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We HAVE to look outside for this position, no question about it. We need a completely new perspective that will shake things up. Does anyone know Tom Barry - who is he?


SMU looks internally in AD job search

01:58 AM CST on Friday, February 24, 2006
By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News

Senior associate athletic directors Carlton Cooper and Scott Secules were asked by school officials to apply for the pending athletic director job vacancy. Jim Copeland, who currently holds the position, will retire May 31.

Tom Barry, the chairman of the search committee, said potential candidates must send their information to the Plano-based search firm of Eastman and Beaudine.

That sucks. If SMU does not go 'outside' to find a new AD, things will remain the same.

I don't think either will get the job, even though they clearly should receive significant consideration.

Do not read anything into this. Like or dislike Copeland, it would be entirely disrespectful not to invite his assistants to apply since he "resigned" for health reasons. Chill out. Either they go outside and hire a top notch individual, or we will no longer have any doubt or arguments over what direction the program is heading. Go inside and continue to debacle that has existed for the past 20 years, go outside and give us some hope to regain the past days of glory, or at least competitiveness.

Dr. Tom Barry is a Cox School marketing head, business dean, something of that sort...fairly lengthy career at SMU, was my marketing prof back in the late 70's, early 80's,,,,,,,asking those on staff to apply is simply protocol, don't blow a lid, we WILL hire someone from the outside....long live steve wilensky.

You are so cheery mrydel. How do you know just what kind of an AD one of the insiders might make? Face it, you are speculating. Give the board a chance to do their job. Let them at least interview all of the candidates. I am sure they aren't out to torpedo the SMU athletic program. How would anybody at SMU benefit from that?

Sorry Rip Van Winkle. Did not realize you just woke up.

Tom Barry is a person that can get this done insomuch as he chairs the committee. The search committee's job is to evaluate, interview, and cull candidates. The search firm's job is to find them and vet them.

This is a hiring decision. Albeit, universities are a little different...more egalitarian (or they like to think of themselves that way) and democratic, so they let more than one or two guys help form opinions. However, don't get confused that somehow alumni, student, or even faculty opinions will be the driving force over who is chosen. It is a hiring choice, and it is solely Turner's choice to make.

It does not seem to me to be particularly odd for a formal request to be made to the internal candidates to apply for the position. However, it is also a sign that there may be limited "takers" outside who might want the job. Much easier to sign an internal guy and save face than get turned down during a protracted search.

The other thing it might indicate (and unfortunately, is probably more likely) is that Copeland's health may be worse than thought, and he may not make the end of year date for his retirement. Chemo tends to do that. They would want to take a look at who could step up, and they may not want an interim in the position. Too much going on in the next 12 months to have an interim.

All good points OC but it is my understanding that the position is to be filled and the retirement offical on June 1, not year end.

OC Mustang wrote:It does not seem to me to be particularly odd for a formal request to be made to the internal candidates to apply for the position. However, it is also a sign that there may be limited "takers" outside who might want the job. Much easier to sign an internal guy and save face than get turned down during a protracted search.

I would guess we will either end up with a real successful D2 guy or someone with some connection to Turner. Turner has already built buiildings, this is a hire for his legacy at SMU. If he turns around football, we should name a building for him.

Word is that a few of SMU's top picks said ''no thanks'' That might have something to do with the recent "internal request" for applications.

tsk, tsk, tsk.....

Just because they're being asked to apply doesn't mean they'll be considered. Maybe they will, maybe they won't. Most of the people I've talked to have said almost all of the candidates are from outside SMU, but I highly doubt anything is close to being decided.

I'll bet that if they apply, they will at least be interviewed though.

Sure -- they'll undoubtedly will get interviewed. Whether or not they're actually considered as viable candidates .... who knows?