There were some other interesting points from my article in today’s Missourian about former Sprint Nextel CEO Gary Forsee’s first official day as UM System president. that there wasn’t room for in print or to integrate online but that I thought were worth including somewhere.
MU Basketball: Forsee was asked for his thoughts on the nightclub fiasco involving members of the MU basketball team. He said that the success of sports teams does play an undeniable part in getting the university’s name out there. He said while the image of a team “obviously takes a hit” when such incidents occur, he was fully behind head coach Mike Anderson. “Coach Anderson took decisive action, and I’m a supporter of that,” Forsee said.
Bowl Championship Series Politics: I asked Forsee for his thoughts on a university president’s overall involvement in athletics. Specifically, University of Georgia President Mark Adams has been campaigning for a college football playoff after the Bulldogs were left out of the national championship game. There was much discussion involving whether MU deserved to be in a BCS bowl game. Forsee said he would stand ready to support the university in such discussions, but that he would leave it to the chancellor and the athletic department officials to be the forefront of that discussion.
Emergency Preparedness: In light of the tragic events at Northern Illinois University last week, I asked Forsee if he had reviewed the emergency preparedness and alert policies of the four campuses. He said he reviewed them and that they were discussed at this first meeting earlier Monday morning. He was satisfied with the operations in place. He insisted that every student and faculty member register with the MU Alert System. He said there should be on-campus support for counseling and that students should use that support if needed. Forsee stressed, though, that preparedness “can only take us so far,” and that having a proper response mechanism in place is important. He said that these events are unfortunate reminders that constant preparedness and watchfulness is necessary.
