UT regents double-down on bad management culture

Pratt on TexasIt baffles me that some people have such misplaced loyalty to their colleges and universities, especially when such are secular, government institutions. But given that many do consider the school they attended for a few years early in their life to be among the most important things, why do they sit by and allow the type of institutional rot we see at the top of the University of Texas system as well as UT-Austin?

Scandal after scandal has shown UT to have a bad management culture at the top and yet instead of appointing more regents interested in reforming the taxpayer-owned institution, Governor Abbott appointed more sweep it all under the rug regents. And now, those regents seemingly have decided to double-down on questionable leadership at UT.

State and federal prosecutors said his administration was filled with “widespread mismanagement and financial waste.”

UT regents have named J.B. Milliken as the new chancellor despite his disastrous tenure at City University of New York where most of his top management team resigned under his leadership and eventually even Milliken gave up the job.

State and federal prosecutors said his administration was filled with “widespread mismanagement and financial waste.”

“For most businesses or universities, “widespread mismanagement and financial waste” would be viewed as a demerit in a potential hire, but for the UT Politburo it might be an asset,” rightly wrote Cary Cheshire at the Texas Scorecard.

If all these fat-cat burnt orange lovers truly cared about UT beyond attending football games in the luxury suites, they’d be working not to add to UT’s management woes but toward changing the institution’s bad management culture. But, they are not which makes me think it is really all about the football and the university part is just an expensive sideshow.

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