UNIVERSITY NEWS Board boosts McPhee's pay by $14,750

[SpaceRaider]

per dnj article:

Board boosts President Sidney McPhee's pay by $14,750

excerpt:

...President Sidney McPhee's annual salary climbed by 3.7% to $414,750 after a favorable performance evaluation, trustees decided Tuesday.

"We've had a good year," said Steve Smith, chairman of the Middle Tennessee State University Board of Trustees.

The decision for a raise comes during a coronavirus-impacted economic time when many workers have faced job cuts or furloughs.

McPhee previously earned $400,000 after the board raised his pay by $52,184 in March 2018. Trustees said the salary boost followed two similar raise decisions for this academic year for a university workforce of 2,550: a 1% cost-of-living pay increase to all, and an adjustment for any employee whose salary was below the recommended market level.....

 

[MTLynn]

need a dislike button

 

[Predarat]

Filing this in the "Things I WISH were April Fools Jokes but are actually real" folder.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

Not going to lie. There is another institution that I would glad-fully give my money to rather than my alma matter when I see this BS.

.

 

[TrueBlue147]

Our board is useless. There is not a true leader in the bunch, just a bunch of corrupt good ole boy yes men. He just got a raise of $52,000 two years ago and they are giving him another one now even after the failed law school debacle?!! This university is so hard to root for.

 

[MT01]

SMH

 

[sWiley]

Must be nice to make $400,000 and be absolute dog$hit at your job.

Must be a government job.

Oh wait, it is.

 

[MTLynn]

Obviously he is doing what the State wants him to do or he wouldn't have gotten a renewed contract and now a raise.

 

[SpaceRaider]

I would have wished they had given him an all expenses paid one-way ticket to his favorite international destination, China...

 

[dukewayne]

You have got to be kidding me?! Please tell me this is an April's Fools joke.

The state is facing a crisis to the point that the board could not meet in person. During this virtual meeting, they decide to give McPhee a raise?! Really? Are they all tone deaf? That just for starters. That is not even broaching the issues highlighted on here all the time.

Then to add insult to injury, they take this opportunity to approve some trustee emeritus titles for themselves.

Then, how about the we are not here to make professional athletes comment thrown in there for good measure. I could be wrong, but that struck me as a big middle finger to us disgruntled alumni demanding athletics excellence.

I never thought I'd be saying this, but all of this combined with the ongoing disregard for many of us alumni has serious thoughts and questions coming to my mind regarding the nature of my relationship with the university. I know that won't make me popular around here, but it's the truth. Most of everything the university seems to be about these days runs contrary to the ideas or values that I see as important to me.

Maybe one day under new leadership I might return with a positive attitude. Under the current circumstances, the leadership of the university is losing me.

 

[MTLynn]

Maybe one day under new leadership I might return with a positive attitude. Under the current circumstances, the leadership of the university is losing me.

When 7 wood retires, I figure his replacement will give us more of the same as the Tennessee Higher Education Commission doesn't care about MT the way we do. Most people don't care at all.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

This news makes me sad. Watching Blue Raider Football game attendance crater since 2009 has been tough to watch and for them to be dishonest with attendance numbers and turnstile counts is really disheartening. And now it has infected the men’s basketball program as well.
The BOT lost me with this.
I’m out.

 

[RaiderDawg78]

This board (board of trustees) has turned into a rubber stamp for mediocrity.

We are perpetually stuck in Little Middle leadership.

 

[MTFNBY5]

Could someone who listened tell us which member made the ". . .not here to make professional athletes . . ." comment and under what context the comment was made.
Thanks

 

[mtfblue]

Could someone who listened tell us which member made the ". . .not here to make professional athletes . . ." comment and under what context the comment was made.
Thanks

Talking about graduation rates of student athletes are high.

 

[MT01]

You have got to be kidding me?! Please tell me this is an April's Fools joke.

The state is facing a crisis to the point that the board could not meet in person. During this virtual meeting, they decide to give McPhee a raise?! Really? Are they all tone deaf? That just for starters. That is not even broaching the issues highlighted on here all the time.

Then to add insult to injury, they take this opportunity to approve some trustee emeritus titles for themselves.

Then, how about the we are not here to make professional athletes comment thrown in there for good measure. I could be wrong, but that struck me as a big middle finger to us disgruntled alumni demanding athletics excellence.

