Unfortunately a lot of damage has been done that will take awhile to repair. They better knock it out of the park with the next hire.

I lay this completely at the feet of the regents.

At least now, hopefully, they've learned a valuable lesson.

Can't be overstated how much the new tax laws affected donations recently. But yeah, he did not do any favors with big-time donors.

Good riddance to a disaster that should never have been hired.


Can't be overstated how much the new tax laws affected donations recently. But yeah, he did not do any favors with big-time donors.

Unless every other school in the state has had the same donation issues then yes, it absolutely can be overstated.

Good riddance to a disaster that should never have been hired.



Unless every other school in the state has had the same donation issues then yes, it absolutely can be overstated.

Nationally, giving to universities was up 7.8% fiscal yr. 2018. Gallogly believed his own bs that a school was same as a business and that he could bamboozle givers like ceos do stockholders.

his 1 year at the helm was unbelievably successfull .... he has righted the ship financially and put OU on a great path .. he has also increased reasearch funding and donations (and no longer has the university lying to ratings boards about donation rates)

Even thought he was widely disliked, he may have been the medicine the university needed to help re-arrange the house before a more permanent president could come in. Now the new president (probably another old white guy) can come in and gets a bit of a pass comparatively. Of course, the new pres has as much of a chance of hosing things up as they do of improving. We'll see.

Some of the things Boren pushed so hard for, didn't really matter, but they made him feel good. Like the National Merit Scholar thing. It really didn't impact enrollment to any degree and so what was the point? It didn't raise the overall GPA. It did, however, eat up a lot of scholarship money. I did agree that all the cultural exchange stuff was important but in order to require those credits, then they had to not require others. Again, not that im against it, by why should they not have to take both pre and post civil war history of their own country but have to take 15 hours of foreign language? It'll will be interesting to see what choices the new person makes and if they have any pet projects that affect the campus as well? That foreign language thing helped expand the languages departments and thus gave the GTAs in that department better opportunities to help cover more of their expenses. Just some thoughts.

Unfortunately a lot of damage has been done that will take awhile to repair. They better knock it out of the park with the next hire.

i still firmly believe that the damage that was done was told to be done... when he was announced i said he would be here two years tops, and was only brought in to be the face of the changes that the Board of Regents wanted to make. just didn't think it would only be one year

I hope for an open and transparent selection of the next president. Boomer Sooner.

I hope for an open and transparent selection of the next president. Boomer Sooner.

Well said.

Also, does @soonerheart delete his/her account now? I predict silence.

his 1 year at the helm was unbelievably successfull .... he has righted the ship financially and put OU on a great path .. he has also increased reasearch funding and donations (and no longer has the university lying to ratings boards about donation rates)

Nice spin

Lots of unbelievably successful people quit after 10 months. :rolleyes:

his 1 year at the helm was unbelievably successfull .... he has righted the ship financially and put OU on a great path .. he has also increased reasearch funding and donations (and no longer has the university lying to ratings boards about donation rates)
lulz. That's why he's quitting 10 months in.

it not like he needed or needs this or any job ... he was brought in to fix a bunch of things that were very broken at the university ... and he has done that ... i would expect his replacement to continue most of what he has started /accomplished

Turnaround leaders are always criticized during the process: He's moving too quickly, too slowly, making the wrong cuts, too many, too few. Jim Gallogly moved quickly, decisively and with transparency. Some terminated employees became vocal and threatened to sue. The unrelated (not Gallogly's fault) racist incidents were handled openly. The unrelated Boren accusation(s) resulted in an investigation. Although budget cuts were necessary, they received more public criticism than support. And overall support by the Regents was insufficient. Time will tell whether or not he was the right guy doing the right things, but I don't blame him one bit for leaving.

lulz. That's why he's quitting 10 months in.

With his net worth, he did not need this job. As soon as it got to be too much of a headache, he decided to leave. Can't fault him for that. What he did while on the job, sure. But he did not need the low 6-figure income for this job. He is worth a ton of money.

^

People take and stay on jobs for many reasons other than money.

