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On which one? Hopefully not the one that punched a woman in the face...

I am amazed at how many stories were written in the ABJ about the "negative" news coming from UA. They were never interested in covering all the great things happening in the University but very eager to tear it down whenever they see an opportunity. Even if they have to make up lies (like EJ Thomas and the Press shutting down). Regarding Scarborough and his actions. I am not going to defend him and I don't care if he gets impeached tomorrow morning. And you, you can like or dislike what he's doing, but if you care about this university and its reputation, you should refrain from publicly ridiculing it and its president in public forums and social media outlets. You should know that what you write is being read by prospective students and their families and is directly hurting the University you claim to support and care about. Feel free to use all the appropriate channels to voice your concerns. Call, visit, or write to trustees, state legislators, UA administrators, or anyone who can make a difference, without destroying the most valuable asset in our university: its public reputation. An important thing to consider is that Scarborough is not in Akron to be popular. He's not running for office and doesn't need our votes. He was in Toledo when my wife was working there. She and everyone else in her office and most of the University of Toledo absolutely hated his guts. He didn't care because his work put UT in a good financial situation (only a few universities in the state of Ohio can say that). That's what the trustees saw in his resume and that's why he moved up to become president at UA. I know that the home renovation doesn't look good, and I know that everyone is having a field day with the olive jar. The bottom line is that the university has a yearly operation budget. The administration created a $1M line for the renovation. The finance committee (made of faculty members) must approve this budget and then the board of trustees also have to approve it. And they all did. Just like you, I don't like it and I am not going to defend it. But it was done. Does that mean that Scarborough should not work on reducing the budget for the upcoming years?

Whatever happened to this guy?

Marcus is the player I am looking most forward to watching this fall. It will be interesting to see if he makes the list. I will be surprised if Pittman or Grice make it. How high will JB1 rank? Top 5?

