The University of Oregon recently hired Pat Kilkenny to become its new athletic director. There are at least three unusual circumstances surrounding Kilkenny's hiring.
1) UO paid Bill Moos almost $2 million over 10 years to buy out the remaining 18 months of his contract as athletic director. According to a story in The Register-Guard, “The buyout money was provided by a small group of private donors led by Kilkenny. Frohnmayer has said that at that time no one had even imagined Kilkenny as a replacement for Moos.”
2) Kilkenny had no prior experience working in college athletics. He owned San Diego-based Arrowhead General Insurance Inc., which he sold in 2006. Kilkenny is considered UO’s second most prominent booster; Nike’s Phil Knight is number one. Personally, I think hiring bottom-line-minded businessmen could be a positive trend in college athletics, given how many athletic departments operate in the red.
3) Kilkenny does not have a college degree. I am not sure yet where I stand on this point, but I will surely enjoy the spirited debate advanced by both sides. Academic-minded professors and others who care about the academic integrity of intercollegiate athletics probably won't like an athletic department run by a college dropout. A few professors might cite this example to show the hypocrisy in college athletics. For example...
Jim Isenberg (no relation, but just what we need…another Isenberg questioning something about college sports), a UO mathematics professor and chair of the university's Intercollegiate Athletics Committee, wondered:
"If a student-athlete comes up and says, 'I want to get out of college,' and [Killkenny] says, 'No, you really should stay,' and they say, 'Well, you didn't finish,' he should have a good answer. He'll have plenty of time to think of one."
If I were channeling Kilkenny to shut this Isenberg fella up, here's what I would tell the college-dropout wannabe, "Well, if you’re going to sign a multimillion contract to play in the NBA or NFL, see you later."
College professors are not really well schooled when it comes to the value of not having a college degree. Hopefully Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer can enlighten this cynical group:
"The level of Pat Kilkenny's experience is a proxy, really, for an advanced degree," Frohnmayer said. "I mean, he's a very sophisticated, well-informed businessman in a very high-skill industry. A degree is always a proxy for what you hope a person has learned or known, or that more indefinable thing called wisdom."
That's deep, brother. Wonder if the NCAA could incorporate this “indefinable thing” into its Graduation Success Rate (GSR) calculation? This would spare us any fallout that may come from athletes who proxy right into the NBA or NFL.
My thoughts on the Kilkenny hiring?
"Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing."
Winning equals profits.
Kilkenny knows how to make money.
Oregon will win and make money.
If wrong, Kilkenny can afford to pay the shortfall.
Off point, I love his surname, which South Park fans will appreciate.
Conclusion: Great hire.
© 2007 Marc Isenberg. All rights reserved.
"The level of Pat Kilkenny's experience is a proxy, really, for an advanced degree," Frohnmayer said. "I mean, he's a very sophisticated, well-informed businessman in a very high-skill industry. A degree is always a proxy for what you hope a person has learned or known, or that more indefinable thing called wisdom."
Wow, that's interesting. To get hired for any other position at the UO, you must meet the degree requirements for the position, and if you don't meet them, your resume gets shoved into the garbage bin. I guess organizations should make exceptions as long as the checks are big enough--a great example for all college students.
By the way, should we just send our resumes directly to Frohnmeyer so he can determine if we have a proxy degree?
Posted by: Free Bird Johnstone | February 26, 2007 at 10:42 AM
You can also get a "proxy degree" by typing in www.onlineproxydegreewhileweprocessyourcreditcard.com
and paying $99.
Posted by: Proxy degree seekers | February 26, 2007 at 01:25 PM