For MSU, does it matter if perception isn't reality?
I'm having a tough time trying to figure out what my opinion is on the whole Mike Kramer firing. Obviously, something had to be done to straighten out the program. Maybe Gatewoord & Co were no longer athletes when they were arrested, or maybe Kramer had no idea what was going on or maybe he was just trying to give a guy a break. Even so, something had to be done. But then, this whole thing could've been handled much better.
An article in today's Great Falls Tribune by Scott Mansch compares perception to reality. He says through all this MSU is still serving its function as an academic institution and the perception is not reality in Bozeman.
Unless you're at a phenomenally gifted school where science research is making all the big headlines, athletics are going to get the most exposure. In a way, they are the face of the school. When Montana State beat CU and made headlines, that was phenomenal. However, when news came out that MSU athletes brought cocaine into Bozeman, that didn't look so hot. How are parents going to justify sending there kids to MSU when the latest headlines out of Bozeman is that there is a major cocaine problem.
The reality, most likely, is that there are drug problems at many universities. The perception is that it's much worse at Montana State. If MSU continues on its way and didn't do anything in reaction to the problems, what would parents of recruits and prospective students think? With so much riding on the perception of the school, I don't have any qualms with a fix that changes the perception of the school even though it's not guaranteed to fix the reality. I understand one man's career is on the line, but the perception needed to be fixed and this termination had the best chance of doing so. More to come on that in a bit.
An article in today's Great Falls Tribune by Scott Mansch compares perception to reality. He says through all this MSU is still serving its function as an academic institution and the perception is not reality in Bozeman.
Certainly drug use and academic lapses are not confined to the campus in Bozeman. Anyone who thinks the problems occur only at MSU is kidding himself. But the headlines indicate otherwise these days.However, does it really matter what's perception and what is reality? At this point in time, outsiders' perception must be horrible. When you're trying to bring in solid students and recruits, isn't how they perceive the school extremely important?
So the administration at Montana State is in the process of hiring a football coach to replace Kramer and, by all accounts, has a list of fine finalists. The slate will be wiped clean and we can only hope that forevermore the problems are over.
A pipe dream, to be sure.
...
The perception? Montana State has turned into Animal House. Or worse.
The reality? An exceptional institution of higher learning.
Unless you're at a phenomenally gifted school where science research is making all the big headlines, athletics are going to get the most exposure. In a way, they are the face of the school. When Montana State beat CU and made headlines, that was phenomenal. However, when news came out that MSU athletes brought cocaine into Bozeman, that didn't look so hot. How are parents going to justify sending there kids to MSU when the latest headlines out of Bozeman is that there is a major cocaine problem.
The reality, most likely, is that there are drug problems at many universities. The perception is that it's much worse at Montana State. If MSU continues on its way and didn't do anything in reaction to the problems, what would parents of recruits and prospective students think? With so much riding on the perception of the school, I don't have any qualms with a fix that changes the perception of the school even though it's not guaranteed to fix the reality. I understand one man's career is on the line, but the perception needed to be fixed and this termination had the best chance of doing so. More to come on that in a bit.
