mksioux

Yes, the open records laws apply to the assistant coach position(s) as well. It just takes someone to request the information.

I notice that they still only have one Assistant Coach position posted. You'd think they'd have multiple positions posted by now. Or maybe posting one gives them the authority to hire multiple coaches. I'm not sure how that works.

He was also the offensive coordinator at South Dakota for two seasons (06 and 07) before being the head coach at Mankato.

I wonder if he's started one of these yet?

There will be no announcement today per Faison.

I was thinking a mock game with the HR department coming up with a point system to judge the coaches on their in-game decisions. Maybe mock recruiting living room visits with an HR point system for that as well.

I agree. Maybe UND should wait even a few more weeks, just to be super-duper sure it is making the right decision. I mean, how can you possibly know with just one interview whether you're getting the right guy? I think there should at least be second interviews, maybe third interviews. Better yet, maybe they could set up some mock games and put them through actual coaching situations. I mean, how can you really know you're making the right decision through just a standard interview? The football season doesn't start until August. There's no need to rush this through. I think if they wait until July, that will really ensure they are making the right decision. In the grand scheme of things, all that matters is getting the right guy. Time = better decision, so take more time and make a better decision. There is no reason UND should be like all the other DI universities out there making rash decisions and hiring quickly. They're all doing it wrong. UND is doing it right.

My comment had nothing to do with the quality of Stony Brook's program. I'd like to see non-conference scheduling with regional MVFC teams rather than an East Coast team. Just my personal preference. Also, the casual fan doesn't care about a team like Stony Brook. Nobody outside of this forum will care about the game. I'd rather have scheduled another home and home with SDSU, or got one going with UNI, SIU, etc.

UND entered into a home and home with Stony Brook. Home in 2014, away in 2016. Meh. It seems like there are better home and home options than Stony Brook. http://www.undsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=209345164

If the new coach is a trainwreck, you can bet a lot of people will go back and cite to the hiring process as part of the problem. But even if the coach is a success and everyone forgets about the process, it doesn't mean that the policy is good, or that it is justification for not changing the policy. The A.D. needs to have more flexibility. Sometimes is might make sense to take your time. Other times, it will make more sense to make a quick hire. Plus, the statement is largely meaningless because we don't know, and probably never will know, what might have happened if the process didn't dictate a long drawn-out process. We may never know what Faison might have been able to do with the kind of flexibility afforded to the Boise State A.D., for example.

It's not that we don't believe you, it's that we can't believe the process. You've actually be quite helpful in trying to explain this.

Hmmm, not sure why this one has less of a posting requirement than the head coaching job. They really ought to put the hiring policies online. I thought North Dakota was all about transparency. I think you're overestimating how many coaches would apply for an assistant coaching position at a school that has not yet named a head coach. But even if there were a lot, it would still take less time for HR to comb through them and assign them points than waiting out an additional two weeks it would take under the posting requirements. At least if there is even an ounce of urgency to getting the job done.

I honestly don't understand your point. Give the new head coach all the time he needs. What I'm saying is - don't hamstring him by not allowing him to hire anyone until three weeks after he starts. You post the job well in advance of the head coach being hired and post it as "open until filled" and give it a generic job description. Who cares who applies before the head coach is named? Once the head coach is named, he tells the people he wants to hire to apply, then pull the posting and get the HR requirements going immediately. If he's not sure on a particular assistant, he can keep that posting open a little longer. By waiting to post until after the head coach is hired, you're wasting three weeks.

Great question and one that the media HAS to ask Faison. At least get the stupid posting requirement out of the way so the only thing the new head coach has to deal with when assembling his staff is the stupid HR points system and interview requirements. The only explanation I can think of is that he wanted the new coach to be able to tailor the job description to the candidates he wanted, i.e. what Hakstol did when he re-hired Brad Berry, But IMO, that is not even close to a good enough reason to waste three weeks (15 business days) before assistant coaches can be hired, particularly since signing day is Feb. 5 and you'd think it would be better to have assistant coaches in place asap for recruiting purposes. This is really a head-scratcher. Siouxjoy - can you think of any way the new head coach won't have to wait for the 15 business days to be able to hire his assistants (other than hiring internally)?

