mbBear said:
calumnus said:
oskidunker said:
Well I don't hate Republicans although it is puzzling why so many don't want the vaccine. It is strange that Cal would hire a conservative AD.He is a nice guy trying to do the best he can given all the constraints of Cal.I agree hiring Fox was rushed and poorly thought out. Very puzzling.
Sometimes a new AD wants his or her own football and basketball coaches, aka, Bockrath. We can only hopea critical review of Fox happens , if there is a change in the AD.
Yes, he seems like a nice guy. Earnest, and I am sure he is very organized and a competent bureaucrat. Just a fish out of water and a very puzzling choice to head the Cal AD at this point in time.
And yet, accomplished more with the administration (so far) than no one who comes to mind? The grad program was whined about in how many threads here but than glossed over when the right guy comes along and gets it done.
Maybe we have had too many who were comfortable as fish in the water....And who is your fav AD who also got millions for the Field Hockey team along with getting our most famous husband/wife alums to donate so we can reach the finish line with the softball field?
The graduate program is an accomplishment of the bureaucracy. Knowlton had no authority to implement it, only Christ could. Knowlton does not oversee any academic programs. Does it exist because he effectively lobbied Christ and the academic side for it? Sure, I'll buy that.
However, if comparing him to prior ADs lobbying their respective Chancellors, I think you have to take into the receptivity of the audience.
From all accounts Christ is very receptive to promoting Cal athletics and has made a number of budget moves that have greatly benefited the AD's finances even at a time when declining attendance and revenues and declining donations (despite a booming tech stock market and unprecedented wealth among Cal alums) would have otherwise put it deep in the red. The amount the university (and tax payers) subsidizes the Cal AD has increased greatly under Knowlton. That can be seen as both a positive for Knowlton and a negative for Knowlton. She made the biggest change (the CMS debt) before she even hired Knowlton.
I have no doubt Knowlton is a competent, hard working bureaucrat. The grad program is good. It can help keep 5th year seniors at Cal and help recruit 5th year seniors from other schools as grad transfers. It is definitely an accomplishment.
However, I think the long term strength of Cal athletics is going to be based on generating revenues from winning revenue sports programs and marketing them effectively, including through new media deals, apparel deals and innovation. It requires a vision for the Cal brand which requires a knowledge and love for what makes Cal unique and hiring coaches who fit that vision. Then generating the excitement around what you are doing to allow you to approach the many wealthy Cal alums who have never donated before and have them buy in to that vision and make the donations necessary to implement that vision.
