutional growth. Murky reasoning at best, I think...