William & Mary Dismisses Athletic Director

[DFW HOYA]

"She steps down in the wake of the school and department facing potential Title IX issues after the removal of seven sports earlier this year. Additionally, there was wide disdain for the move from the campus community. The move is described as a 'mutual decision' by W&M's announcement...Men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and women’s volleyball were the seven sports that would be discontinued after this academic year. Financial constraints due to the coronavirus pandemic were cited as the reason. Still, several female athletes have threatened to sue unless the sports are reinstated.

Just a week prior to Huge leaving her position, she posted a public letter to the Tribe community, to continue the discussion of their budget. This was the department's first public statement after plagiarism allegations of their announcement crafted similarly to the University of Stanford's. Neither statements were positively received by certain segments of the community. "

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/nbcsports/william-mary-ad-samantha-huge-resigns-with-school-facing-potential-lawsuit/2437700/

https://twitter.com/TribeAthletics/status/1313582931923865600

[OhioHen]

A "journalist" actually referred to "University of Stanford" AND an "editor" let it stand?

WOW!

[bonarae]

Uh oh... The Ivies looking like they'll survive the sport-cutting bloodbath plaguing their rest-of-the-nation but similar-in-focus brethren... xdontknowx

[Libertine]

A "journalist" actually referred to "University of Stanford" AND an "editor" let it stand?

WOW!

"...One thing that alluded him, though, was a trip to the NCAA Tournament... "

xoopsx

You can't just copy/paste from the teleprompter, people!

[Bill]

Except Brown....

(in response to the Ivies surviving)

[NY Crusader 2010]

W&M fans -- PM me for your $15 One HUGE Mistake T-Shirts.

[kdinva]

A "journalist" actually referred to "University of Stanford" AND an "editor" let it stand?

WOW!

Plus 1.....xchinscratchx

[Redbird 4th & short]

Much more to the story than this ADs handling of the sports cancelations or overall performance .. she just happened to be in wrong place at wrong time. From what i understand, this school's culture in sports was so stuck in the past and complacent overall. Those sports should have been canceled years or decades ago. They have one of the largest athletic budgets overall in Colonial, yet spend the least per student-athlete, and one of the smallest enrollments by far. So clearly, something had to give, and the pandemic forced them to do so now .. they had no choice financially. And I don't particularly care that she borrowed some language from Stanford press release, or that she wasn't good at delivering the bad news.

From what all I gather ... while possibly not the right person for the job, she was not THE problem with W&M spoets dept. She just struggled to solve and deal with the broader problems with their sports department, and influence from above and outside. Case in point, look at all the 20-30 year tenured athletic coaches and trainers they employed when she got there .. football, basketball, strength dept, and some others ... that says something about how they get mired in defending the status quo and doing nothing even when it wasn't going well.

And yes, I have some insider insights into their sports department, and will never reveal who .. but it was not the AD. And my source was not even a fan of the AD.

[bluehenbillk]

Two questions:

1- Is W&M doing virtual/online classes this fall or in-person?

2- If the answer to #1 is virtual or online how much has enrollment dropped?

Pennsylvania state schools are getting walloped with enrollment drops - 16 to 50%. This will cause some schools (PSAC D2 football schools) to disappear/merge possibly before Fall of 2022.

[DFW HOYA]

Pennsylvania state schools are getting walloped with enrollment drops - 16 to 50%. This will cause some schools (PSAC D2 football schools) to disappear/merge possibly before Fall of 2022.

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/10/pa-state-universities-to-continue-a-look-at-combining-universities-without-closing-campuses.html

[Pinnum]

Two questions:
Pennsylvania state schools are getting walloped with enrollment drops - 16 to 50%. This will cause some schools (PSAC D2 football schools) to disappear/merge possibly before Fall of 2022.

A large part of that is Pitt and Penn State drastically expanding their satellite campuses and competing with the PSAC schools for students. They sell kids on the fact that they will leave with a Penn State or Pitt degree and in some instances the kids can even live at home and save on housing expenses.

The issue is that the state has been funding some schools to cannibalize other schools which has resulted in the state needing to fund the schools that are taking a hit. This is part of the issue with having separate "State Supported" schools that have more political clout than the actual "State Operated" schools.

[Pinnum]

I don't particularly care that she borrowed some language from Stanford press release, or that she wasn't good at delivering the bad news.


Wow...

Those are two significant basic requirements of leadership in higher education that you disregard.

[TribeNomad1]

Wow...

Those are two significant basic requirements of leadership in higher education that you disregard.


Yep.

[Redbird 4th & short]

Wow...

Those are two significant basic requirements of leadership in higher education that you disregard.

Youre taking that one sentence out of context and making too much of it. I made and meant that statement in comparison to the true source of problems with their athletic dept. Yes, she made mistakes in several areas, her handling of the sports cuts being one of them. But they have bigger problems to solve in W&M sports dept, and the since departed AD was not THE main problem. She addressed some of their issues and made some mistakes, but couldn't overcome all of the inherent resistence. That was the point of that statement.

[FUBeAR]

https://tribeathletics.com/news/2020/10/19/general-william-mary-athletics-the-path-forward.aspx

William & Mary Athletics: The Path ForwardThree women’s sports reinstated to advance Title IX equityOn Sept. 3, 2020, William & Mary announced the decision to discontinue seven of its 23 NCAA Division I varsity sports — Men's and Women's Gymnastics, Men's and Women's Swimming, Men's Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field, and Women's Volleyball — effective with the end of the 2020-21 academic year.

Subsequently, the university received notice of intent to sue on the grounds that the announced plan, including the cuts and the associated roster adjustments in other sports, would not fully meet Title IX standards.

Accordingly, the university is reinstating Women's Gymnastics, Women's Swimming and Women's Volleyball, which will continue as Division I varsity sports.