I never thought I'd be saying this, but all of this combined with the ongoing disregard for many of us alumni has serious thoughts and questions coming to my mind regarding the nature of my relationship with the university. I know that won't make me popular around here, but it's the truth. Most of everything the university seems to be about these days runs contrary to the ideas or values that I see as important to me.

Maybe one day under new leadership I might return with a positive attitude. Under the current circumstances, the leadership of the university is losing me.

I have been attacked on this very board for saying such things, so beware.

But yeah. What you said. I have been trying to sound this alarm since late 2016 about what was to come. No one listened.

 

[MT01]

Only thing I have to say -- Bad decisions spread at MT about as efficiently as COVID-19.

 

[BlueSioux]

I went down the rabbit hole for a bit on the MTSU Board of Trustee website. Donations were down over $2million between 2017/2018 and 2018/2019. Athletic Donations down nearly $1 million in this timeframe as well.

6-Year Graduation Rate of 53.33% in 2018/2019 school year, which is just embarrassing. This is just a 3% increase since the 2015-2016 year. MTSU is not exactly Harvard.

The average tenure of a College President is 6 years, with only a handful in the country have been president for nearly 20 years.
What is the board of directors seeing that I am missing?

MTSU Foundation should also be embarrassed about how relatively small donations they receive every year for a college with a large alumni pool. But, that is for another topic.

 

[dukewayne]

I have been attacked on this very board for saying such things, so beware.

But yeah. What you said. I have been trying to sound this alarm since late 2016 about what was to come. No one listened.

Seriously, how does one stay dedicated, loyal, and motivated for a school and it's sports teams when the school leadership doesn't seem to give one rip about real success. As far as I can tell, they don't even care what the few remaining caring alumni think. How long are we to continue to care and beat our head against the wall when the leadership in positions of authority just doesn't even seem to care?

It seems I'm heading to a place of returning to care when there is leadership at the university that seems to care. Sadly, I think Lynn is right. With the BOT and state officials in charge, there is a good chance the next leaders in charge will be chosen to maintain the status quo.

I'm tired of beating my head against the wall in pursuit of excellence and success when the very State that owns the university wants the school to be little more than a 2nd tier institution on the cheap that does not get any attention or otherwise interfere with the state's flagship.

From those heady days when I arrived at MT under Pres Walker, I thought the school was growing to be a state player. The years have disabused me of that notion. I guess that is why Pres Walker left right after the state shot down the name change. I guess he knew they would never allow MT to truly move to the next level. Then they placed McPhee here seemingly with a mandate to see to it that no more uprisings came out of Murfreesboro to bother the state/govt officials in Nashville.

This latest move over conference call during the state & national crisis is the final straw for me. It has become pretty clear to me that the university leadership doesn't want my real support.

Food for thought, who knows what the world will look like after this pandemic. Things could be quite different economically. Just saying it is possible that we may be living through the big changes that forces the university's hand when it comes to financing athletics. I'm not saying it will happen, but that it is now conceivable that it could happen. This could be big enough to completely realign college athletics with mid tier conferences like C-USA being left behind completely. From here, I could conceive of a scenerio where MT is back in the OVC in a couple of years. Just sayin.

 

[mtfblue]

Power 5 will split and schools that can't self sustain will be pushed down.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

Can MTSU sustain paying Stockstill big CUSA money when his biggest crowd these days are bleachers? Aluminum bleachers?

Maybe a flush and push down to OVC wouldn't be terrible.

 

[dukewayne]

Power 5 will split and schools that can't self sustain will be pushed down.

I think most would agree that your assertion is the direction that major college athletics has been headed for years. Mostly, it has been a matter of when and how that transition would occur.

Judging by the unprecedented events unfolding before our eyes, we may be witnessing the catalyzing event. The coming months will tell the story.

I think most on here have been concerned about MT poorly positioning itself with cratering attendance for whenever the catalyzing events struck. I know that is one of the main reasons I've been demanding changes and improvements so that MT would be in a better position to face the big changes. I had hoped that MT might have positioned itself to appeal to a conference like The American that might survive in major college athletics even if on the lowest rung.

So here is the rub, could anyone here really argue that current MT athletics has the support and energy to justify the financial investment or expenditures if our overall economy is necessitating a dramatic belt tightening? I don't think I could honestly make that argument. Let's be honest, a dramatic belt tightening could be an optimistic outlook.

