Sure, it’s a national problem, but not on *our* campus. From the 2015 InsideHigherEd survey of college presidents, via fivethirtyeight.com, with thanks to an anonymous reader:
Back in 2012 the survey asked about athletics. College presidents also thought athletic spending and control were big problems – at other colleges, that is. Only 25% of D-I presidents thought other presidents were in control of their athletics programs, but 87% were sure they themselves were in control of their own athletics programs. Sure you are:
And that’s the news from Lake Wobegon State University, where all of the upper administrators are overpaid, all the athletic departments are self-supporting, and all of the sexual assault is happening somewhere else….
When I read that, I nearly spit out a mouthful of Powdermilk Biscuits. I think it is irresponsible and rude, and it misses the mark, to associate Lake Wobegon in any way with a place where upper administrators etc….
Well, I thought it would be unkind to say something about the children and their statistical variation around the mean, so I picked some targets that are more acceptable around here.
I meant no disrespect to the fine people of Lake Wobegon, Powdermilk Biscuits, the Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band, the Moonlight Bay Supper Club, or the Ketchup Advisory Board.
The biggest and most worrisome discrepancy of the 2012 survey is missing from the bar chart: Only 25.2% of D-I presidents thought other presidents were in control of their athletics programs, but 86.7% were really sure they themselves were in control of their own athletics programs.
Thanks, I added that to the text.