Power and perceived importance, principally.

^

People take and stay on jobs for many reasons other than money.

Power and perceived importance, principally.

or in this case the love for a university that was in bad shape

Gets hired.

Immediately misleads the public about the financial situation at OU.

Personally attacks his predecessor in public.

lays off the groundskeepers in the name of fiscal responsibility.

Creates animosity toward the faculty and student body.

Tanks the amount of donations coming to the university.

Brings a ton of negative press to the university.

Dips out after 10 months.

Yea, not sure i would call that a great success.

Immediately misleads the public about the financial situation at OU.


i'll agree with all of the others, and i don't think Gallogly was perhaps the best person for the job... but i know several people who work specifically with University finances who would state that this one wasn't as misleading as some people would like to think.

Gets hired.

Immediately misleads the public about the financial situation at OU.

Personally attacks his predecessor in public.

lays off the groundskeepers in the name of fiscal responsibility.

Creates animosity toward the faculty and student body.

Tanks the amount of donations coming to the university.

Brings a ton of negative press to the university.

Dips out after 10 months.

Yea, not sure i would call that a great success.

!!!!!

i'll agree with all of the others, and i don't think Gallogly was perhaps the best person for the job... but i know several people who work specifically with University finances who would state that this one wasn't as misleading as some people would like to think.
My friends that work for the University would also corroborate this version of events.

I guess I missed his quote from March (or April) as quoted by Oklahoman today - "I thought this would be an easy job and I wouldn't work long hours. Boy, was i wrong."

I am sure he had no idea about some of the issues he'd face, but you have to anticipate a lot of work as a the President of a large public university. Maybe that was tongue in cheek.

Also thought his speech Friday night was interesting (in hindsight) - he talked about the fact he was essentially completing his "Freshman year" as President and all the graduates were completing their 4 or more years at the University and he seemed to say he was looking forward to ongoing work. I wouldn't expect him to address retirement in that setting but his forward looking comments seem a little surprising.

Regardless, been a rough 10 months no matter how you cut it.

^

I wouldn't be surprised if that almost immediately after commencement he was given a 'retire or be fired' ultimatum.

Clearly, something big changed very recently.

Can you imagine how hard it will be to hire the NEXT president?

I believe we will see Kyle Harper take over as interim President in the upcoming couple of months.

I believe we will see Kyle Harper take over as interim President in the upcoming couple of months.
This would make sense.

It's unfortunate that OU lost Daniel Pullin to TCU recently as he was in consideration the first time.

Can you imagine how hard it will be to hire the NEXT president?

Probably not hard at all assuming they get someone from academia somewhere as opposed to an unprepared businessman. Universities change presidents all the time, it doesn't tend to be a big drama filled event unless the selection committee chooses poorly.

Probably not hard at all assuming they get someone from academia somewhere as opposed to an unprepared businessman. Universities change presidents all the time, it doesn't tend to be a big drama filled event unless the selection committee chooses poorly.

I'd like to see someone connected to the legislature step in to address state funding problems. What's T.W. Shannon up to these days?

I'd like to see someone connected to the legislature step in to address state funding problems. What's T.W. Shannon up to these days?

Hes in banking. You think he would help restore more funding? He was all about massive budget cuts and tax cuts when he was speaker.

Hes in banking. You think he would help restore more funding? He was all about massive budget cuts and tax cuts when he was speaker.
Yeah, Shannon makes no sense. He was all about cutting budgets as a state legislator.

Yeah, Shannon makes no sense. He was all about cutting budgets as a state legislator.

He was/is a Republican. That's kind of the gig.

What a relief that this vile nutcase is going to be GingTFO soon. What a disastrous hire. A petty, vindictive corporate shill who doesn't even understand how universities are financed.

I LOL'd at the defensive, pathetic press release he issued on Sunday evening of MOTHER's DAY. He claims that he "saved" $47 million. And yet, his subpar fundraising caused donations to OU to decline by a much greater number. Typical creative accounting tricks of a swindling oilie.

