AD Hire: J Batt

[Buzztheirazz]

We need to be realistic for a few more years. The money makers (football and basketball) have got to start producing a lot more revenue. If the day comes that we can field soccer teams, we're going to have to play off campus or build a facility over the downtown connector.

On the other side of connector? Where land is getting more and more expensive With high rises?

No. You would go the other way towards king plow and the hood.

 

[GTLorenzo]

On the other side of connector? Where land is getting more and more expensive With high rises?

No. You would go the other way towards king plow and the hood.

No, OVER the connector. There is some billion dollar plan to build a park over the connector from Williams or North to 14th or 17th streets, sort of a small Big Dig. Read that the infrastructure bill may have had some money for this or for a study for this? Would mostly be park land, trees, grass, walking trails, but could see some Tech related stuff as well.

 

[85Escape]

No, OVER the connector. There is some billion dollar plan to build a park over the connector from Williams or North to 14th or 17th streets, sort of a small Big Dig. Read that the infrastructure bill may have had some money for this or for a study for this? Would mostly be park land, trees, grass, walking trails, but could see some Tech related stuff as well.

And we think we have a problem with people dropping stuff off the upper east onto Techwood!

They should just condemn Homepark and build a multisport stadium there with places for Tailgating. It's a long walk, but beats tailgating in a parking deck...

 

[Vespidae]

What, financially or otherwise, can the administration do to help other than to provide moral support?

Since leaving corporate, I have taught at several universities. Although the record isn’t great in football, athletics permeates Auburn. You can’t get away from it … the school, the students, the alumni, the fans … all One Family.

This didn’t just happen. There is an intense focus on creating a Family environment and that family is united by a common love of the school AND the athletic programs that represent the school.

If Tech did THAT, it would be pretty impressive.

 

[bobongo]

https://www.heraldonline.com/sports/article267444617.html

"New athletic director J Batt knows most Georgia Tech fans want to know who’s going to be the Yellow Jackets’ next permanent football coach. The fans will have to wait, however, to see how Batt goes about his business and learn how Brent Key performs as interim coach after a 2-0 start. Batt was planning with meet with Key on Monday afternoon."

 

[AugustaSwarm]

Change "Alabama" to Alcorn State on his resume and figure out how enthusiastic we should get. GT becomes the biggest job Batt ever had.

If he raised that kind of money at Alcorn State it would be even more impressive.

 

[AugustaSwarm]

No, OVER the connector. There is some billion dollar plan to build a park over the connector from Williams or North to 14th or 17th streets, sort of a small Big Dig. Read that the infrastructure bill may have had some money for this or for a study for this? Would mostly be park land, trees, grass, walking trails, but could see some Tech related stuff as well.

I believe this was just a feasibility study to see if this would be viable.

 

[Oakland]

No, OVER the connector. There is some billion dollar plan to build a park over the connector from Williams or North to 14th or 17th streets, sort of a small Big Dig. Read that the infrastructure bill may have had some money for this or for a study for this? Would mostly be park land, trees, grass, walking trails, but could see some Tech related stuff as well.

I've heard of this. I guess they would need to figure out how to solve random tractor-trailer truck crash fires. That happens too much.

 

[takethepoints]

Exactly! There is little worse for the health of an organization than a new leader who comes in and makes a bunch of changes in the first four weeks before they even have a flipping clue the real lay of the land. They usually got fed a bunch of BS from a couple of insiders (who are also quite possibly the reason the last idiot got fired.)

Good Lord, yes. We had exactly this happen at our college when we got a new president. He comes in at the start of the Great Recession and never even makes an attenmpt to find out how the place works or who his allies are. He finds a few syciophants and starts making changes often without even talking to the programs involved. Result = resentment, program changes that die from lack of support and poor management, needless upheaval, and administrative problems that never got solved.

Let's hope Batt has more sense then to do that.

Oh, and as to why he didn't address issues about football coaching. He has to wait at least two weeks to see if Key delivers a possible bowl game. If he does, search over.

 

[bobongo]

Good Lord, yes. We had exactly this happen at our college when we got a new president. He comes in at the start of the Great Recession and never even makes an attenmpt to find out how the place works or who his allies are. He finds a few syciophants and starts making changes often without even talking to the programs involved. Result = resentment, program changes that die from lack of support and poor management, needless upheaval, and administrative problems that never got solved.

Let's hope Batt has more sense then to do that.

Oh, and as to why he didn't address issues about football coaching. He has to wait at least two weeks to see if Key delivers a possible bowl game. If he does, search over.

I've seen that same nightmare played out before just as you describe, at a university (but at a lower level). It's like a lesson of exactly how to be the worst possible administrator/manager.

 

[684Bee]

Since leaving corporate, I have taught at several universities. Although the record isn’t great in football, athletics permeates Auburn. You can’t get away from it … the school, the students, the alumni, the fans … all One Family.

