FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[hazzben]

I believe President Anderson is leaving at the end of this year.  An official search committee was recently announced.  As an Ole I can tell you that there are multiple Oles who have been disappointed with President Anderson over the years.  I have not heard any updates on our AD regarding his health issues.  I know why many of you don't like the leadership at St. Olaf for several reasons, but thought I would share.

Any particular reason President Anderson is leaving? He's got to be around 70 years old, so maybe retirement?

Now that UST has been ousted, he has nothing left to accomplish. His work here is done. 

[SagatagSam]

Now that UST has been ousted, he has nothing left to accomplish. His work here is done. 

[GoldandBlueBU]

I believe President Anderson is leaving at the end of this year.  An official search committee was recently announced.  As an Ole I can tell you that there are multiple Oles who have been disappointed with President Anderson over the years.  I have not heard any updates on our AD regarding his health issues.  I know why many of you don't like the leadership at St. Olaf for several reasons, but thought I would share.

Any particular reason President Anderson is leaving? He's got to be around 70 years old, so maybe retirement?

Now that UST has been ousted, he has nothing left to accomplish. His work here is done. 

Or, alternatively...

[hazzben]

I believe President Anderson is leaving at the end of this year.  An official search committee was recently announced.  As an Ole I can tell you that there are multiple Oles who have been disappointed with President Anderson over the years.  I have not heard any updates on our AD regarding his health issues.  I know why many of you don't like the leadership at St. Olaf for several reasons, but thought I would share.

Any particular reason President Anderson is leaving? He's got to be around 70 years old, so maybe retirement?

Now that UST has been ousted, he has nothing left to accomplish. His work here is done. 

Or, alternatively...

Nah, that's too much credit, competence, and power. He's more of a Dr. Evil type.

[MIAC23]

I believe President Anderson is leaving at the end of this year.  An official search committee was recently announced.  As an Ole I can tell you that there are multiple Oles who have been disappointed with President Anderson over the years.  I have not heard any updates on our AD regarding his health issues.  I know why many of you don't like the leadership at St. Olaf for several reasons, but thought I would share.

Any particular reason President Anderson is leaving? He's got to be around 70 years old, so maybe retirement?

Now that UST has been ousted, he has nothing left to accomplish. His work here is done. 

Or, alternatively...

Nah, that's too much credit, competence, and power. He's more of a Dr. Evil type.

Don't worry about St. thomas, they are the snake to my mongoose..... or the mongoose to my snake, I don't know animals. Either way its bad!! mmooohhhahahaha.

[Texas Ole]

I believe President Anderson is leaving at the end of this year.  An official search committee was recently announced.  As an Ole I can tell you that there are multiple Oles who have been disappointed with President Anderson over the years.  I have not heard any updates on our AD regarding his health issues.  I know why many of you don't like the leadership at St. Olaf for several reasons, but thought I would share.

Any particular reason President Anderson is leaving? He's got to be around 70 years old, so maybe retirement?

He is retiring.  I thought it was after this school year, but apparently I was wrong!

https://wp.stolaf.edu/news/president-david-anderson-announces-intent-to-retire-in-2023

I understand the MIAC hate towards him.  I still think he is given too much credit for UST's exit.  I have several sources that have told me he wanted to move St. Olaf back to the Midwest Conference.  There were several reasons why this was pursued, and I agree with almost all of them.  While I've never confirmed it; I think the St. Olaf had an offer to leave the MIAC along with enough other schools which would have ended the MIAC.

[carletonknights]

While I've never confirmed it; I think the St. Olaf had an offer to leave the MIAC along with enough other schools which would have ended the MIAC.

What were the other schools? The conversations relayed to me indicated that Carleton had zero interest in leaving the MIAC even if it meant their football program would suffer - which thankfully has not been the case this year. Now if the MIAC was about to dissolve anyway, then sure MWC would be a logical landing spot.

[OzJohnnie]

I still maintain that UST football practices were just the excuse for the move.  The actual issue was the size of UST and their dominance in recruiting across the entire rage of athletics in the MIAC, outgrowing and threatening the model that the league had created.  The MIAC is more than football, after all.  It's incredibly rich and deep across almost every sport played in college and nearly every MIAC school has a nationally competitive program somewhere in that mix.  In terms of student life and recruiting, the MIAC offers a league that is hard to match.  Once UST's predatory recruiting practices were taken care of, thanks for nothing Caruso in providing the excuse, I think the MIAC waters settled.

