Pretty much in keeping with making the U of Owe “private,” as in privatizing profits, and keeping public the debt obligations.
Phit or Lewis and Company?
07/30/2014
Ha ha, U of Owe! I like it I think it needs a shirt or mug or something.
I wonder if the connected construction companies like Phit or Lewis will bid outright or if there is another visoneering subsidiary shell to funnel all the great vision and ideas and dollars to the donors that privatized us?
It really is stupid and hard to believe that with all the increases in Administration that we cannot plan for our own campuses future.
A very sad day!!!!!!
Gott Damn Idiots
07/30/2014
It takes a lot of administrators to manage all the consultants hired to do their jobs.
Pollyanna
07/31/2014
Another expensive outsourcing of an essential campus function. At the June 4th Senate Exec meeting at the end of spring term, professors from AAA challenged the siting of a consolidated kitchen facility on east campus, and the process that resulted in its being approved for that location. I’d rather have this “Campus Physical Framework Vision” come out of the campus and the faculty who are expert in that field.
Gott Damn Idiots
07/31/2014
The sad part is that sometimes it makes perfect sense to use an outside consultant. Unfortunately, our hapless administrators have shown no ability to choose or direct consultants wisely, or be good fiscal stewards. If they weren’t so fucking clueless they might actually benefit from an outside perspective on some functions.
RFP my research and teaching, and my service while I'm at it.
07/31/2014
I have some research projects that are just not getting done. I can only assume from my administration that it is completely acceptable practice for me to RFP the hell out of them. Not bad, Gott-a-clue. You also won’t mind if I farm out my attendance at the next _____ committee, right?
Actually happy about this
07/31/2014
I know I’m gonna get jumped on for this, but I’m pretty happy they are involving a consulting firm. The consultants will include lots of people in the process. I’ve sat on two of these types of planning sessions so far for particular buildings and the designers listen to everything and explain what can and can’t be done.
To consider how the larger university is laid out and to create a unified vision of the entire campus is a great idea. And, I think getting an outside group that can listen to everyone without bias and then create a plan is a terrific idea. I don’t think there is anyone on campus who can serve as a planner of all the properties/buildings/landscape combined. This is a good use of consulting funds.
uomattersPost author | 07/31/2014
I don’t disagree with you, I’m just an Ellis Lawrence fan.
I remember that the decision to build the Jock Box on academic land, given to Knight for $1, was made internally. Same with the decision to build Matt Knight – although there Frohnmayer kept hiring consultants until he got one who’d provide the inflated revenue estimates he needed.
Got going anytime soon?
07/31/2014
The outside firm will not change these sorts of things. They will provide cover for gotta reason by aliasing to consult with the entire campus (so he doesn’t have to interact with anyone) and bury what parts of the report they don’t like.
I Jump therefore I am
07/31/2014
“Happy”
First you talk like you are already in the meeting with the yet to be hired consultants. Are you from the bloated communications office perhaps? Second you are talking about Vision at a campus that has done just fine without vision for over a hundred years. (rimshot here).
Jokes aside, actually large infrastructure and facilities have these tools in spades and their job is to plan for the long term. Besides the reality that every donor with a wad wetting his pocket knows exactly where his 90 foot tall Neon neo-gothic letters of his surname pulsating on his edifice will go previous bequests, architecture rules, planning and vision be dammed. Just ask all the previous facilities guys.
Many places, especially with such a world renowned college or Architecture may even have a Chief Architect for the campus or perhaps endow a faculty member and give them the title.
Then there is the entire plant and facilities operations who should have planning units for the little things like power, water, heat, light, safety, building usage and traffic flow as well as the big things like making sure there are enough trained staff on site to dust, mop, vacuum, change light bulbs, clean toilets, feed people, clean up after people, take out the trash, hold events of 75,000 spectators weekly, do the laundry, and get those nasty little wads of gum off the under side of the desk.
Next, I know there is a chef gardener and arborist who along with the rest of the grounds crew keep the lawn mowed, the hedge trimmed, the trees in working order, water falls falling, art installations arting, snow cleared on occasion, keeping slugs, pigeons, geese, rats, beavers and other pest under control, and those nasty little wads of gum off the bottom of the benches.
Then there are plumber, carpenters, electricians, and probably a few engineers, all keeping the campus running.
Athletics seems to visioneer just fine with all those wet wads in their pants.
Finally and least there is an entire faculty and their limp instruments of governance such as they are with economists galore who bring visibility to the lack of decent classrooms, lack of research space, and lackluster research facilities (unless you are the chosen in Lokey or LISB), and lack of offices for faculty and grad students.
It sounds like an awesome silver bullet that the admin can spend yet more tuition dollars, as there is obviously a problem, to bring in a cadre consultant to bring in the little “people” and hold hand in a circle and have some fantazmagorical cum-by-ya moment… and solve all these problems.
But we already have all the administrators, the little people are here now, faculty know what they want. Stop your janitor tonight and ask him the state of the campus, it is not that hard. We all want to make our institution the best, and even better than that. Just Fire the jack-ups who have mismanaged things so badly for for the last half century and hire some (perhaps little) people who know what it means to run a 2 Billion dollar a year business where your largest capital asset is your campus and facilities!
Jummped.