 

[RaiderDawg78]

....So here is the rub, could anyone here really argue that current MT athletics has the support and energy to justify the financial investment or expenditures if our overall economy is necessitating a dramatic belt tightening? I don't think I could honestly make that argument. Let's be honest, a dramatic belt tightening could be an optimistic outlook.

So much of our athletic budget comes from subsidies, it does make me wonder if that cash pool will be available after this.

Maybe this will lead to a consideration of dropping back to FCS for many lower G5 schools.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

Can MTSU sustain paying Stockstill big CUSA money when his biggest crowd these days are bleachers? Aluminum bleachers?

Maybe a flush and push down to OVC wouldn't be terrible.

Good one.

 

[dukewayne]

So much of our athletic budget comes from subsidies, it does make me wonder if that cash pool will be available after this.

Maybe this will lead to a consideration of dropping back to FCS for many lower G5 schools.

Exactly what I'm suggesting. I'm not definitively predicting this to happen at this point. I am saying it is a possible scenario that could unfold with the current unprecedented events we are all living through. Frankly if things do get that bad economically, college sports will be the least of our worries.

More likely the economy struggles to come back online in the next month or two that will require people and states to do some serious belt tightening for a while. The low hanging fruit of poor performing programs in G5 conferences will likely become a easy target for budget cutbacks from their respective states.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

It is going to happen. It has already happening. Over 700,000 jobs shed just in March due to this "pandemic". Physicians are seeing a third of their patients. People are staying at home. Not working.

This will be felt by our AD and it is probably a good thing. As they hand out cigars and raises during a time such as this, the economy is going to hell.

 

[MTFNBY5]

I went down the rabbit hole for a bit on the MTSU Board of Trustee website. Donations were down over $2million between 2017/2018 and 2018/2019. Athletic Donations down nearly $1 million in this timeframe as well.

6-Year Graduation Rate of 53.33% in 2018/2019 school year, which is just embarrassing. This is just a 3% increase since the 2015-2016 year. MTSU is not exactly Harvard.

The average tenure of a College President is 6 years, with only a handful in the country have been president for nearly 20 years.
What is the board of directors seeing that I am missing?

MTSU Foundation should also be embarrassed about how relatively small donations they receive every year for a college with a large alumni pool. But, that is for another topic.

Excellent post BlueSioux: If I might make a (hopefully brief) comment on each of your four paragraphs:

Any prognostications about the upcoming effects of this crisis on athletics, colleges and universities, or society as a whole will be speculation. But one thing is certain, during times of economic stress even those fortunate not to see a decrease in their discretionary income will tighten their belts, donations to educational institutions will decrease.

As far as 6-year graduation rate is concerned. Elite (rich) schools like to tout their low admission rate, their retention rates, and their 4,5, or 6 year graduation rates. It's how they sell their education to those parents with means and students who are high-achievers. I won't argue with you about the advantages of attending a "rich" school, I'll just say the purpose of a regional state-supported school is much different than a so-called elite school and the matrices that the elite schools like to publicize are, if not irrelevant, less important for a school like MT.

Dr. Walker's stated reasons for leaving MTsU were given that SIU had more than one campus and had a medical school. I have no idea if there were underlying factors. Regardless, if McPhee was half the college administrator the he fosters to be he would have been gone a long time ago.

As for the Foundation's fundraising and their lack of endowment growth: something I have been dwelling on for years. This year when I made my (small) annual donation I specifically stated that the principal was to be placed in the endowment "in perpetuity". I was trying to do what little I could to increase the endowment, not that I doubt money which is spent by the Foundation is important . I received a response that my donation was placed in the scholarship fund, whatever that is. I'm afraid that without further assurance that my donations will be used as an income producing entity forever rather than spent I won't make further donations to the Foundation.

 

[dukewayne]

It is going to happen. It has already happening. Over 700,000 jobs shed just in March due to this "pandemic". Physicians are seeing a third of their patients. People are staying at home. Not working.

This will be felt by our AD and it is probably a good thing. As they hand out cigars and raises during a time such as this, the economy is going to hell.

Your unemployment numbers are off, likely through no fault of your own. The monthly unemployment report just released stopped tabulating 2 weeks ago. Around the 14th of March. It is not even factoring in the roughly 6 MILLION new unemployment filings for the last two weeks.