I could be wrong, of course, as that's just my stubborn, opinionated thoughts.  But I bet they're 100% spot on and I won't hear different.

[jamtod]

I could be wrong, of course, as that's just my stubborn, opinionated thoughts.  But I bet they're 100% spot on and I won't hear different.

Lol we know oz

[bleedpurple]

I still maintain that UST football practices were just the excuse for the move.  The actual issue was the size of UST and their dominance in recruiting across the entire rage of athletics in the MIAC, outgrowing and threatening the model that the league had created.  The MIAC is more than football, after all.  It's incredibly rich and deep across almost every sport played in college and nearly every MIAC school has a nationally competitive program somewhere in that mix.  In terms of student life and recruiting, the MIAC offers a league that is hard to match.  Once UST's predatory recruiting practices were taken care of, thanks for nothing Caruso in providing the excuse, I think the MIAC waters settled.

I could be wrong, of course, as that's just my stubborn, opinionated thoughts.  But I bet they're 100% spot on and I won't hear different.

I agree 100% this was about far more than football. I may amplify your thoughts and even suggest that it goes beyond athletics.  My understanding is that St. Thomas doesn't play nice in academia either.  When schools in a conference build a long term reputation in certain fields of study and then St. Thomas hurts their enrollment through pouring money into recruitment and shiny facilities in those same fields of study, Presidents could tend to take that personally.

[retagent]

I was going to leave a snarky response telling bleed to stick to the WIAC. But his thought is well  received. It also gives me the chance to say how lucky we are in the two state area to have the two best DIII conferences in the country (at least in one ranking this year). The next two years Home and Home between SJU and UWW is something I'm looking forward to. SJU will have a lot of holes to fill, but I'm sure they will be competitive games.

[bleedpurple]

I was going to leave a snarky response telling bleed to stick to the WIAC. But his thought is well  received. It also gives me the chance to say how lucky we are in the two state area to have the two best DIII conferences in the country (at least in one ranking this year). The next two years Home and Home between SJU and UWW is something I'm looking forward to. SJU will have a lot of holes to fill, but I'm sure they will be competitive games.

Agreed and agreed! I'll slink back across the border now!

[OzJohnnie]

I agree 100% this was about far more than football. I may amplify your thoughts and even suggest that it goes beyond athletics.  My understanding is that St. Thomas doesn't play nice in academia either.  When schools in a conference build a long term reputation is.certain fields of study and then St. Thomas hurts their enrollment through pouring money into recruitment and shiny facilities in those same fields of study, Presidents could tend to take that personally.

Maybe, but removing UST from the MIAC doesn't stop them from building new nursing buildings.  In fact, it probably frees them to be even more institutionally aggressive.

I think the MIAC decision was mostly based on the recruiting pools for MIAC athletes across programs and how UST over-recruiting (alleged) particularly in football (really, really alleged) was having a demonstrable impact on the other institutions' returns from their own athletic program investment and may have even threatened the sustainability of those programs.  Perhaps some may have hoped this would hinder UST competition in other indirect ways, but I doubt they will get any joy from that hope.

[Texas Ole]

While I've never confirmed it; I think the St. Olaf had an offer to leave the MIAC along with enough other schools which would have ended the MIAC.

What were the other schools? The conversations relayed to me indicated that Carleton had zero interest in leaving the MIAC even if it meant their football program would suffer - which thankfully has not been the case this year. Now if the MIAC was about to dissolve anyway, then sure MWC would be a logical landing spot.

It seems that conversations that could destroy a conference are kept quiet until it is too late.  I know a lot of people at St. Olaf who didn't want to go to the MWC due to travel and other issues.  I feel Carleton was in the mix for leaving.  There was a mysterious phone call to Patrick Reusse by a MIAC basketball coach that seemed to be the match.  I think there is only one coach with enough respect who could've made that call.  My guess along with several other posters is that it was Coach Guy Kalland.  Coach Kosmoski is very well connected in certain basketball circles, but I seriously doubt Reusse is listening to him.  That phone call probably saved the MIAC from dissolution.  I think Macalester was most likely gone.  I think the final school was either Gustavus or Hamline with a strong leaning towards Hamline.  The MIAC losing 3 football schools or 2 hockey schools would create problems when it comes to NCAA auto-bids.  I could just imagine the uproar on this board and in other places if an 8-2 MIAC champion didn't make the playoffs due to their not being an auto-bid for the conference.  Rarely do MIAC schools get at-large selections to the NCAA hockey tournament so that auto-bid means something.  There aren't many schools that the MIAC could add for hockey.

