|  Author | Topic: Father...The Son and the Sweet Sixteen (Read 1,044 times) |
thirdrob72
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|  | Father...The Son and the Sweet Sixteen
« Thread Started on Apr 11, 2012, 12:19pm » | |
Just finished reading Paul Wieland's new book - first published 3/30/12 "Father...The Son and the Sweet Sixteen" regarding the basketball meltdown 10 years ago this year. It all started at the beginning of 02-03 years.
This should be required reading for all Bona/Brown Indian fans. It is painful to read...but it really shows what bad university leadership can inflict on a proud and sometimes very successful program. There is plenty of blame to be distributed here, President, AD, and the Board of Trustees. This book took guts to write - especially since some of the players who observed this mess are still in positions of power on the board of trustees.
By the way Paul is an alum - Class of '62, professor and resided on Third Rob - Home of the All Time Champions!!
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jacob
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| | Re: Father...The Son and the Sweet Sixteen
« Reply #1 on Apr 11, 2012, 12:45pm » | |
I read that "book" also. If anyone is critical of current Bona students and their literary skills, read that piece of crap and rejoice that we have advanced. I have no problem with the facts as presented, but to call that a book is stretching it. Poorly researched and written it was awful.
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class70
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| | Re: Father...The Son and the Sweet Sixteen
« Reply #2 on Apr 11, 2012, 1:18pm » | |
I had removed my alma mater from my list of charities shortly after Wickenheiser took over when he summarily fired many tenured professors in the name of "diversity." I wrote him that a Christian institution doesn't treat family that way and he sent me a rather unflattering response. I didn't want to be part of anything that fellow was associated with and Wieland's book told so much more than I had guessed. The book was recommended to me a few months back by my old Bona's roommate, who was on the Board of Trustees under Wickenheiser. It's a book worth reading, but I think it conveys the idea that little Saint Bonaventure was out of its league in Division 1 and will never recover. That has already been proven false, and it is to the great credit of Sister Margaret and the University family that it happened.
"Rise to the call, fill the sky with throaty cheer, Rah!"
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thirdrob72
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| | Re: Father...The Son and the Sweet Sixteen
« Reply #3 on Apr 11, 2012, 2:03pm » | |
I agree the "Wick era" was a great disaster for SBU. One prominent alum told me he had forewarned the Board of Trustees in advance that Wick would prove to be a huge mistake for SBU. His warning was ignored.
His rep at St Mary's was as a autocrat who would run roughshod over all who differed in opinion from his. His firing of all male tenured professors cost this university's endowment millions of dollars in damages in the final settlements, and really soured many loyal students and FOSBU's. These folks had dedicated their adult lives to this university and he treated them like dirt. What was the B of T thinking?
Just shows what happens when the corporate group think approach overrides common sense, and devotion to Franciscan values.
Wieland did an excellent job of disclosing details that most alums were never privy to. The extent of the lies and intimidation were very distressing. Again he did a great service for our community. We let a good man like Jim Baron go and replaced him with a head case.
I understand that there is another book being released on the Wick scandal also. Anybody have the title on that one??
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sony
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| | Re: Father...The Son and the Sweet Sixteen
« Reply #4 on Apr 11, 2012, 2:16pm » | |
I'm not a fan of Wick either , but it must be recognized that financially, he pulled the school from the fire. Not commenting on how he did it or what the "cost" was of doing it, but he definitely saved the university. This is how it is reflected in the "Good Journey, 150 Years of Bonaventure" as well.
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thirdrob72
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| | Re: Father...The Son and the Sweet Sixteen
« Reply #5 on Apr 11, 2012, 3:05pm » | |
Wick did'nt save the university from bankruptcy - we did! It was the collective community that bailed SBU out. Any competent financial manager could have done the same thing given the outstanding reputation of SBU up to that point.
Wick did not sit down with the faculty and staff to ask their assistance,and brain storm with them, consult with them, listen to them, he instead launched his own dictatorial edicts.....the end result was fractured relationships, and many costly lawsuits by fired faculty members and a former AD and Head Coach - lawsuits which cost this university its financial stability for quite some time.
Regardless of the the "Good Journeys" references he was an unmitigated disaster as the President. He was morally corrupt, a true autocrat.
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sony
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| | Re: Father...The Son and the Sweet Sixteen
« Reply #6 on Apr 11, 2012, 5:24pm » | |
If we blame him for the disasters during his leadership, you've got to credit him for the successes under his leadership. To not do so is hypocritical. Under Wick the university moved from insolvency, near bankruptcy, to a more profitable path - I'm just saying!