I notice it says "Assistant Coach - Football" rather than plural "Coaches" I assume the new head coach will need multiple assistant coaches to fill-out the staff and most of them will be external hires. I wonder under UND's convoluted hiring process whether multiple assistant coaches can be hired under one assistant coach listing, or if each assistant coaching position is going to have to be separately listed? My guess is the latter, which begs the question why is only one listed? We need to get the 15-business day posting requirement ticking immediately. In fact, these could have been posted a week or two ago so that the new coach could hire right away.

Who knows. We don't know what the job postings will look like for the coordinator positions and whether they would make it through the all-powerful HR Department.

Nothing has been stated officially. Just speculation from people supposedly in the know. Which, admittedly, isn't worth much more than interesting conversation. Good point about the possibility of him withdrawing his name. It's also possible that Faison removed him from the list himself, which I wouldn't have a problem with. I just had a big problem with the speculation that Pflugrad didn't make it past HR.

That article really didn't explain a lot. Yes, NDSU has a similar posting requirement, but it didn't say anything about whether NDSU has a similar HR-points policy and interview policy. I came away from that article thinking most of the problems with the process (except for open records laws) was University policy. But even if some of it is NDUS policy, my point was not to compare with only NDSU, but to the rest of the country. I agree nothing is going to change with this hire, and probably won't change after this hire. It'll probably take an external search for head hockey coach to get a little traction toward change.

Recruiting and player retention are the main concerns. Keep in mind, it's not just the head coaching vacancy. Once hired, the head coach has to go through this same process when assembling his coordinators, assistant coaches, and staff. I think people are worried that UND will not have a full football staff in place until after signing day and will largely miss out an entire year's worth of recruiting. Don't get me wrong, I think Faison should have the flexibility to take this much time if he wants. Maybe he needs to get money issues in place, or maybe he is waiting for his targeted candidate to apply, etc. I just don't like "the process" dictating it.

If you want to compare hiring practices, there is no need to look further than how other Division I schools hire football coaches. There are your comparisons. You don't need to start talking about how your company does it and what your HR department does. It's just not relevant. This is a highly-specialized field. And given recruiting and player retention, it's a very time-sensitive hire. Good ADs should have a short-list of candidates at any given time and should have the freedom to act quickly to fill the spot when an opening occurs. Look at the way Boise State hired its football coach. That is the way it works at most FBS schools. I'm not sure how most FCS schools do it, but I highly doubt most FCS schools place as many restrictions on the process as UND does. So maybe it is "normal" in your world for HR to play this prominent of a role in hiring decisions, but it is not "normal" in the world of Division I athletics, particularly with head football coaches. The key questions are - Why does UND do it differently? Does UND benefit by mandating minimum posting times? Does UND benefit by placing more restrictions on its AD? Will UND ultimately get better or worse coaching hires with such a process in place? In my opinion, those are the relevant questions when discussing the process.

You're changing the subject. Of course Faison can pass on Pflugrad for these reasons. I'm talking about the process.

To make judgment calls on gray areas such as NCAA violations? We're not talking about criminal background checks here. That comes later in the process and nobody is arguing that should be eliminated. Okay, you guys got it all figured out. UND is doing it right. Virtually every other DI school in the country is doing it wrong.

Okay, I guess we'll just have to disagree fundamentally on the power HR should have in the hiring of a football coach.

I can't say with certainty whether past off-the-field events should disqualify Pflugrad from getting the job. But I can say that I'm not comfortable with HR making that call. That is the call for nobody other than Faison or Kelley. Pflugrad is clearly qualified for this job. If Faison wants to pass on him due to those events, I can live with that. But if there is any truth the rumors that Pflugrad didn't make the final 9, as ordained by the all-powerful HR department based on their points system, then this process has some serious problems.

Here are SFI's preferences: http://siouxfb.areav.../the-sfi-three/