Source Please click on link to see entire bullet points. Top ones given in this post. The University is closing E.J. Thomas Hall and no longer has any staff. SOURCE: Akron Beacon Journal, July 29, 2015 At no time did the University officially announce a closing of E.J. Thomas Hall. That incorrect conclusion was reported in the press and social media based on messages and statements made by an E.J. Thomas Hall administrator whose position had been abolished.The economic model for E.J. Thomas was not sustainable. Annual expenditures were $3.5 million, while sales and other revenue tallied only $1.4 million, resulting in a $2.1 million shortfall that required University resources.The university is analyzing the infrastructure needed to enable E.J. Thomas to deliver internal and external programs, while using industry-level expertise to deliver on contracted programs.Academic activities will continue at E.J. Thomas Hall.Rental activities, such as Tuesday Musical and the Akron Symphony Orchestra, can continue there as well as community activities like graduations and concerts. The University is severely curtailing community use of E.J. Thomas Hall. SOURCE: WCan't State 89.7 FM No events by community organizations scheduled for E.J. Thomas Hall were ever cancelled, curtailed, or eliminated as part of the reductions.Rental activities, such as Tuesday Musical and the Akron Symphony Orchestra, can continue at E.J. Thomas Hall.Community activities, such as high school graduations and concerts, remain scheduled and will continue to be honored for years to come. The University is closing The University of Akron Press. SOURCE: Steve Love, Akron Beacon Journal, Aug. 1, 2015 At no time did the University officially announce a closing of the University Press. That incorrect conclusion was reported in the press and social media based on messages and statements made by administrators whose positions had been abolished.The University of Akron Press is returning to University Libraries, where it was located when the press was founded in 1988.It is anticipated that books under contract will be completed. Proposals under review or consideration for publication will be evaluated.The change in tuition payment and increased late fees linked to budget. SOURCE: Fox 8 Cleveland, Aug. 5, 2015 UA changed its due date for tuition payment, and increased its late fees, to align with other Ohio public universities.This fall the due date for tuition fee payment is Aug. 10 for those registered before Aug. 1, and Aug. 31 for those registering Aug. 1 or later. Previously the due date was the first day of classes for all students, which was unusual among Ohio public universities.We continue to offer a number of options to provide students flexibility with payment obligations.UA’s late fee for payment was raised to $100 from $50. To put this in perspective, read the following information quoted from the Aug. 5, 2015 edition of the Akron Beacon Journal (“Tuition” p. B2) The University of Akron eliminated low-level positions while remaining top-heavy with administrators. SOURCE: Social media Approximately one-third of the positions eliminated as part of the reduction in force involved professional, managerial or higher posts.In 2014 the University had 10 vice presidents. Today it has five, the third-fewest among Ohio’s public universities. Laid-off employees were not treated with courtesy and respect. SOURCE: Social media All supervisors and Human Resources staff involved in notifying employees of the position eliminations were explicitly instructed to show as much respect, deference and courtesy as possible to those affected by the reductions.Employees in eliminated positions and their dependents who are currently enrolled in degree programs at The University of Akron will continue to receive the tuition fee remission benefit for up to four yearsas long as there is no break in attendance and they meet eligibility requirements.Contract professionals whose positions were eliminated were given a two-week, fully paid administrative leave before returning to their departments for instructions. Pursuant to long-standing UA rules, those with more than two years employment with UA will receive six months of full pay and benefits while they complete the terms of their employment contract. Those with less than two years will receive three months of full pay and benefits.Classified and bargaining-unit employees had five days to exercise displacement rights and “bump” other employees within their classification/classification series. The University is not supporting the arts and humanities. SOURCE: Social media Promoters interested in renting E.J. Thomas Hall and assuming all financial risks are welcome.Externally funded arts programs with local community organizations can continue.E.J. Thomas Hall will continue as a venue to display the performing talents of UA students and faculty.The University's strong commitment to the arts and humanities is amply demonstrated by its continuing support for academic programs in the School of Music; School of Dance, Theatre and Arts Administration; the Mary Schiller Myers School of Art; the Department of English; the Department of History; the Department of Anthropology and Classical Studies; and more. We are witnessing the University’s “demise.” SOURCE: Bob Dyer, Akron Beacon Journal, Aug. 1, 2015 The Fall 2015 incoming freshman class at The University of Akron is projected to be larger than last year’s class.Even with recent enrollment declines, Akron’s headcount is nearly 26,000 students, making it the second largest among all Northeast Ohio universities and colleges. The University’s academics “wallow in mediocrity.” SOURCE: Bob Dyer, Akron Beacon Journal, Aug. 1, 2015 The academic preparedness of UA’s incoming freshmen has risen to an average level of 3.39 GPA and a 23 ACT score.UA’ s Honors College entering class has doubled in the past two years to more than 600, with average ACT scores of 28.44 and an average high school GPA of 3.95.Bloomberg’s Businessweek and U.S. News & World Report have ranked UA’s College of Business Administration’s undergraduate program among the top undergraduate business programs in the nation.UA’s School of Law is the only law school in Northeast Ohio included in the 2015 “Above The Law Top 50 Law Schools” ratings.UA faculty have higher salaries at nearly every level (professor, associate professor, assistant professor and instructor) than the group median for Ohio’s four-year public universities, according to IPEDS survey results. The University’s graduation rates are “awful.” SOURCE: Bob Dyer, Akron Beacon Journal, Aug. 1, 2015 Retention and graduation rates are rising, with the most recent six-year rate of 42%.UA’s total number of annual graduates has steadily risen from 4,881 in 2011-12 to 5,574 in 2014-15.The graduation ratings cited in Dyer’s column do not include students who transfer into a college, nor do they include part-time students.

Any bullet points about how a lot of this bad publicity could have been averted if we had some leadership with one effin' iota of media savvy?

Any bullet points about how Dr. Scarborough is preparing to push to change the name of the university despite denying it a few months ago?

Whatever good ideas and initiatives he has had or will have are also now less likely to be implemented. He's lost political capital in Columbus, alienated the other Presidents, pissed off the alumni, raised serious scrutiny with his privatization schemes and become something of a national poster boy for the Imperious 1% University President. The missteps and tone-deaf leadership have essentially put him into a hole that's going to require the next year or two to dig out of rather than focus on actively putting forth an agenda to move forward.

In my case that would be a bad assumption. Pointing out that return on investment (ROI) is the single most important element in evaluating an investment is not the same as being totally comfortable with the nature and timing of the investment. In the court of public opinion $500 olive jars and $100,000 mother-in-law suites are horrible counterpoints to dumping working class people into unemployment lines. UA will have to live with that and I make no apologies for how it's been handled. If you go back more than a year to our discussions on a new UA president, I was the one who dug up and shared all of the background data on Dr. Scarborough's record at DePaul and Toledo. I said back then that looking at his past record would give clues as to how he would operate at UA. The upside was that UA was in a situation that could benefit from a leader with financial experience to improve the university's economics, and Dr. Scarborough certainly has a strong financial background. The downside was that many of the decisions he made at DePaul and UT were controversial and unpopular with students and faculty. So I guess you could say that I'm the least surprised person on ZipsNation when it comes to the subject of recent controversial moves that are proving unpopular with some UA students, faculty and supporters.

Steelers sign Jawon Chisholm. Just a reminder from Jawon at his Pro Day how far the Zips have come with coach Bowden. Jawon on Twitter @beenlikethis