Kennedy vs donors... again?

[UNDBIZ]

5 minutes ago, talksalot83 said:

Anybody know if the parking ramp is breaking even yet, 'cause it wasn't in 2016 as far as I was told??

I can't imagine it's even close to breaking even on its own. 

[talksalot83]

5 minutes ago, nodak651 said:

 

1.  You blame Kennedy for the !@#$ hand he was dealt as he arrived here
2.  Kennedy makes meaningful, long term cuts
3.  UND is better positioned for the future (improves !@#$ hand)
4.  You are mad at Kennedy

 

 

I don't blame Kennedy for the hand he was dealt. I'm also aware of what he walked into. I don't, however, agree with how he handled it. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. As I've said, it's not the only reason I stopped my donation.

I don't know if UND will be positioned better in the future. It's up for debate and time will tell. I can't make that prediction. 

I'm not here to argue or get under people's feathers. I'm not even defending Kris. I was here to say that maybe there are other folks that Kennedy has alienated. And as I previously said, I hope he is able to find a way to regain and make up ground. I loved UND. I want it to be successful even if I don't agree with the leadership decisions.

[UNDBIZ]

10 minutes ago, talksalot83 said:

In my opinion, UND and NDSU are going to become less like each other as institutions. For good or for bad; I don't know. As someone who spent about 7 years (two degrees, student employee all those years) at UND and a couple years working for NDSU. Major programming is, obviously, different but seven years ago you probably could have gone to NDSU or UND for typical major and gotten a similar degree and experience. UND has been pushing more online programs and class offerings; when I worked at NDSU, they didn't even come close to those offerings. I have no idea what the strategic plan is for NDSU, but it feels like they're trying to maintain a traditional college. UND is, in some ways, moving forward from that. And that started before Kennedy.

UND is working to embrace and become part of the changing technological and higher education landscape, while maintaining a traditional presence.  There is a stigma against online universities, so it's important for UND to remain a "traditional campus offering degrees online" rather than becoming a primarily online university.  NDSU is hoping its campus experience can continue to draw in traditional students.  NDSU will be forced by the board over the next couple years to begin offering online agriculture and other degrees for which it is the sole state provider though.  

[talksalot83]

2 minutes ago, UNDBIZ said:

UND is working to embrace and become part of the changing technological and higher education landscape, while maintaining a traditional presence.  There is a stigma against online universities, so it's important for UND to remain a "traditional campus offering degrees online" rather than becoming a primarily online university.  NDSU is hoping its campus experience can continue to draw in traditional students.  NDSU will be forced by the board over the next couple years to begin offering online agriculture and other degrees for which it is the sole state provider though.  

I agree that NDSU will either be pushed into online programs/courses or they will do it on their own accord. I was surprised at the lack of online course offering they had when I started there. 

[nodak651]

38 minutes ago, talksalot83 said:

I don't blame Kennedy for the hand he was dealt. I'm also aware of what he walked into. I don't, however, agree with how he handled it. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. As I've said, it's not the only reason I stopped my donation.

I don't know if UND will be positioned better in the future. It's up for debate and time will tell. I can't make that prediction. 

I'm not here to argue or get under people's feathers. I'm not even defending Kris. I was here to say that maybe there are other folks that Kennedy has alienated. And as I previously said, I hope he is able to find a way to regain and make up ground. I loved UND. I want it to be successful even if I don't agree with the leadership decisions.

I don't have any feathers to ruffle, and this type of discussion is one of the more interesting topics on the message board.  Genuinely curious, how would YOU have done it differently?  UND has lost or will lose, like, what, 20% of it's budget?  Where should that money have been cut?

[UNDColorado]

2 hours ago, darell1976 said:

People see the governor cutting budgets for all universities and colleges but what makes people mad is seeing how NDSU handled it without cutting athletics compared to UND axing sport after sport even though UND had more sports than NDSU especially one costing millions of dollars without a huge crowd or a lot of revenue. 

I see your point but UND had 21 sports, which is way to many at the D1 level. NDSU has 16 or 17, which is an ideal number to fund.

[BarnWinterSportsEngelstad]

5 hours ago, siouxkid12 said:

When do we stop groveling to the Engelstads? They donated an arena to UND years ago, we thanked them and now it’s time to move on. They are the ones who hurt the University with their refusal to work with UND and the logo change. I’m about done with this family. UND sold its soul for the glitz and glamour of a Vegas pimp and we’ve all fell for it.

In short, what was donated here by Ralph & Betty Engelstad at the start of the century is a future interest in The Ralph with a 30 year lease and then in the fall of 2030 the land consumes all of the improvements upon it and the lease expires along with all the other strings. In the mean time money taking into The Ralph stays here in The Ralph with some forwarded to the AD. Sure, there are bills along with improvements paid for that go out the door. In short, Pretty Sweet, what a gift!  Keep in mind next year (14 years ago there was a major change to the rental agreement for building The Betty) The Betty is paid for, with these remaining payments being made by The Ralph.