I love how he used the term "false narrative" to describe the very true narrative that he was out to get Boren from the get go. He went after him before he even assumed the job. How would that be considered a "false narrative?" Being a Trumper, that is the nicest euphemism he could find for Trumpy's "fake news."

What an arrogant, classless clown. The news release is the coup de grace that best represents the nasty vindictiveness of this talentless sh-tstain.

I never thought I would see the day in which I would wish we could have Richard Van Horn back in charge. Things are so bad, that day is now. Good riddance to Glugly.

Thanks for the beer at the OU games, tho.

Even thought he was widely disliked, he may have been the medicine the university needed to help re-arrange the house before a more permanent president could come in. Now the new president (probably another old white guy) can come in and gets a bit of a pass comparatively. Of course, the new pres has as much of a chance of hosing things up as they do of improving. We'll see.

Some of the things Boren pushed so hard for, didn't really matter, but they made him feel good. Like the National Merit Scholar thing. It really didn't impact enrollment to any degree and so what was the point? It didn't raise the overall GPA. It did, however, eat up a lot of scholarship money. I did agree that all the cultural exchange stuff was important but in order to require those credits, then they had to not require others. Again, not that im against it, by why should they not have to take both pre and post civil war history of their own country but have to take 15 hours of foreign language? It'll will be interesting to see what choices the new person makes and if they have any pet projects that affect the campus as well? That foreign language thing helped expand the languages departments and thus gave the GTAs in that department better opportunities to help cover more of their expenses. Just some thoughts.

Boren made OU a world-class, tier-one institution with a billion dollar endowment. Glugly issued press releases and got beer at football games.

Glugly made OU look like a national joke in less than a year, and tanked our fundraising. Facts are important.

Glugly makes Schnellenberger look like a good hire.

Boren made OU a world-class, tier-one institution with a billion dollar endowment. Glugly issued press releases and got beer at football games.

Glugly made OU look like a national joke in less than a year, and tanked our fundraising. Facts are important.

Glugly makes Schnellenberger look like a good hire.

+1

Even if you didnt like the guy, name-calling is silly and pointless. Plus, it's petty, and pettiness never looks good on anyone. Just be glad he is gone and move on to the next person to bag on.

Boren made OU a world-class, tier-one institution with a billion dollar endowment. Glugly issued press releases and got beer at football games.

Glugly made OU look like a national joke in less than a year, and tanked our fundraising. Facts are important.

Glugly makes Schnellenberger look like a good hire.

and yet not of these are remotely FACTS

and yet not of these are remotely FACTS

Except for how they are all true?

I'd like to see someone connected to the legislature step in to address state funding problems. What's T.W. Shannon up to these days?

T.W. Shannon? Hard pass. Failed tea party candidate from Lawton with a communications degree from Cameron University and a JD from OCU. These credentials don't come close to what we should expect from a President of the University of Oklahoma.

As a general rule, if you can't get in to OU you shouldn't be given the keys.

Rumor mill says Mike Turpen will be a candidate. I'm not commenting on the merits of that suggestion - just that I've heard it. I think it is certain Harroz will throw his hat in the ring considering he did so last time and continues to see success at OU Law (one area where fundraising wasn't totally tanked in 2019)

T.W. Shannon? Hard pass. Failed tea party candidate from Lawton with a communications degree from Cameron University and a JD from OCU. These credentials don't come close to what we should expect from a President of the University of Oklahoma.

As a general rule, if you can't get in to OU you shouldn't be given the keys.

Cameron is an OU associated college...along with Rogers State. At least know that much before ripping someone. The same regents approve everything for the 3 colleges.

Cameron is an OU associated college...along with Rogers State. At least know that much before ripping someone. The same regents approve everything for the 3 colleges.

Am aware. Are you suggesting that Cameron and Rose State have the same bar to entry as OU? Cause that's my point.

Compare ACT entry requirements and you'll see what I mean.

Even if you didnt like the guy, name-calling is silly and pointless. Plus, it's petty, and pettiness never looks good on anyone. Just be glad he is gone and move on to the next person to bag on.