I Jump therefore I am
07/31/2014
One last little hop Do you think that the panel of 15 people with have the (little) “people” on it or will it comprise the boosters with the wads, the glad-handers, the bag men with their clients waiting in the hall, and the same hanger-ons, who were convinced they needed to hire a consultant to do the job they should have done.
Pretty much in keeping with making the U of Owe “private,” as in privatizing profits, and keeping public the debt obligations.
Ha ha, U of Owe! I like it I think it needs a shirt or mug or something.
I wonder if the connected construction companies like Phit or Lewis will bid outright or if there is another visoneering subsidiary shell to funnel all the great vision and ideas and dollars to the donors that privatized us?
It really is stupid and hard to believe that with all the increases in Administration that we cannot plan for our own campuses future.
A very sad day!!!!!!
It takes a lot of administrators to manage all the consultants hired to do their jobs.
Another expensive outsourcing of an essential campus function. At the June 4th Senate Exec meeting at the end of spring term, professors from AAA challenged the siting of a consolidated kitchen facility on east campus, and the process that resulted in its being approved for that location. I’d rather have this “Campus Physical Framework Vision” come out of the campus and the faculty who are expert in that field.
The sad part is that sometimes it makes perfect sense to use an outside consultant. Unfortunately, our hapless administrators have shown no ability to choose or direct consultants wisely, or be good fiscal stewards. If they weren’t so fucking clueless they might actually benefit from an outside perspective on some functions.
I have some research projects that are just not getting done. I can only assume from my administration that it is completely acceptable practice for me to RFP the hell out of them. Not bad, Gott-a-clue. You also won’t mind if I farm out my attendance at the next _____ committee, right?
I know I’m gonna get jumped on for this, but I’m pretty happy they are involving a consulting firm. The consultants will include lots of people in the process. I’ve sat on two of these types of planning sessions so far for particular buildings and the designers listen to everything and explain what can and can’t be done.
To consider how the larger university is laid out and to create a unified vision of the entire campus is a great idea. And, I think getting an outside group that can listen to everyone without bias and then create a plan is a terrific idea. I don’t think there is anyone on campus who can serve as a planner of all the properties/buildings/landscape combined. This is a good use of consulting funds.
I don’t disagree with you, I’m just an Ellis Lawrence fan.
I remember that the decision to build the Jock Box on academic land, given to Knight for $1, was made internally. Same with the decision to build Matt Knight – although there Frohnmayer kept hiring consultants until he got one who’d provide the inflated revenue estimates he needed.
The outside firm will not change these sorts of things. They will provide cover for gotta reason by aliasing to consult with the entire campus (so he doesn’t have to interact with anyone) and bury what parts of the report they don’t like.
“Happy”
First you talk like you are already in the meeting with the yet to be hired consultants. Are you from the bloated communications office perhaps? Second you are talking about Vision at a campus that has done just fine without vision for over a hundred years. (rimshot here).
Jokes aside, actually large infrastructure and facilities have these tools in spades and their job is to plan for the long term. Besides the reality that every donor with a wad wetting his pocket knows exactly where his 90 foot tall Neon neo-gothic letters of his surname pulsating on his edifice will go previous bequests, architecture rules, planning and vision be dammed. Just ask all the previous facilities guys.
Many places, especially with such a world renowned college or Architecture may even have a Chief Architect for the campus or perhaps endow a faculty member and give them the title.
Then there is the entire plant and facilities operations who should have planning units for the little things like power, water, heat, light, safety, building usage and traffic flow as well as the big things like making sure there are enough trained staff on site to dust, mop, vacuum, change light bulbs, clean toilets, feed people, clean up after people, take out the trash, hold events of 75,000 spectators weekly, do the laundry, and get those nasty little wads of gum off the under side of the desk.
Next, I know there is a chef gardener and arborist who along with the rest of the grounds crew keep the lawn mowed, the hedge trimmed, the trees in working order, water falls falling, art installations arting, snow cleared on occasion, keeping slugs, pigeons, geese, rats, beavers and other pest under control, and those nasty little wads of gum off the bottom of the benches.
Then there are plumber, carpenters, electricians, and probably a few engineers, all keeping the campus running.
Athletics seems to visioneer just fine with all those wet wads in their pants.
Finally and least there is an entire faculty and their limp instruments of governance such as they are with economists galore who bring visibility to the lack of decent classrooms, lack of research space, and lackluster research facilities (unless you are the chosen in Lokey or LISB), and lack of offices for faculty and grad students.
It sounds like an awesome silver bullet that the admin can spend yet more tuition dollars, as there is obviously a problem, to bring in a cadre consultant to bring in the little “people” and hold hand in a circle and have some fantazmagorical cum-by-ya moment… and solve all these problems.
But we already have all the administrators, the little people are here now, faculty know what they want. Stop your janitor tonight and ask him the state of the campus, it is not that hard. We all want to make our institution the best, and even better than that. Just Fire the jack-ups who have mismanaged things so badly for for the last half century and hire some (perhaps little) people who know what it means to run a 2 Billion dollar a year business where your largest capital asset is your campus and facilities!
Jummped.
One last little hop Do you think that the panel of 15 people with have the (little) “people” on it or will it comprise the boosters with the wads, the glad-handers, the bag men with their clients waiting in the hall, and the same hanger-ons, who were convinced they needed to hire a consultant to do the job they should have done.
hop
economists galore?