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(01-13-2015 12:49 AM)Smaug Wrote:  Will someone please tell me whether or not I'm supposed to be pissed at the NAS?

Their statement doesn't make any sense. "We have no confidence in Ray Watts, but we might later"?

Really?

No, it more like used to have no confidence, but now we do (for no reason at all).

Who wrote this statement? A five year old?

I have seen it mentioned and probably agree that we shouldn't lean to hard on Lucas. This may have been a calculated move on her part. If we end up getting an interim president it could well be her. Based on her history and those who know her better than me, she might be among the most likely interim candidates who is generally loyal to UAB.

(01-13-2015 12:54 AM)Blazer85 Wrote:  I have seen it mentioned and probably agree that we shouldn't lean to hard on Lucas. This may have been a calculated move on her part. If we end up getting an interim president it could well be her. Based on her history and those who know her better than me, she might be among the most likely interim candidates who is generally loyal to UAB.

Then Ms. Lucas should have said nothing.


It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. - Mr. Twain

(01-13-2015 12:54 AM)Blazer85 Wrote:  I have seen it mentioned and probably agree that we shouldn't lean to hard on Lucas. This may have been a calculated move on her part. If we end up getting an interim president it could well be her. Based on her history and those who know her better than me, she might be among the most likely interim candidates who is generally loyal to UAB.

I second this. I won't be too quick to throw Lucas under a bus either. I met her back when she was Dean of the College of Engineering! I believe if we can just figure out how to oust Watts, she would be more than happy to restore UAB Football.

Another X-Factor is that if this just drags on for 3 more weeks, PBJ, the real puppet master pulling the strings here, will be gone. He will still attempt to control with Bryant Bank, but his stranglehold will be loosened a bit.

The ultimate key to victory is if SACS comes in and axes every member of the BOT that has anything to do with Bryant Bank once PBJ is gone. That would be...

I have heard that Linda Lucas is expected to announce the creation of a vice provost of student affairs position tomorrow to assuage the USGA.

That committee Watts put together last Friday is a pure stalling tactic. A real committee would be given the authority to create it's own report on the direction and value of the eliminated teams. The entire story behind the process of the Carr Report should be placed within the bounds of the committee.

A review of the Carr report at this time is about as stupid as giving a committee 3 months to determine if a car that was struck by a freight train has sustained any damage. Duh! Some things are so evident that they need no long drawn out analysis.

I can only hope that the committee ignores its limited mission parameters and goes "all in" in a quest for the truth.

The NAS needs to understand that their role right now is in stating the obvious and that is that 99% of UAB Alumni are mad as hell at Ray Watts and probably over 95% want football.

Watts is uhhh, kinda sorta the president, but is there a vice president?

Look at the contingency plan here. If Watts is removed and Linda slides up to be President, would that person become the old VPSA? I somehow doubt that instituting a Vice Provost of Student Affairs is going to turn the USGA away from the No Confidence vote. I don't see Watts winning that battle. The Faculty Senate, on the other hand...

(01-13-2015 01:23 AM)EnviroBlazerD Wrote:  

(01-13-2015 12:54 AM)Blazer85 Wrote:  I have seen it mentioned and probably agree that we shouldn't lean to hard on Lucas. This may have been a calculated move on her part. If we end up getting an interim president it could well be her. Based on her history and those who know her better than me, she might be among the most likely interim candidates who is generally loyal to UAB.

I second this. I won't be too quick to throw Lucas under a bus either. I met her back when she was Dean of the College of Engineering! I believe if we can just figure out how to oust Watts, she would be more than happy to restore UAB Football.

Another X-Factor is that if this just drags on for 3 more weeks, PBJ, the real puppet master pulling the strings here, will be gone. He will still attempt to control with Bryant Bank, but his stranglehold will be loosened a bit.

The ultimate key to victory is if SACS comes in and axes every member of the BOT that has anything to do with Bryant Bank once PBJ is gone. That would be...

The best thing is for a no confidence vote from all groups and then have Watts spit in our faces. When that happens the focus will turn from putting down the mad dog (Watts) toward the mad dog's owner (the BOT). Based on everything Watts is telling the news media it appears he is going to give us just what we need.

Watts is uhhh, kinda sorta the president, but is there a vice president?

Look at the contingency plan here. If Watts is removed and Linda slides up to be President, would that person become the old VPSA? I somehow doubt that instituting a Vice Provost of Student Affairs is going to turn the USGA away from the No Confidence vote. I don't see Watts winning that battle. The Faculty Senate, on the other hand...

(01-13-2015 12:54 AM)Blazer85 Wrote:  I have seen it mentioned and probably agree that we shouldn't lean to hard on Lucas. This may have been a calculated move on her part. If we end up getting an interim president it could well be her. Based on her history and those who know her better than me, she might be among the most likely interim candidates who is generally loyal to UAB.

Lucas is the University Provost. What did you expect her to say, "My boss is a friggin' idiot and everyone on campus hates his guts."?

She's playing the good soldier. If anything, she kind of overpraised him. You could tell shw was laying it on a stroke or two thick. It reminded me of Garrison and her "We hired the very best football coach we could have."


Don Hire and Wes Smith announced that Frank Messina was being added to the committee, which absolutely should have been true from the start and has been corrected. Hire also said that he wanted the Collat School of Business to do the analysis of the numbers, both to save money and because we had a fine school and faculty and it just made sense.