This didn’t just happen. There is an intense focus on creating a Family environment and that family is united by a common love of the school AND the athletic programs that represent the school.

If Tech did THAT, it would be pretty impressive.

Much easier to do at Universities that ARE the town (Clemson, Auburn, etc.) and at places that aren’t almost 100% STEM.

 

[4shotB]

If Tech did THAT, it would be pretty impressive.

It would be I agree. Furthermore, it would take a very long time to reap the benefits (decades?). I havve a mentor that played FB at Auburn in the early 60's as well as know several Auburn alums/families. Auburn is a school that have generated generations of alums from the same family whereas at Tech it is a much, much smaller % (I had a son who got accepted but was turned off by the narrow cuuriculum as he was unsure of his major at the time of his decision. He did end up with a STEM degree at a smaller school with more diversity in terms of course offerings.) From an outsiders perspective it (Auburn and its fan base) has felt somewhat like a cult to me.

Tech has fostered amongst the older alums that sort of "trade school" feel that others mock us for. Most of us went there bc we wanted to acquire a "certain set of skills" to paraphrase a poular movie rather than out of a emotional/family attachment. While we were there there was no perceived care for our wellfare - in fact, I think the "1 in 3" and "the shaft" mythology was contrary to such. I don't know how the much more recent grads feel as I don't know any.

I live in an area thick with SEC alums and they see their schools alot differently than most Tech alums see ours (imo). The emotional attachment is strong with these people in a way that I find astounding.

 

[slugboy]

Much easier to do at Universities that ARE the town (Clemson, Auburn, etc.) and at places that aren’t almost 100% STEM.

Engineering and technology seem like half the campus at Auburn. Maybe more. I’d call Auburn a majority STEM school. Yes, they do have more degrees, but Engineering and related disciplines permeate the campus.

Tech could have a similar “Tech family” atmosphere. Auburn is less stressful, but we could make it work.

The service academies make it work, and they’re arguably MORE stressful than Tech

 

[4shotB]

. Auburn is less stressful, but we could make it work.

No doubt we can but I don't think anyone has ever cared or tried heretofore. It would be a paradigm shift for the school if the leaders were to embark on this path.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

Engineering and technology seem like half the campus at Auburn. Maybe more. I’d call Auburn a majority STEM school. Yes, they do have more degrees, but Engineering and related disciplines permeate the campus.

Tech could have a similar “Tech family” atmosphere. Auburn is less stressful, but we could make it work.

The service academies make it work, and they’re arguably MORE stressful than Tech

The service academies work because you remain connected to your classmates for the remainder of your career. There is a high likelihood you will be with several of them in unit assignments early in your career and as you move into the more senior ranks of the military you will work hand in hand with other classmates. It's really a very different dynamic than any other type of school.

 

[684Bee]

Engineering and technology seem like half the campus at Auburn. Maybe more. I’d call Auburn a majority STEM school. Yes, they do have more degrees, but Engineering and related disciplines permeate the campus.

Tech could have a similar “Tech family” atmosphere. Auburn is less stressful, but we could make it work.

The service academies make it work, and they’re arguably MORE stressful than Tech

It’s more about the school being the town, but my comment about STEM is more about the type of personality that GT students typically (not always, but typically) are.

 

[Skeptic]

C'mon...I'm pretty sure I can give you his answer to most of the questions you're asking: "Let me find the coffee first and we'll look into it".

He hasn't even started day 1 yet, he's not going to have details on length of contract and buyout for a new football coach. Let alone proffer that info at this announcement press conference. Expecting some sort of prosecutorial cross examination from these reporters seems a bit silly.

It is the role of a reporter to ask the occasional impertinent question, and to drill down otherwise.

 

[Skeptic]

Set high expectations? Insist on excellence? Replace underachievers quickly?

See? We need a lot of that, and god save us from an Alabama coaching retread just "because" he worked with Saban. Some of those guys fail miserably.

 

[takethepoints]

The service academies work because you remain connected to your classmates for the remainder of your career. There is a high likelihood you will be with several of them in unit assignments early in your career and as you move into the more senior ranks of the military you will work hand in hand with other classmates. It's really a very different dynamic than any other type of school.

You left out that your fellow officers could, you know, help you and your men and women avoid being killed. Now, that's a different dynamic.

 

[takethepoints]

It’s more about the school being the town, but my comment about STEM is more about the type of personality that GT students typically (not always, but typically) are.

That's what Tech has to change, imho. Not by lowering standards, but by attracting students with a different interest. I'm a political scientist, and, believe you me, I'd put the best (what Tech should be after) in my field up against anybody on the Tech faculty for analytical and scientific chops. Ask the people at MIT, Princeton, and, especially, the Santa Fe Institute. They'll tell you.