Schlissel ignoring Harbaugh's texts and emails
WOW
Harbaugh said he’s texted and emailed U-M president Mark Schlissel, but they haven’t spoken.
— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) September 5, 2020
September 5th, 2020 at 3:40 PM ^
He’s the school president. He has a director of athletics to oversee the athletics department so he doesn’t have to. How many CEO’s do you see on the production floor?
September 5th, 2020 at 4:05 PM ^
I'm with you, I don't email the VP of my group, nor communicate with him ever actually.
September 5th, 2020 at 4:42 PM ^
Just all the best ones.
September 5th, 2020 at 7:48 PM ^
No, not really. Because being on the production floor actually has nothing to do with running the company or how successful the business is. Nor does running a university mean you need to be present in the athletic facilities. That’s what department heads are for. That’s what a chain of command is for.
September 5th, 2020 at 6:57 PM ^
How many times do you think he visits the cancer immunology dept where they do life saving research? Probably never. That's not his job.
September 5th, 2020 at 3:39 PM ^
Okay but that doesn’t mean Schlissel is ignoring Harbaugh. It means Harbaugh has texted and emailed him. But that they haven’t spoken. Texting and emailing isn’t speaking.
September 5th, 2020 at 3:58 PM ^
It would make sense to me that the President of our University would be speaking to the football coach or the AD regarding his position on playing sports.
September 5th, 2020 at 7:56 PM ^
But again, the comments from Harbaugh don’t say there wasn’t conversation. It says they haven’t “spoken.” At any rate, it absolutely does not make sense for Harbaugh to speak directly to the president.
If you have a complaint at your place of employment, you take it up the chain of command. You don’t knock on the CEO’s door, and if they make changes it comes to you from your immediate superiors, not the CEO addressing you. Why would a university be any different?
September 5th, 2020 at 5:57 PM ^
I never said or suggested that Schlissel was ignoring Harbaugh or that they haven’t communicated via text or email. I do think that it is fair to criticize Schlissel for failing to take a couple of minutes to talk to university students that have been impacted by a decision he made. A little information mixed with a measure of empathy goes a long way in this world.
September 5th, 2020 at 7:25 PM ^
There are over 44,000 students at Michigan. They're all impacted by his decisions. Should he start clearing his schedule now to speak to each and every one of them?
September 5th, 2020 at 10:58 PM ^
That’s really a stupid argument. Of course not. But the best leaders understand in today’s world stakeholders want and deserve to understand why decisions are being made. Nobody is saying he needs to critique Harbaugh’s play calling but when an issue has both broad and strategic implications you bet the leader should take a direct interest.
In this case the stakeholders go well beyond the players and coaches In the case of UM, extracurriculars, especially football, are part of the Michigan experience for a big part of the student body, an experience that helps bind many to the university long after graduation. Schlissel knew that when he took the job and the notion that he has no responsibility to explain his decision is just wrong.
September 6th, 2020 at 9:35 AM ^
The grad students in the chem and bio departments bring in as much if not more money than the football team, and have an outsized influence on the international brand of the university. Should he be speaking to them directly because of the decisions he made that shut down or limited lab time?
September 5th, 2020 at 7:59 PM ^
I didn’t say you said that. The OP did that.
There are 45,000 students at UofM. Every decision he makes impacts each and every one of those students. How much time out of his day do you want him to clear so he can explain every single decision he makes to everyone? Do you expect the same from your bosses? From the people who run your company? Newsflash: nothing would get done if they have to explain everything to everyone all the time
September 5th, 2020 at 3:44 PM ^
Total non story. Tweet indicates Manuel would be in communication with the pres not HB
September 5th, 2020 at 3:47 PM ^
More details on Harbaugh's comments today. He says early October is still possible.
Playing in October
“Maybe, possibly. That we could possibly, maybe — there’s a chance — that we could be playing sometime in October, early October. There’s a chance of that.”
September 5th, 2020 at 4:07 PM ^
Suck it up buttercup. Sun is shining and it is a beautiful day. Can’t wait to go for a run after I go to church.
September 5th, 2020 at 4:09 PM ^
Could give Harbaugh a reason to bolt. Ugh.
September 5th, 2020 at 6:59 PM ^
Wouldn't break my heart -- he has yet to do much.
September 5th, 2020 at 4:23 PM ^
Doesn't he know that there is someone that calls himself "Big Maize" that's whole existence is dedicated to a school that he could never get admitted to's athletic programs?
September 5th, 2020 at 4:44 PM ^
To his defense, I believe WD chose the school he went to because it was the best financial option for him, not so much a matter of not being accepted iirc.
September 6th, 2020 at 10:03 AM ^
No, it's important to be factual. He has specifically stated multiple times that he could never have gotten in under any circumstance. I've backed off from him for quite a while now, for the most part, but I think his postings here bear that out. I just don't understand why so many always rush to defend him. He changes his mind with the wind, or whichever way the twitter comments are blowing.