Some call it petty, some call it presidential

Am aware. Are you suggesting that Cameron and Rose State have the same bar to entry as OU? Cause that's my point.

Compare ACT entry requirements and you'll see what I mean.

Suggesting someone went to these schools because they couldn't get into OU is a big assumption. People go to different schools for different reasons. Cost savings, distance, prefer smaller school, scholarships, programs, etc. I am more concerned with what they have accomplished after leaving school.

Suggesting someone went to these schools because they couldn't get into OU is a big assumption. People go to different schools for different reasons. Cost savings, distance, prefer smaller school, scholarships, programs, etc. I am more concerned with what they have accomplished after leaving school.

That is fair. I am making a big assumption and it is an unfair one. (I'll leave the comment but I'm abandoning it) That said, T.W. Shannon's resume is not of the caliber I would expect for a job as prestigious as the Presidency of the University of Oklahoma. I'd prefer someone who knows or has worked in higher education. If we want to search outside of higher ed management and bring in a politician, he or she better be a noteworthy politician with a long history of success.

All of that said, When the Regents brought in Gallogly one of their loudest reasons was that he was "home-grown" insofar as he went to the OU College of Law. They made this statement to defend his hiring against others not chosen.

When I hear about people OU was seeking out -Condoleezza Rice, the guy from Stanford, former Governors, etc. I can't help but feel that T.W. Shannon's resume pales in comparison. An unsuccessful bid against Tom Cole? Heck, OU was considering Tom Cole. If Tom was interested he'd be a great get.

Rumor mill says Mike Turpen will be a candidate. I'm not commenting on the merits of that suggestion - just that I've heard it. I think it is certain Harroz will throw his hat in the ring considering he did so last time and continues to see success at OU Law (one area where fundraising wasn't totally tanked in 2019)

Harroz would be a good choice.

Probably not hard at all assuming they get someone from academia somewhere as opposed to an unprepared businessman. Universities change presidents all the time, it doesn't tend to be a big drama filled event unless the selection committee chooses poorly.

Not necessarily true.

You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks Burns Hargis hasn’t been a grand slam for OSU.

It’s more on Gallogy than stupid business guys.

That is fair. I am making a big assumption and it is an unfair one. (I'll leave the comment but I'm abandoning it) That said, T.W. Shannon's resume is not of the caliber I would expect for a job as prestigious as the Presidency of the University of Oklahoma. I'd prefer someone who knows or has worked in higher education. If we want to search outside of higher ed management and bring in a politician, he or she better be a noteworthy politician with a long history of success.

All of that said, When the Regents brought in Gallogly one of their loudest reasons was that he was "home-grown" insofar as he went to the OU College of Law. They made this statement to defend his hiring against others not chosen.

When I hear about people OU was seeking out -Condoleezza Rice, the guy from Stanford, former Governors, etc. I can't help but feel that T.W. Shannon's resume pales in comparison. An unsuccessful bid against Tom Cole? Heck, OU was considering Tom Cole. If Tom was interested he'd be a great get.

My comment was just to the school choice. I was not impressed with Shannon when he was in the legislature and agree that he may not be qualified based on his accomplishments.

Not necessarily true.

You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks Burns Hargis hasn’t been a grand slam for OSU.

It’s more on Gallogy than stupid business guys.

Burns has been awesome.

Hargis was a former regent for the OSU system.

Very, very different than someone like Gallogly who had zero educational management experience of any kind.

Harroz would be a good choice.

I had always heard Boren was grooming Harroz for the position. I think he would do a good job, but if the regents are distancing themselves from Boren I wonder if that will hurt Harroz's chances to the extent that Harroz was Boren's "guy" for the job.

I had always heard Boren was grooming Harroz for the position. I think he would do a good job, but if the regents are distancing themselves from Boren I wonder if that will hurt Harroz's chances to the extent that Harroz was Boren's "guy" for the job.

that most certionally hurt him the last time around

i'll agree with all of the others, and i don't think Gallogly was perhaps the best person for the job... but i know several people who work specifically with University finances who would state that this one wasn't as misleading as some people would like to think.