To be clear, it's not 700,000 added to unemployment. It is approaching 7 MILLION just added to unemployment in the last two weeks.

 

[sWiley]

Anyone have any consensus or ideas on what will happen to the restaurant industry from all this? They tend to operate on slim margins, don't have much reserve cash, and are doing virtually no business right now.

Even when things calm down, people will likely be paranoid about eating out. Anyone have any projections or ideas on this industry? Which places will likely shudder first? Large chains? Franchises? Individually owned?

 

[dukewayne]

I'll take a stab at it even if I'm offering speculation based upon observation. You know, my opinion and a dollar might get you a cup of coffee.

It all depends on how long the shutdown drags on. In my opinion America has maybe a few weeks before damages starts to becomes severe and irreparable to much industry. It's already hurting many.

I imagine the restaurants that were already struggling will already be struggling to survive this crisis. I imagine that would go for independents and local franchises even of the big corps.

I suspect that most local independently owned restaurants will struggle to survive unless they are of the few that are hugely popular and well established. I imagine the big corps will simply take this opportunity to close poor performers so as to cut their losses.

If this shutdown starts to drag out into months, all bets are off. It just might then be great depression type territory.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

Several East Nashville and Inglewood trendy restaurants have already closed their doors. Look for plenty of commercial real estate to be available in trendy areas where just a month ago, rent was high and selection was thin.

This is a big deal. I suspect we are all feeling it. I have lost thousands. America is the greatest country in this world and we will bounce back. We always do.

 

[dukewayne]

Several East Nashville and Inglewood trendy restaurants have already closed their doors. Look for plenty of commercial real estate to be available in trendy areas where just a month ago, rent was high and selection was thin.

This is a big deal. I suspect we are all feeling it. I have lost thousands. America is the greatest country in this world and we will bounce back. We always do.

I hope you are right. If this whole thing isn't handled just right with the right balance between public health and economic health, the consequences could be absolutely devastating.

 

[MTLynn]

I'm expecting massive federal relief for business and citizens.

My feeling is that any store that goes out of business because of this, doesn't want to be open.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

Businesses want to be open. I spoke with one of the leading caterers in Nashville yesterday and while most of his competition is starting to completely shut down, he has reserves for about a month for his 100 employees. Even with small business loans in the current package, the reduced demand may make it not enough.

Small businesses can get 2.5 their total monthly payroll with an interest rate of 1%, repayment deferred for 6 months. If demand doesn't pick up.
Well....

 

[MT01]

I hope you are right. If this whole thing isn't handled just right with the right balance between public health and economic health, the consequences could be absolutely devastating.

We are already there. I don't think folks understand yet just how severe this is. We've basically shut down all but a few sectors across most of the entire country.

The problem is this virus isn't going to just disappear. It's going to spread in waves and we won't fully be able to eliminate the threat until a vaccine is developed. And that's early 2021 at the earliest.

So, there comes a point in time where the manufacturing of equipment and protective gear catches up and health care has to regroup and prepare for the next onslaught when we "reopen." That's going to be a painful and difficult decision for our leaders to make, because it will mean more spread and more deaths. But at some point you have to turn it all back on, because most of the nation who lives paycheck to paycheck isn't going to be able to sustain this until 2021. This is the grim reality we face for the rest of the year.

 

[RaiderDawg78]

The problem is this virus isn't going to just disappear.

Maybe we get lucky and SARS-Cov2 acts just like SARS-Cov1 or MERS. The original SARS showed up in November (like this one) and the last case was in June. Scientists have been debating why this happened for 15 years and no one knows why SARS-Cov1 stopped.

 

[MTFNBY5]

We are already there. I don't think folks understand yet just how severe this is. We've basically shut down all but a few sectors across most of the entire country.

The problem is this virus isn't going to just disappear. It's going to spread in waves and we won't fully be able to eliminate the threat until a vaccine is developed. And that's early 2021 at the earliest.

So, there comes a point in time where the manufacturing of equipment and protective gear catches up and health care has to regroup and prepare for the next onslaught when we "reopen." That's going to be a painful and difficult decision for our leaders to make, because it will mean more spread and more deaths. But at some point you have to turn it all back on, because most of the nation who lives paycheck to paycheck isn't going to be able to sustain this until 2021. This is the grim reality we face for the rest of the year.