We must remember these donations that KEM brings up or other posters bring up are not proceeds or $ in anyway from The Ralph but from the Engelstad Foundation that is in Nevada. After The Ralph was built and operating, in 2002 the Engelstad Foundation (somewhat short of $1B) was formed, again in Nevada, completely separate from this jewel in GF. 
This foundation since it's conception has given:
$20M to the UND Foundation
Nearly $4M to Ralph Engelstad Arena (nicknamed The Ralph)
$8.5M towards Scheels Arena in Fargo (swallow that one)
$5M EGF Sacred Heart
.5M GF Parks and more - http://engelstadfoundation.com/esf/past-donations/.  
Take note the new scoreboard going into The Ralph:
The Ralph contributes $2M to the cost of it's own $6M scoreboard.
Engelstad Foundation gives $4M.

I ask seriously as a supporter of UND, how can you resort to your statements and not see the good here? Why would we want to try and stop a family giver of this magnitude? People need to understand the whole picture, way too much confusion. The positives way out way the negatives. There is a future here for more good to come, how can P. Kennedy not see this as well.

We need KEM on good graces for this next move. What is happening with P. Kennedy is causing problems with our HPC Phase II plan.

Anyone interested in getting this Phase II done soon, continue reading, this is a fast track plan:
Need an administrator that knows how to fund raise and rebuild some relationships.
Fund raise.
Get KEM back on board.
After above is accomplished with fund raising slowed down (which by the way will be after The Betty will be paid for) and where a reasonable amount of funds still might be needed to finish Phase II; KEM with The Ralph (including UND's direction) do a similar 15 year loan as was done with The Betty.

[MafiaMan]

6 hours ago, Oxbow6 said:

Can we get @MafiaMan in for a ruling on this: Eco- vs. Ego-

 

6 hours ago, Oxbow6 said:

To be kind Kennedy has not endured himself to donors of UND.....big or small.

Forget about eco vs ego...what about endured vs endeared?

[Siouxperfan7]

https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/education/4443805-kris-engelstad-mcgarry-describes-hostile-relationship-und-administration

In the article that started this all, KEM says the last president the family shared a strong relationship with was Thomas Clifford.  So basically she admits to saying her relationships with Presidents Baker, Kupchella, Kelley, and Shafer, (along with Kennedy) weren't that great either.  So who is to say that she will get along with the next President?  Maybe UND should just let KEM hand pick the next President that is willing to kiss her ass and let her do what she wants without any pushback!!

[Blackheart]

22 minutes ago, MafiaMan said:

 

Forget about eco vs ego...what about endured vs endeared?

Holy nightmare, Batman!!

[Shawn-O]

If UCF is willing to reopen the discussions for the President's gig, I would take that and run if I were Kennedy.  

[Oxbow6]

41 minutes ago, MafiaMan said:

 

Forget about eco vs ego...what about endured vs endeared?

Note to self....... double check what one posts for grammar spelling and punctuation!

[CMSioux]

First they came for my president and I did not speak out..

[cberkas]

Let’s just say that “IF” women’s hockey didn’t get cut, would we be having this discussion. 

[Cratter]

5 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

If you don't understand why he (a former 'fixer') was brought in 

I just watched one fixer get interviewed in front of congress on TV days before he goes off to jail.

I watched another fixer at UND give the "chief of staff" (and a former Kennedy friend before UND) a massive raise before she moved to Texas to work from home.

That was after he gave another close buddy of his, whom he also met before he started working at UND, $17,000 a month to a guy working 80 hrs a month in Boston for his excellent work "helping" UND.

FIxers are shady people.

[siouxkid12]

6 hours ago, talksalot83 said:

There are many reason I stopped my donation. I'm not going to go into details because I don't want to argue with folks; I know I'm in the minority on this board in many opinion respects. What I can say is that I have valid reasons to stop my financial support. I don't want to be the President of a higher education institution, but I've spent a lot of time in one and there are certainly different paths I would have taken on some decisions.

I'm not completely alone, though. I'm a somewhat young alum and many of my friends feel the same way. I have a lot of friends who graduated between '07-'14 who are not pleased with the past few years. Many of whom have stayed in the area; many of whom have stayed in contact with folks who work at UND/have close relationships with UND. These are the folks who might be at a place in their careers where they could afford to give, but they might be choosing other places to give to. 

Leadership is important. I don't think Kennedy has done a good job. That's simply my humble opinion and I think it's fair that we all get to decide what to do with dollars we want to donate.