These things made me feel much better about that committee immediately.

(01-13-2015 02:06 AM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  

(01-13-2015 12:54 AM)Blazer85 Wrote:  I have seen it mentioned and probably agree that we shouldn't lean to hard on Lucas. This may have been a calculated move on her part. If we end up getting an interim president it could well be her. Based on her history and those who know her better than me, she might be among the most likely interim candidates who is generally loyal to UAB.

Lucas is the University Provost. What did you expect her to say, "My boss is a friggin' idiot and everyone on campus hates his guts."?

She's playing the good soldier. If anything, she kind of overpraised him. You could tell shw was laying it on a stroke or two thick. It reminded me of Garrison and her "We hired the very best football coach we could have."


Don Hire and Wes Smith announced that Frank Messina was being added to the committee, which absolutely should have been true from the start and has been corrected. Hire also said that he wanted the Collat School of Business to do the analysis of the numbers, both to save money and because we had a fine school and faculty and it just made sense.

These things made me feel much better about that committee immediately.

These are steps in the right direction. But why were most members told about this the day of (per Don Hire)? it just seems a little too convenient for me.

The NAS statement was clearly written in a very specific way to indicate a compromise between different (and very divergent viewpoints) there were clearly some people on both sides of the fence concerning Watts and this convuloted statement reveals an attempt to appeal to both of those sides.

(01-13-2015 03:06 AM)TPBlaze84 Wrote:  The NAS statement was clearly written in a very specific way to indicate a compromise between different (and very divergent viewpoints) there were clearly some people on both sides of the fence concerning Watts and this convuloted statement reveals an attempt to appeal to both of those sides.

It was not clearly written.

(01-13-2015 01:46 AM)EnviroBlazerD Wrote:  I somehow doubt that instituting a Vice Provost of Student Affairs is going to turn the USGA away from the No Confidence vote.

Did you read the report from the USGA? They are not satisfied with a Vice Provost. They want a Vice President of Student Affairs. They viewed it as an insult to have somebody underneath the Provost to handle Student Affairs as it just added another middle-man to the equation. They can already go to the Provost...they want a direct line to the President.

(01-13-2015 03:06 AM)TPBlaze84 Wrote:  The NAS statement was clearly written in a very specific way to indicate a compromise between different (and very divergent viewpoints) there were clearly some people on both sides of the fence concerning Watts and this convuloted statement reveals an attempt to appeal to both of those sides.

No, it wasn't clearly written.

Time to take down the NAS as well.

(01-13-2015 08:00 AM)the_blazerman Wrote:  

(01-13-2015 03:06 AM)TPBlaze84 Wrote:  The NAS statement was clearly written in a very specific way to indicate a compromise between different (and very divergent viewpoints) there were clearly some people on both sides of the fence concerning Watts and this convuloted statement reveals an attempt to appeal to both of those sides.

No, it wasn't clearly written.

Time to take down the NAS as well.

The National Alumni Society is in dire need of reform and more power. At Auburn the NAS is involved in interviewing Trustees and University Presidents.

(01-13-2015 01:20 AM)BlazerPhil Wrote:  

(01-13-2015 12:54 AM)Blazer85 Wrote:  I have seen it mentioned and probably agree that we shouldn't lean to hard on Lucas. This may have been a calculated move on her part. If we end up getting an interim president it could well be her. Based on her history and those who know her better than me, she might be among the most likely interim candidates who is generally loyal to UAB.

Then Ms. Lucas should have said nothing.


It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. - Mr. Twain

Precisely why I say this could have been a calculated move. If she is out publicly defending Watts, this makes her an easier choice for interim president of Watts is ousted by the BOT. The BOT is much less likely to take a chance on Lucas as interim president if she sits silently and does not declare a position and certainly unlikely to select her if she is publicly critical of Watts decision.

(01-12-2015 11:55 PM)PTBlazer Wrote:  

(01-12-2015 11:44 PM)Blazer85 Wrote:  Shouldn't be a huge surprise if Wes said he was proud of Watts after the decision to review the numbers. Newsflash, Wes... We shouldn't be reviewing numbers. We shouldn't even have to be justifying something that an overwhelming majority of major stakeholders support.

You know what Blazer? I respect you, I really do. But I have no idea how someone who joined the NAS two days ago gets off talking about what "an overwhelming majority of major stakeholders support." I can assure you with great confidence that the "major stakeholders" in any way you want to define that are members of the NAS. And have been for a very long time.

Wes Smith has supported this University with his time, money, and energy for many years. He deserves the right and opportunity to have his voice heard, and I don't disagree that reviewing the numbers is something to be proud of. It's a start.

What more do you want, a lynch mob? The only way you get football, or board independence, or shared governance or anything else you believe is important is to get involved in the process in a manner which encourages intelligent conversation.

Well let me state my opinion... And I didn't join 2 days ago. I am a life member and I have given this University my time, money, and energy for many years. This board clearly went against the will of the alumni. The 2 day members and all the Life Members that were present. Our mandate was clear, our voices were united, but this board failed to act. So when it's time to clean house or start anew... This graduate will take action. The only reason that review committee was formed was to prevent the no-votes coming up. So far so good Ray. But the Alumni will not be distracted, today we continue to ask the USGA & Faculty to do the right thing. Then we will be back to clean up the NAS!

Vice President > Vice Provost

I didn't read anything Lucas' statement said that directly contradicted anything Gauld's said.