Derrick Gragg leaves role as AD for VP position still at Northwestern
- Thread starter mshelton33
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Northwestern creates role dedicated to new frontier of college athletics; appoints Dr. Derrick Gragg vice president for athletic strategy
Northwestern University today announced the creation of a new administrator-level position dedicated to the oversight of the University’s athletics strategy and approach to the new era of collegiate athletics. Dr. Derrick Gragg, current Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation...
news.northwestern.edu
Call him Derrick von der Gragg because the only other person I've seen as successful as him at failing upwards is Ursula.
This is called the "Dilbert Principle." Promote somebody up to a level where they can’t harm the organization.
In other words, he was fired without having to pay him a buyout or exposing the university to wrongful termination type lawsuits.
Best move related to university athletics in a few years. What a disastrous tenure.
Best move related to university athletics in a few years. What a disastrous tenure.
I’d be shocked if there were a raise in pay here. He’s currently a VP; he’s just being given a less-important VP role.
“Hey, (new AD) I’ve got a great NIL idea!”
“Great. Put it in a deck. Send me an email. And schedule time with my assistant.”
I assume the plan is to ignore him until he resigns. In the old days, I’d see lots of freecell and minesweeper in his future. He’ll probably get to do Subway Surfers or Clash of Clans now. Tons of money for in-game purchases.
What makes you think he would resign? He doesn't seem the type to turn down a sinecure.
This is not a promotion. This is a BS move by the NU administration to avoid paying him a buyout.
I wouldn’t resign either if I could pull in a fat salary for doing literally nothing.
[Bring on the Fitz jokes, which would all be wrong.]
Also seems like he had no other offers out there. No surprise there.
I didn't need my master's in learning and org change from northwestern to read between the lines on this one
“I mean, he worked at the NCAA for chrissakes. That’s a sinecure-only organization.”
Thanks for the new word.
I doubt he’ll resign.
I am hoping schill gets demoted to just teaching at nu. Then after a few semesters he just fades away
1 down, 1 to go... sounds like excavating the Shill from the University might take some time longer though
Make up some bs position for schill too, like provost of affairs chancellor
Works for me! Maybe "Provost of Community Affairs" so that, like Ggarg he can focus on strategic initiatives at the cutting edge of optimizing their own utter bulls***.
Precisely. Probably avoid a discrimination lawsuit in the process.
WildcatReport - Derrick Gragg out as AD, moving to VP position at Northwestern
Derrick Gragg will be leaving his current position to make room for a new athletic director at NU.
northwestern.rivals.com
Here’s the story from @lou v and me on Gragg’s change in role.
From an article in The Athletic:
"Two people briefed on the decision said Gragg was being, 'tactfully shifted aside,' as one put it, rather than outright fired."
and
"...one of the people with knowledge of the decision said booster pressure ultimately contributed to Gragg's outser."
==========
"Booster pressure?" Welp, we know what that means. They finally caved to my demands.
Honestly, the only thing I'm left to wonder is if these wheels were set in motion long ago or if it has anything to do with the fact that we're less than 80 days out from the season opener and they still haven't sold me season tickets(?)
"Two people briefed on the decision said Gragg was being, 'tactfully shifted aside,' as one put it, rather than outright fired."
and
"...one of the people with knowledge of the decision said booster pressure ultimately contributed to Gragg's outser."
==========
"Booster pressure?" Welp, we know what that means. They finally caved to my demands.
Honestly, the only thing I'm left to wonder is if these wheels were set in motion long ago or if it has anything to do with the fact that we're less than 80 days out from the season opener and they still haven't sold me season tickets(?)
Ah!!! Thank you.
I was wondering why NU would keep him around at all. This is the best answer I've seen.
Yes, it's pretty clear that rather than a messy firing, they chose to just make up a sidegrade position for him to hang out in (i.e. his contract won't view that as termination since the new job is also at the VP level), but he effectively has no responsibilities.
Glad to see him out of the role. I do wonder why so much hate for Schill. The President has only one real role at a university, and that is to raise funds. the fact he has been thrust into making other decisions really isn't his fault. the things that he has had to do should have been handled by the AD or the normal governance of the University. the only thing weird thing that threw things out of wack was that wealthy donors want to control thought on campus, so he had to do something as to not piss them off too much so he can raise funds.
In the corporate world we call this position VP of Special Projects, I.e., your project is to find a new position outside the organization in the next 12 months.
Perfect for Ggarg, he can get back to what he does best- attending Zoom calls with video off while vacationing in Europe and avoiding any accountability.
Well said.
If I ever insulted you, I apologize.
There is a better administration move that could be made to help Northwestern athletics, though.
In fact, I got a heavy dose of Schill at commencement this past Sunday.
Lets just say I found him rather clownish. Way too exuberant, not nearly dignified enough in addressing the student body. Over the top "rah rah" nonsense. Trying way too hard to seem enthused and excited for the graduates.
The only feedback I got from our out of town guests was "He's not really a good face for the university."
Because schill completely botched the Fitz situation and will likely cost the school tens of millions of dollars. Hope that helps.
Let’s hope we can find a competent hire for the AD slot. Some stability and confidence in the new replacement would be most welcome at this point. At my other school, UC San Diego we’ve had the same guy as AD for over 20 years. He has guided the program up the ladder from DIII to DII now to DI and membership in the Big West Conference. I know longevity can have its downside with burnout and stagnation, but I’d like to see a period of stability in our athletics program leadership, as well as competency. I think supporters lost confidence these last few year pointing to tepid leaders at the helm. Now we can reboot. Go Cats!
The hiring of a new AD will be telling. This is a pivotal few years for college athletics. The caliber of candidates NU attracts will say a lot about what folks think of our future in the NIL/compensation era.
Frankly, Gragg’s new job description covers the most critical priority for the new AD, whoever he/she is.
I agree this is a critical hire coming at a critical time in college athletics as it turns towards salaried professional players in major sports. I don’t know about the dual roles of AD and the new position created for Gragg. It seems like the split could cause conflict over time. Usually fundraising for athletics is a role subordinate to the AD, so this move seems a little confusing. I guess time will tell….
What I am saying is that he should never had to deal with that. A competent AD would have dealt with it.
Wrong. Is the AD firing Nick Saban without getting the blessing of the school president ? Buck stops at the top.
People will be scratching and
Clawing to get the NU AD job. It pays (I think Phillips was one of if not the highest paid AD) and the pressure is extremely minimal. Just avoid scandal.
Fitz should be held responsible for EVERYTHING that happens under him but the same doesn't go for Schill.
Moving Gragg to a meaningless V.P. role is a brilliant move in my opinion. NU doesn't have to worry about a wrongful termination lawsuit and it keeps Gragg in the fold until all of the litigation is concluded. I can't imagine that he will be around much longer after the litigation is resolved. Certainly no longer than the term of his original contract. Even he can't possibly think that an extension is in the offing
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