If you look past the nickname issue, what has he done wrong? 

[siouxkid12]

1 hour ago, cberkas said:

Let’s just say that “IF” women’s hockey didn’t get cut, would we be having this discussion. 

It needed to be cut and if it wasn’t Kennedy, it was going to be someone else. The SBOHE knew this was going to happen and placed a big pile of “sh!t” in front of him.

[bincitysioux]

I'm done with Kennedy.

I had high hopes for him when he took the job given his background as a conservative politician, his business experience,  the fact that he was NOT a lifelong "academic", and he was born and raised somewhat "locally" in small town Minnesota (the same one my mom hails from).

But so far his tenure has been nothing but a disaster in my eyes.  

From the disastrous decision to move North Dakota from the Big Sky to the SumValley, to alienating/insulting/offending the Engelstad family from the get-go, to these multiple absurd personnel arrangements.  This guy is just out of touch with the city of Grand Forks, the state of North Dakota, and the Midwest in general I am afraid.  

The only good thing he's done since being here was dropping Women's Hockey and Swimming & Diving, but my guess is that Schafer had that served up on a plate for him when he got here because I doubt Kennedy could have even figured that out.

[UND1983]

5 hours ago, talksalot83 said:

When I was a student, there were several times where I was like, "I'm not sure this is a good financial idea." I expressed concerns, but usually to be shot down by staff/administration. Some of those people are still there in much higher positions so...

Anybody know if the parking ramp is breaking even yet, 'cause it wasn't in 2016 as far as I was told??

Parking ramps are a disaster in general.  Big-time money losers for a long, long time.

[siouxkid12]

1 hour ago, bincitysioux said:

I'm done with Kennedy.

I had high hopes for him when he took the job given his background as a conservative politician, his business experience,  the fact that he was NOT a lifelong "academic", and he was born and raised somewhat "locally" in small town Minnesota (the same one my mom hails from).

But so far his tenure has been nothing but a disaster in my eyes.  

From the disastrous decision to move North Dakota from the Big Sky to the SumValley, to alienating/insulting/offending the Engelstad family from the get-go, to these multiple absurd personnel arrangements.  This guy is just out of touch with the city of Grand Forks, the state of North Dakota, and the Midwest in general I am afraid.  

The only good thing he's done since being here was dropping Women's Hockey and Swimming & Diving, but my guess is that Schafer had that served up on a plate for him when he got here because I doubt Kennedy could have even figured that out.

Moving us from the big sky to the Missouri Valley Conference is huge and cuts Dow. Our cost. 

The engelstad family is Stubborn and thinks money buys whatever they want.

[cberkas]

2 hours ago, siouxkid12 said:

It needed to be cut and if it wasn’t Kennedy, it was going to be someone else. The SBOHE knew this was going to happen and placed a big pile of “sh!t” in front of him.

I agree  it had to be cut, but you didn’t hear a thing from her until after it was cut.

[Goon]

5 hours ago, Shawn-O said:

If UCF is willing to reopen the discussions for the President's gig, I would take that and run if I were Kennedy.  

The job appears to be open again. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-ne-ucf-president-dale-whittaker-resignation-20190219-story.html

[Hockeygirl97]

6 hours ago, Siouxperfan7 said:

https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/education/4443805-kris-engelstad-mcgarry-describes-hostile-relationship-und-administration

In the article that started this all, KEM says the last president the family shared a strong relationship with was Thomas Clifford.  So basically she admits to saying her relationships with Presidents Baker, Kupchella, Kelley, and Shafer, (along with Kennedy) weren't that great either.  So who is to say that she will get along with the next President?  Maybe UND should just let KEM hand pick the next President that is willing to kiss her ass and let her do what she wants without any pushback!!

Let ME pick the $#&&&!!! next president . . . I'm sure I'd agree w/ her. . . The Betty wasn't supposed to be free. .. .there were agreements to pay for it. . . Kennedy is a moron, as shown by his parade of coaches begging for their programs.  (People seem to be forgetting that fiasco. . ) Dance w/ who brung ya. . . not some politician from Minnesota. . . Yeah, let's piss off the 100 million dollar player in the room and see how long it takes the Ralph and the Betty to rot under the North Dakota state budget. GOOD PLAN.  Let's go w/ that. . .. 

[SlowHand]

Engelstad family says they’ll withhold donations to UND, calls for President Kennedy to be fired

Is this something new or has Kennedy always had friction with the Engelstads?

 

https://www.inforum.com/entertainment/podcasts/979524-Engelstad-family-says-they’ll-withhold-donations-to-UND-calls-for-President-Kennedy-to-be-fired

[NoiseInsideMyHead]

Can’t decide if trolling, or if screen name is uniquely descriptive.