R. Gerald Turner: Friend or Enemy?

[NavyCrimson]

OK Samurai, you convinced me. Yes, we're in trouble.

[tristatecoog]

Hmm. I just remember him going in past years. Maybe he's smarter than I thought. j/k

On LCU, I didn't say he was a really good hoops player, but he probably has some latent interest in athletics and the sport. As you can tell from his education, he was raised in the Church of Christ. Is the UT president overly supportive of athletics?

How much has GT hindered, or helped, the AD? Didn't he hire Orsini? Fans didn't seem to like Steve until JJ was hired. The main thing to me is that academic rankings keep going up. Athletics seem on a strong glide path as well, except for men's basketball but a lot of pieces are in place there.

[RGV Pony]

I've got a few friends that went to LCU, and I'm sure it's a fine school. My only point was maybe that would be something that could later lead to not placing a premium on the importance of a thriving football program. I could be wrong. Unlike you, aside from the niceties of respond emails and hello etc on the Blvd, I don't 'know' RGT..only what is discussed on this board and what takes place for all of us to see.

[Nacho]

frenemy
whatever suits him at the moment.

[NickSMU17]

The academic ranking has jumped more in the past 2 years than the previous of rgt's tenure combined.

This is because us news and reports places a heavy emphasis on alumni giving and acceptance rates. These have both risen because of success on the football field.

Rgt has had very little to do with this. He took a stance very early that it was big donors or bust, and negated the influenece of smaller donators.

Not to mention smu had slipped in the ratings during rgt's tenure. You can call him what you want but, He is more replaceable than Jj by a long way...

I have been involved with this for the past couple of years and had family involved with turner's sometimes elitist decision making.

[Water Pony]

GT is incredibly smart, very fair and ethical (balanced) and is well informed and involved in what goes on. SMU is fortunate to have him at the helm.

Tristatecoog is closer to the reality of things and what Turner's contributions have been to SMU from academics to athletics to advancing the future of SMU. Most of these posts are cynical, rather than factual.

[Big Al]

GT is incredibly smart, very fair and ethical (balanced) and is well informed and involved in what goes on. SMU is fortunate to have him at the helm.

Tristatecoog is closer to the reality of things and what Turner's contributions have been to SMU from academics to athletics to advancing the future of SMU. Most of these posts are cynical, rather than factual.

Incredibly smart? He's an empty suit, look for a camera and you'll see GT. All he and Dean Neimi want is a ranking in US News and will do anything to get it. Give Orsini credit for finally pressuring GT and the admin to change the requirements to compete on a National level.

[tristatecoog]

It sounds like Orsini is the key to SMU's athletic AND academic success. I hope he doesn't leave.

I only know Neimi from associate board functions. He seems a bit slick but I have to give him props for his leadership and the advances the Cox School has made since he's been at the helm. The recent #12 ranking has left many UT MBA grads bewildered.

[gostangs]

Turner has had nothing to do with our vastly improved rankings - if you think doubling our endowment in the last ten yrs is nothing.

and yes, athletics has helped the giving percentage go up, but lots of things contribute to that.

Come on - dont be a dolt. Turner is doing a good job. June is doing a good job. We are lucky to have both of them and they can absolutely co-exist. Sheesh - everyone on this board seems to live for the invented drama.

[Stallion]

He's been a little slow to the Parade as far as Athletics is concerned but as far as the University in the broader picture I doubt there are too many that really matter who don't think he has done an Outstanding Job. That's why is one of the highest paid Presidents in the Country. I question the perspective of anybody who can't concede he is generally popular and applauded by the SMU community at large. He's 10 times better than his predecessor.

[b_caesar]

I'm not surprised to see this tree leaning towards RGT not being as "athletics friendly" as he "should be" on this board. You'd probably find the same on an academics-related board, saying he focuses too much on athletics and not enough on academics or fundraising for their precious departmental endowments.

