Comments on business development and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale by a local.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Wendler gone?
Just got a heads up that Walter Wendler resigned this morning. Don't know if it is true or not, but it comes from a good source.
The good news is maybe he will have time to read my blog now. I'll take his office furniture for $1800, what a deal.
11 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Wow! I got to campus today and that thought jumped in my mind because I had not heard anything from him publicly in a long while. Second time this week my intuition was right (?) based on mere conjecture (but, then again, if I have "intuition," it isn't conjecture, or is it?
Your info is probably good. I heard last week from a very reliable source that this was coming THIS WEEK. We've all known that it had to happen sooner or later.
I think we should have a black-tie "thank you" ball: Thanks for showing us not only how bad SIU can be, but also showing us what sheep the faculty and staff are. At least the students kept calling for him to move along.
Let's face it, attacking the people who control the money at your place of work isn't for the faint of heart. I think if Wendler is gone and Poshard fires just a few more people, the employees of SIUC might take heart and start to care in an active way again.
I have my Sunday best pressed and ready for Uncle Walt's going away party.
I do not know about the P's rumor, but people who think W's exit will be the dawn of a new era need to realize that SIUC was in decline for two decades before W's entrance.
Hey, I said it was a rumor. I said I didn't know if it was true.
As far as why Wendler is worse than the idiots before him, he is the first to kill the golden goose of being the low cost university in the state. Did you know the total cost of attending U of I is now lower than total cost of attending SIUC? I wrote a post about this already, but when you include job opertunities, gas driving to and from Chicago, housing, it looks like U of I might be cheaper. At the end of the day, if SIUC isn't clearly cheaper, it isn't in the game.
For years SIUC has been poorly managed and limped along. It could be that Wendler and the BOT have achieved a tipping point by raising the prices to high, to fast. If SIUC loses 10% more students from the Carbondale campus, it is going to be painful. What 10% of the staff do you want to lay off? Once that happens, it will take real leadership to recover.
Isn't it interesting that Poshard says that he "called all of his senior staffers that night to verify that it was untrue" with regard to the resignation rumor. Why didn't he simply call Wendler?
11 comments:
Wow! I got to campus today and that thought jumped in my mind because I had not heard anything from him publicly in a long while. Second time this week my intuition was right (?) based on mere conjecture (but, then again, if I have "intuition," it isn't conjecture, or is it?
Is he taking a different job? Did Poshard force him out? What the dilly yo?
Your info is probably good. I heard last week from a very reliable source that this was coming THIS WEEK. We've all known that it had to happen sooner or later.
I think we should have a black-tie "thank you" ball: Thanks for showing us not only how bad SIU can be, but also showing us what sheep the faculty and staff are. At least the students kept calling for him to move along.
Sheep? No.
Cowardly, spineless, wimpy, or just relieved to see an administrator do something even if it's the wrong thing? Yes.
Let's face it, attacking the people who control the money at your place of work isn't for the faint of heart. I think if Wendler is gone and Poshard fires just a few more people, the employees of SIUC might take heart and start to care in an active way again.
I have my Sunday best pressed and ready for Uncle Walt's going away party.
I agree with Peter's comment that maybe we can revive the sense of academy once the poofy-haired autocrat is gone.
Remember, trust, but verify.
I'm not really buying this 100 % until I hear it from one of three sources:
1. Walter Wender.
2. Tom Miller.
3. Other mainstream media source.
I do not know about the P's rumor, but people who think W's exit will be the dawn of a new era need to realize that SIUC was in decline for two decades before W's entrance.
Hey, I said it was a rumor. I said I didn't know if it was true.
As far as why Wendler is worse than the idiots before him, he is the first to kill the golden goose of being the low cost university in the state. Did you know the total cost of attending U of I is now lower than total cost of attending SIUC? I wrote a post about this already, but when you include job opertunities, gas driving to and from Chicago, housing, it looks like U of I might be cheaper. At the end of the day, if SIUC isn't clearly cheaper, it isn't in the game.
For years SIUC has been poorly managed and limped along. It could be that Wendler and the BOT have achieved a tipping point by raising the prices to high, to fast. If SIUC loses 10% more students from the Carbondale campus, it is going to be painful. What 10% of the staff do you want to lay off? Once that happens, it will take real leadership to recover.
Isn't it interesting that Poshard says that he "called all of his senior staffers that night to verify that it was untrue" with regard to the resignation rumor. Why didn't he simply call Wendler?
Okay, I've got enough confirmation. Somebody from the BoT must've leaked it and now they won't 'fess up until they've acted officially.
Bad move to keep it corked up, or, rather, a little corked up. Not a soul on campus who hasn't heard that Wendler is about to experience change.
I guess we have to wait until Tuesday's BoT session before the party starts.
Oh! Darn! That's Halloween and the strip will be closed!
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