[Dane96]

Much more to the story than this ADs handling of the sports cancelations or overall performance .. she just happened to be in wrong place at wrong time. From what i understand, this school's culture in sports was so stuck in the past and complacent overall. Those sports should have been canceled years or decades ago. They have one of the largest athletic budgets overall in Colonial, yet spend the least per student-athlete, and one of the smallest enrollments by far. So clearly, something had to give, and the pandemic forced them to do so now .. they had no choice financially. And I don't particularly care that she borrowed some language from Stanford press release, or that she wasn't good at delivering the bad news.

From what all I gather ... while possibly not the right person for the job, she was not THE problem with W&M spoets dept. She just struggled to solve and deal with the broader problems with their sports department, and influence from above and outside. Case in point, look at all the 20-30 year tenured athletic coaches and trainers they employed when she got there .. football, basketball, strength dept, and some others ... that says something about how they get mired in defending the status quo and doing nothing even when it wasn't going well.

And yes, I have some insider insights into their sports department, and will never reveal who .. but it was not the AD. And my source was not even a fan of the AD.

I've got zero stake in this game...but this is not a good take. The W&M has an endowment for athletics that is close to $100 million. That's how they can have those programs. There are P-5 schools that don't even sniff at that endowment.

[Redbird 4th & short]

I've got zero stake in this game...but this is not a good take. The W&M has an endowment for athletics that is close to $100 million. That's how they can have those programs. There are P-5 schools that don't even sniff at that endowment.
NO stake here either, at least not any more .. just some limited insider perspective, now gone.

Maybe so about endowments, I haven;t looked at this. But endowments are squishy things. And they are free to do what they want, however they want with their funds and budgeting decisions. But people are also free to question and criticize. And the budgeting has some obvious issues .. not just spending too much overall, while spreading it way to thin. But also, how much they spend on sports admin versus actual coaches .. meaning, less hands on benefits to the athletes themselves. I have specific inside info here, though admittedly do not know entire picture.

Further to the dysfunction with W&M sports ... I assume they were in Title IX compliance before they canceled the 7 sports. I don't know the roster/schollie numbers for those 7 teams, but they canceled 4 mens and 3 women's ... an obvious attempt to stay in compliance with Title IX.

So how do they respond to the threat of suits .. they don't defend the #'s, though maybe they cut it too close, I don't know. But why wouldnt they just reinstate 1 women's sport. Instead they reinstate all 3 women's sports, and no men's sports. Just very odd handling in what has to be a clear over-correction.

I'm all for Title IX 110%, it seems completely fair and very well intended. But maybe some male athletes should threaten to sue for reverse discrimination. I wonder how W&M would respond to that threat .. reinstate all 4 Men's sports ? Or 2 or 3 sports. If so, which 2 or 3 ? I think they do many things out of fear, rather than logic.

This just all seems more than a little dysfunctional on sports dept side of things and their reinstatement of all 3 women's sports and no men's sports seems like further evidence of that.

[Tribe4SF]

NO stake here either, at least not any more .. just some limited insider perspective, now gone.

Maybe so about endowments, I haven;t looked at this. But endowments are squishy things. And they are free to do what they want, however they want with their funds and budgeting decisions. But people are also free to question and criticize. And the budgeting has some obvious issues .. not just spending too much overall, while spreading it way to thin. But also, how much they spend on sports admin versus actual coaches .. meaning, less hands on benefits to the athletes themselves. I have specific inside info here, though admittedly do not know entire picture.

Further to the dysfunction with W&M sports ... I assume they were in Title IX compliance before they canceled the 7 sports. I don't know the roster/schollie numbers for those 7 teams, but they canceled 4 mens and 3 women's ... an obvious attempt to stay in compliance with Title IX.

So how do they respond to the threat of suits .. they don't defend the #'s, though maybe they cut it too close, I don't know. But why wouldnt they just reinstate 1 women's sport. Instead they reinstate all 3 women's sports, and no men's sports. Just very odd handling in what has to be a clear over-correction.

I'm all for Title IX 110%, it seems completely fair and very well intended. But maybe some male athletes should threaten to sue for reverse discrimination. I wonder how W&M would respond to that threat .. reinstate all 4 Men's sports ? Or 2 or 3 sports. If so, which 2 or 3 ? I think they do many things out of fear, rather than logic.

This just all seems more than a little dysfunctional on sports dept side of things and their reinstatement of all 3 women's sports and no men's sports seems like further evidence of that.

Dysfunctional is the correct description. Lack of transparency and woeful communication with staff and athletes. Release of, or driving off of long term successful staff with resulting alienation of many long time supporters. Significant drop in giving over the last two years and inability or unwillingness to use available assets in fundraising. Department top heavy with multiple excess administrative positions. Significant spending on consultants accomplishing little that wasn't already known and appearing to simply support current thinking. Burning through athletic reserve funds. Lack of attention to detail (Title IX compliance).

All of that has occurred over the last three years. People were sounding alarms during year one of the ADs reign and staff turnover alone was a big red flag. People are beginning to rally around the interim AD who has effectively opened communication. He has deep Tribe roots and is the right man to move things in a positive direction.

[Tribe4SF]

Two questions:

1- Is W&M doing virtual/online classes this fall or in-person?

2- If the answer to #1 is virtual or online how much has enrollment dropped?

Pennsylvania state schools are getting walloped with enrollment drops - 16 to 50%. This will cause some schools (PSAC D2 football schools) to disappear/merge possibly before Fall of 2022.

W&M is in-person with a lot of virtual stuff as well. Management of Covid has been good on campus with extensive testing and very few positives. Don't have current enrollment numbers but it appears most students are here. Football team is all here.