RGT's focus is always where it needs to be, and should be - on the University as a whole - not just on athletics or classroom amenities or endowments or alumni giving or whatever other pet project someone may have that if it doesn't happen at SMU it will be "the end of the world as we know it". He is required to balance all the aspects that are demanded from his being the President of SMU and he does it expertly. Not only is he an excellent communicator, but he's also able to perfectly judge the mood in a room before he speaks, and then nails it, every time. Yes, I'm glad he's SMU's president and it will be a sad day when he leaves. He will be long remembered as one of SMU's best presidents, I believe. Note I didn't say "loved" - clearly you can't please everyone's wants while balancing the needs of the whole in order to push it forward towards greatness. Growing pains are never easy, and he has shepherded SMU at a time when such charisma and leadership was so desperately needed. I can't think of anyone else who could have done the same, or as well as he has.

That said, yes, I would like to see SMU progress to have a consistently winning football program, but as just one tree in the vast SMU forest, it is not, and cannot be the be-all end-all to growing this University and having it achieve Tier 1, Top-50 Status, as is the oft-stated overarching goal.

[b_caesar]

Present Salaries:
Steve Orsini: $438,764
JJ: $1,205,164
Pres. Turner: $1,017,618
Lori White: $272,750

Proposition Salaries:
Steve Orsini: $1,038,764
JJ: $1,377,914
Pres. Turner: $517,618
Lori White: Fired!

Thoughts

My thought is that you missed the Daily Campus article that showed that Turner and JJ are both well over $2 mil.

And the rest of that story is that RGT's normal salary is nowhere near that. It was a one-time only thing - an anomaly. Here's the whole article, if you're inclined:

http://www.smudailycampus.com/news/turn ... -1.1729048

[Samurai Stang]

RGT's focus is always where it needs to be, and should be - on the University as a whole - not just on athletics or classroom amenities or endowments or alumni giving or whatever other pet project someone may have that if it doesn't happen at SMU it will be "the end of the world as we know it". He is required to balance all the aspects that are demanded from his being the President of SMU and he does it expertly. Not only is he an excellent communicator, but he's also able to perfectly judge the mood in a room before he speaks, and then nails it, every time. Yes, I'm glad he's SMU's president and it will be a sad day when he leaves. He will be long remembered as one of SMU's best presidents, I believe. Note I didn't say "loved" - clearly you can't please everyone's wants while balancing the needs of the whole in order to push it forward towards greatness. Growing pains are never easy, and he has shepherded SMU at a time when such charisma and leadership was so desperately needed. I can't think of anyone else who could have done the same, or as well as he has.

In all of those words there is not a single fact, but only your own deep feelings of love for Turner. You treat Turner as though he were an infallible god when you say "RGT's focus is always where it needs to be." No one is so perfect. Turner is a man, and all men make mistakes. Sometimes, as with any other man, he must be alerted that he has made an error in judgment so that a correction can be made. This is such a time.

[ALEX LIFESON]

When was Lori White fired?

[couch 'em]

Let's look at his background:

Turner received an A.A. from Lubbock Christian College, and graduated from Abilene Christian University with a B.S. in Psychology in 1968.

While he later went to UT for grad school, undergrad is where athletics has by far the strongest influence on campus culture and college experience. Neither of these schools has a DIA football program.

From 1975 to 1979, he was a Professor at Pepperdine University.

Again, no DIA football.

He was the Vice-President of the University of Oklahoma from 1979 to 1984

Excellent football in this time frame at OU, but it was the Switzer era. Did Turner learn to associate winning football with cheating, rape, shooting, drugs, and the other crazy events under Switzer at OU? Did the recent academic troubles bring these fears to the surface?

Chancellor of the University of Mississippi from 1984 to 1995.

7 losing seasons, 4/5 winning seasons. Fired long-time football coach for NCAA violations.

Since 1995, he has served as the President of Southern Methodist University.

From 1995-2008 he did nothing but allow football to fail miserably. Instituted no changes required by coaches to get on even footing in recruiting. Only hired a big-name coach 2008-2010 when it was paid for by donors.

He and his wife, Gail, a native of Graham, Texas, have two married daughters. Angela, a professional opera singer; Jessica, an SMU alumna and professional actress

Daughters are an opera singer and an actress. Two professions full of people who historically are very anti-football.

NO stops where big-time football is present without recruiting violations and cheating. Quite likely he cannot separate winning DIA football from cheating and corruption.

Also head of the Knight Commission - an organization dedicated to reversing trends in major college football. He could be trying to walk-the-walk in addition to talking-the-talk on the commission.

Is Turner really a friend to football?

Bump for relevance to other thread