"But at some point you have to turn it all back on, . . ."

Not to be argumentative but a portion of the "all" will not be there to turn on. As I've stated on this site previously we can't imagine how much the social, political and economic world, much less leisure activities like sports, will change because of this crisis. Changes are inevitable and could be more impactful than those caused by the great depression.
I just finished an article on BBC Future titled "How will coronavirus change the world". This UK academician's writing is interesting and thought provoking. I'm not saying he is the "be all, end all" of ideas of what the future might look like but he clearly has put time in considering the possibilities. Food for thought.

 

[dukewayne]

We are already there. I don't think folks understand yet just how severe this is. We've basically shut down all but a few sectors across most of the entire country.

The problem is this virus isn't going to just disappear. It's going to spread in waves and we won't fully be able to eliminate the threat until a vaccine is developed. And that's early 2021 at the earliest.

So, there comes a point in time where the manufacturing of equipment and protective gear catches up and health care has to regroup and prepare for the next onslaught when we "reopen." That's going to be a painful and difficult decision for our leaders to make, because it will mean more spread and more deaths. But at some point you have to turn it all back on, because most of the nation who lives paycheck to paycheck isn't going to be able to sustain this until 2021. This is the grim reality we face for the rest of the year.

Normally, I would have clicked the old like button. Agreeing with you and thinking your assessment is right about such a dire circumstance just didn't seem to fit with a like button.

I believe that currently the health and even future of our nation hangs in the balance. The people of this nation are going to have to find a way to do both, that is smartly mitigate the spread of the virus while at the same time get back to work and get the economic engine running again. Admittedly, I try to temper my language that might add to fear and panic especially in case my assessment is inaccurate. On the other hand, this is deadly serious and probably warrents discussion that is disturbing and uncomfortable. Not panic inducing, but enough nervous energy to properly motivate people to get to work dealing with this.

There seems to be a troubling false dichotomy in place. A belief or assumption seems to be set that we have to choose between health or the economy. That way of thinking will destroy us. We must try to smartly do both. Get back to work and functioning as a society while taking steps to try to protect the most vulnerable that are at greatest risk if they get the virus. Cutting out visitors to nursing homes is but one example of smart steps to try to protect the most vulnerable.

Maybe some others can help my memory here, but I thought it was generally acknowledged that placing a society or nation in the hands of a scientific dictatorship was a pretty ruinous idea. Then again, maybe I've just read a few too many science-fiction books and watched too many dystopic science-fiction movies. Whatever the case, the decisions can't be solely placed in the hands of an epidemiologist, virologist, etc. Factor their input, yes. Let them have final or total say, no!

 

[mtfblue]

Anyone have any consensus or ideas on what will happen to the restaurant industry from all this? They tend to operate on slim margins, don't have much reserve cash, and are doing virtually no business right now.

Even when things calm down, people will likely be paranoid about eating out. Anyone have any projections or ideas on this industry? Which places will likely shudder first? Large chains? Franchises? Individually owned?

you will some casualties as Logans Roadhouse has already closed for good. Other struggling chains like Krystal, Denny's, Applebees and Chili's probably won't make it. Krystals is already in BK. You will some of these high end burger places and sandwich shops close as well.

 

[MT01]

Maybe we get lucky and SARS-Cov2 acts just like SARS-Cov1 or MERS. The original SARS showed up in November (like this one) and the last case was in June. Scientists have been debating why this happened for 15 years and no one knows why SARS-Cov1 stopped.

That’s wishful thinking but more fantasy than reality. Neither of the other two transmitted as easily as this current version. While MERS was much more deadly it was much easier to contain. SARS transmitted person to person but virulence matters. If it transmits but is harder for me to pass it to you it’s much easier to use contact tracing and isolation to stop it over time. Any chance at containment with COVID was lost a long time ago because it is so efficient at being passed from person to person. That’s the main reason we are now in a pandemic. A lot of people don’t know this but after leaving MT in 2001 I was hired at CDC. I worked the SARS outbreak in 2002/3. This one is very, very different.

That said keep your eye on Mexico. Things are about to turn dire there and in parts of Latin America. We are a long way from seeing the worst of this whereas we were already seeing the benefit of the mitigation measures at this stage with the other two. Don’t be surprised to see a massive military presence on the southern border in the weeks ahead.