I know a few people in the accounting/finance departments and they 100% would agree with your statement about financial part.

^

Even if there were serious financial issues, that is also at the feet of the regents.

That financial responsibility is the most important part of their oversight and they have to review and approve all budgets, contracts and major expenditures.


Why is any/all blame constantly aimed at Boren instead of Clay Bennett & Co.?

^

Even if there were serious financial issues, that is also at the feet of the regents.

That financial responsibility is the most important part of their oversight and they have to review and approve all budgets, contracts and major expenditures.


Why is any/all blame constantly aimed at Boren instead of Clay Bennett & Co.?

You are not wrong.

I will say though, Regents normally have other full-time jobs, so they rely heavily on those in the trenches for info. If those providing the info aren't getting them the proper info, that is on those with hiring ability. The regents don't hire a ton of staff at colleges. So it goes to the top, the president, who is the top hiring authority for most at the college.

You are not wrong.

I will say though, Regents normally have other full-time jobs, so they rely heavily on those in the trenches for info. If those providing the info aren't getting them the proper info, that is on those with hiring ability. The regents don't hire a ton of staff at colleges. So it goes to the top, the president, who is the top hiring authority for most at the college.

No different than any Board of Directors.

And that defense does not fly when the crap comes down in a court of law.

Why is any/all blame constantly aimed at Boren instead of Clay Bennett & Co.?

i'm not. i think both have been at fault, i'm not going to give Boren a pass on it. and like i said when Gallogly first got hired, i think he was brought in specifically to make the deep cuts the Board felt needed to be done to get back on track.

i have much more faith in their ability to hopefully move forward with a much better choice for president. they got lazy under boren, and just let him do whatever he wanted financially, and they finally woke up and realized a change was needed. brought in a fall guy, and now are in a much better financial place

I don't think the budget is nearly as bad as the news would have you believe. It's been said before in this thread, but when you compare OU's budget and debt status with other like-kind state universities you'll see it's quite average.

If I were wearing a tin-foil hat I'd suggest that the BoR was *done* with Boren and a select few people schemed a way to get him to resign by building a narrative that the University was a sinking ship. Then, they hired Jim Gallogly to come in and make cuts. This plan clearly went terribly.

It will be telling to hear if the BoR now start saying that the finances have been corrected despite the fact that fundraising was WAY down this year.

Either way, the job is a lot less attractive than it was before Gallogly came in.

Not necessarily true.

You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks Burns Hargis hasn’t been a grand slam for OSU.

It’s more on Gallogy than stupid business guys.

That's fair.


Hargis was a former regent for the OSU system.

Very, very different than someone like Gallogly who had zero educational management experience of any kind.

On the other hand though, so is this.

Ya - If I were a betting man I would put some money on the BoR being very fractured at the moment. Not a situation that most potential presidents with a lot of options would want to walk in to.

I don't think the budget is nearly as bad as the news would have you believe. It's been said before in this thread, but when you compare OU's budget and debt status with other like-kind state universities you'll see it's quite average.

If I were wearing a tin-foil hat I'd suggest that the BoR was *done* with Boren and a select few people schemed a way to get him to resign by building a narrative that the University was a sinking ship. Then, they hired Jim Gallogly to come in and make cuts. This plan clearly went terribly.

It will be telling to hear if the BoR now start saying that the finances have been corrected despite the fact that fundraising was WAY down this year.

Either way, the job is a lot less attractive than it was before Gallogly came in.
It is not unusual for governing boards to hire someone because of their powerful personality and ability to get things done and then fire them because they have a powerful personality and get things done. The BoR couldn't control Boren and he was a moderate in a hard Tea Party state who wouldn't succumb to right wing political agendas. The Gaylords wanted to control OU like Boone does at OSU, but Boren didn't fit their political or social ideal. Once Bennett took over Boren was a cooked goose.

BTW, Burns is a died in the wool hard right Republican banker backed by an even farther right Boone Pickens. OSU finances get overlooked.