I still maintain that UST football practices were just the excuse for the move.  The actual issue was the size of UST and their dominance in recruiting across the entire rage of athletics in the MIAC, outgrowing and threatening the model that the league had created.  The MIAC is more than football, after all.  It's incredibly rich and deep across almost every sport played in college and nearly every MIAC school has a nationally competitive program somewhere in that mix.  In terms of student life and recruiting, the MIAC offers a league that is hard to match.  Once UST's predatory recruiting practices were taken care of, thanks for nothing Caruso in providing the excuse, I think the MIAC waters settled.

I could be wrong, of course, as that's just my stubborn, opinionated thoughts.  But I bet they're 100% spot on and I won't hear different.

I agree 100% this was about far more than football. I may amplify your thoughts and even suggest that it goes beyond athletics.  My understanding is that St. Thomas doesn't play nice in academia either.  When schools in a conference build a long term reputation is.certain fields of study and then St. Thomas hurts their enrollment through pouring money into recruitment and shiny facilities in those same fields of study, Presidents could tend to take that personally.

I think the addition of certain programs definitely created tension.  Augsburg has their Weekend program and other non-traditional programs and UST created a similar program.  Hamline and William Mitchell had to combine law schools after UST created one.  Several schools have had their MBA programs overshadowed by UST.  These schools with smaller endowments often relied on these programs to fund the operating budget.  The WEC/Adult program at Augsburg probably saved the school.  When UST aggressively went after these programs it threatened the schools existence.  That doesn't sit well with Presidents.

What also gets ignored is that UST is unique in the size and scope of its graduate programs.  The MIAC does not allow graduate students to participate in athletics.  That is not a common NCAA practice.  Most conferences allow graduate student participation.  I think St. Thomas' stance on this issue was a major sticking point.  Imagine an star player for 3 years at one MIAC school leaving it to join UST as a graduate student.  That can't sit well with almost all of the schools.

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

I think the addition of certain programs definitely created tension.  Augsburg has their Weekend program and other non-traditional programs and UST created a similar program.  Hamline and William Mitchell had to combine law schools after UST created one.  Several schools have had their MBA programs overshadowed by UST.  These schools with smaller endowments often relied on these programs to fund the operating budget.  The WEC/Adult program at Augsburg probably saved the school.  When UST aggressively went after these programs it threatened the schools existence.  That doesn't sit well with Presidents.

What also gets ignored is that UST is unique in the size and scope of its graduate programs.  The MIAC does not allow graduate students to participate in athletics.  That is not a common NCAA practice.  Most conferences allow graduate student participation.  I think St. Thomas' stance on this issue was a major sticking point.  Imagine an star player for 3 years at one MIAC school leaving it to join UST as a graduate student.  That can't sit well with almost all of the schools.

It should be pointed out that, contrary to your post, UST (well, CST back then) has been operating a nights-and-weekends undergrad program since at least the early-1970s, which I am pretty sure predates Augsburg's weekend program. Back then  it was called The New College and was one of the first of its kind in the area.

To assert that Hamline & Wm Mitchell combined solely due to UST's entering into the law school competition is as absurd as to say St Teresa's  closed because UST began admitting women (something with which I'm surprised you didn't try to vilify UST - after all, those hateful Tommie upset the apple cart by allowing females to enroll in 1977). Hamline/Mitchell were poorly promoted and poorly run in the years leading up to their merger and that more than UST's presence in the marketplace was why they both nearly went under.

UST could have chosen to stagnant and remain a quaint, cute little school of 1500-1800 men only, but over the past 45-50 years the administrations of the school have felt they would better serve the educational needs and wants of the Upper Midwest by growing and evolving from a niche school into a larger, more varied university. Doing so also ensured that the school would be able to not only survive but thrive.

Where is your anger and angst over St Kate's allowing guys in its grad programs? Why aren't you upset that SMU opened a branch campus in the Twin Cities?  Whee is your holier-than-thou wrath at Bethel, St.Kate's, Saint Mary's and Augsburg for expanding their graduate program and reclassifying as universities rather than remaining niche colleges?

No one has tried harder than Olaf to replicate UST's athletic successes across the spectrum than St Olaf. No one has flailed and failed as badly as the Oles.  Dropping millions of $ on facilities, importing a slew of former D1 coaches & administrators has garnered a very good run in cross country but mediocrity an all other sports and has seen the once proud Ole baseball program...well, self destruct.