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ceharv
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| | Re: Father...The Son and the Sweet Sixteen
« Reply #7 on Apr 11, 2012, 8:20pm » | |
Sony - whether Wick in reality "saved" Bonas is not the point. As you seem to confirm - he was perceived as doing so and that is what was important. The reason is that that perception gave him an unchallengeable position within the university leadership. Think about it - being perceived as the school's savior gave him the power to do just about anything he wanted."Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" Isn't that how the saying goes? So if the perceived savior wants to fire the hoops coach, and help his son get a job, then help his son and his son's boss by ok'ing the admission of an unqualified recruit, who is going to stop him? No one! He'd been given the authority to crush anyone who might stand in his way and everyone knew it. Perception became the reality and eventually we paid the price because no one could face up to and stop the tyrant/savior.
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thirdrob72
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| | Re: Father...The Son and the Sweet Sixteen
« Reply #8 on Apr 11, 2012, 10:50pm » | |
Ceharv - Amen my brother you hit the nail on the head!!!!
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sony
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| | Re: Father...The Son and the Sweet Sixteen
« Reply #9 on Apr 12, 2012, 11:01am » | |
Guys - in difficult times, CEO's have to make difficult decisions - some are very good decisions some are very bad (not unlike our current national CEO - but we don't need to get into that here). I agree, and any objective look at the situations will support both as facts, that subsequent to pulling our shorts out of the fire, Wick then proceeded - through several terrible moves - as he was the CEO, for tossing us in another fire, which took subsequebnt CEO's to bring us back from. What perceptions can mean for reality aside, an objective look at facts dictates that Wick as the CEO led the university back from the brink. That has to be recognized as a reality and not a perception. AS i said in my original post on this topic, I'm not a Wick supporter just in any way shape manner or form. I'm just an objective, devout fan and supporter of our university.
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west5mile
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| | Re: Father...The Son and the Sweet Sixteen
« Reply #10 on Apr 12, 2012, 1:33pm » | |
@sony - at what expense did Wick lead us back from the brink? How much $ did we lose to faculty/staff lawsuits over the course of his tenure and in the immediate aftermath of it? Lane and vBK left at a hefty price. I'm not disagreeing with you, just pointing it out.
As far as the book goes - aside from it being one of the most poorly written books I've ever read cover to cover, one has to question whether it needed to be written at all. I dumped on Weiland a few months ago, I don't have the energy to do it again.
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sony
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| | Re: Father...The Son and the Sweet Sixteen
« Reply #11 on Apr 12, 2012, 2:05pm » | |
MT. - appreciate your point, but again please refer to my original post: "... . Not commenting on how he did it, or at what the "cost" was of doing it ...". Please appreciate that almost all of my posts - in my humble opinion (and yes I know what we all have along with our opinions) are objective and made usually without emotion. My responses, as it was in this case, are also objective, and usually without emotion. No, I do not consider myself infallable, but I do take exception when my opinions are emotionally reacted to in the way my original post was by others.
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thirdrob72
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| | Re: Father...The Son and the Sweet Sixteen
« Reply #12 on Apr 12, 2012, 3:48pm » | |
Wick ran SBU like a plantation - hiring his wife, and son and a series of sycophants (some of whom are still on the payroll - unfortunately), and disposing of or threatening those who opposed him or had a different vision.
He was the prototypical power mad CEO who drives the company into the ground and threatens the living of the company employees, only this was not a "company" it was a university institution not unlike those found in the middle ages......set up on the basis of truth, ethics and honor.
All that meant nothing to El Supremo who decided to act of in manner that disgraced the university on the national stage. ESPN and all the major news networks openly mocking our problem with the "welding major", meanwhile ignoring our science or pre med or franciscan studies programs. An overwhelming amount of hugely negative publicity which caused untold impact on alums all over our nation. We were a national laughing stock.
Meanwhile our Board of Trustees sat mute while El Supremo/CEO nearly ran the truck into a ditch from witch it would never recover. There cover up report was a farce.
Want to think of the worst case scenario.....just think about a failing enrollment so steep that the school closed and all its assest were auctioned off at fire sale prices during a bankruptcy action, all caused by El Supremo. That scenario was not out of the realm of possibility.
So please stop with the "he was a great CEO" junk........he was a horrible president....the worst in SBU history...................................................................................................
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