September 5th, 2020 at 4:48 PM ^
Speaking is verbal so if one texts and emails and gets an email or text back they haven’t spoken. Seems Harbaugh says there is communication between the two just not face to face or over the phone.
September 5th, 2020 at 5:00 PM ^
Conversations with Dr. Mark Schlissel
“I have had none. I’ve texted and Warde Manuel has done all the conversations with President Schlissel.
“You think I maybe got some inside information or something but I don’t. I can tell you how practice was, how the workouts have been. I could tell you we just had another 120 tests that were all negative. That’s close to a thousand tests in a row, completely negative. I could tell you how the guys’ grades are. Those are the things I’m focusing on — training and focusing our guys.”
Frustrating that Schlissel hasn't come down to the facilities?
“I texted Mark, e-mailed, showed him all results. Darryl Conway has been down to our facility multiple times and he thinks what we’re doing is a real model for everybody. It’s a testament to the players and to the staff, everybody really following the protocols.
“So yeah — he’s aware. He’s aware. So is Warde Manuel.”
Has Schlissel responded?
“Talk to Warde. Warde talks directly to President Schlissel.”
September 5th, 2020 at 5:15 PM ^
NEW PHONE WHO DIS
September 5th, 2020 at 5:19 PM ^
Ffs, WD
September 5th, 2020 at 6:22 PM ^
WD What kind of shit are you trying to feed us?
September 5th, 2020 at 6:56 PM ^
Reading comprehension is not your strong suit, huh?
I'll give you credit for being a spin-meister, though.
I'm going with Schlissel's take on this given his background. Jimmy lived in my dorm and was never known for his academic prowess at all (but I will give props in that regard to Mike Hammerstein, Clay Miller, and Stefan Humphries, though).
I sure hope you're not a UM alum.
September 5th, 2020 at 7:25 PM ^
Harbaughs agent is liking this. NFL round 2 coming soon.
September 5th, 2020 at 9:28 PM ^
Up and until the president spoke to Kevin Warren, it was fine for Schlissel not to talk directly to Harbaugh. Once that happened, any good leader would call their football coach immediately, even if only to listen.
Schlissel’s actions in the last 12 months have been pretty disastrous (I’m not talking about postponing football; I am talking about covering for the provost, continuing to employ the team trainer who knew about the molesting doctor, his HIV comments, and the way he’s led the reopening of the university). I’m bitterly disappointed by his abdication of leadership.
September 5th, 2020 at 11:29 PM ^
Leading a protest against your employer is never a good look.
September 6th, 2020 at 3:17 AM ^
This probably has nothing to do with the issue of playing and everything to do with Schlissel wanting to send a message that football does not get preferential treatment over everything else.
His thought process appears to be wanting to not play football to send a message to the school that everything is not normal, with the hope that will cause everyone on campus to stay vigilant. His re-opening plan is risky and requires full compliance in order to pull off the semester.
There's a real lack of transparency because he's effectively sacrificing football to try to pull off the semester by bringing everyone back, which is risky but does raise the profile of the school since most students and their parents want the students to be back on campus.
September 6th, 2020 at 7:57 AM ^
It’s sad that agenda from liberal presidents on the left side of the aisle anti trump caused Michigan athletics 100 million lost. If Michigan big time donors had any sense I wouldn’t give Schissel a dime. Hopefully he will learn his agenda backfire when we look back down the road. I am glad that Michigan high school football will get to play. And I am glad the south will play as well interesting that most of them playing in south are red states.
September 6th, 2020 at 8:30 AM ^
i respect harbaugh’s opinion on this, as he’s closer to the players than anyone else, but he’s at least two layers down on the org chart here. if i’m schlissel, my answer is “thanks, we’ll keep it in mind.”
September 6th, 2020 at 9:19 AM ^
That's a bullshit and misleading title WD. This is all about liability and the chain of command will be adhered to. Stick to your creating new gngering avatars than to muckrake.
September 6th, 2020 at 9:23 AM ^
I don't think it's a non issue. I think Harbaugh in a fairly gentle way was suggesting that he is not happy with the nature and quality of his communication with President Schlissel. I understand chain of command and the role of the President, but this isn't an either or, where MS should be asking Jim's views everyday, or not. My sense is that JH's perception is that his opinions are not given adequate weight.
This has been a watershed year in so many respects for the University, the state, the nation and for all of us and the head football coach at UM may not be the most important issue (it isn't), but I have a feeling that we will eventually look back on this, and see it as a turning point of sorts leading to coach's departure. Again , not that he didn't call the shots, but that he perceived he was not being taken seriously.
I'm de-emphasizing Michigan football in my own life in part because I haven't had a choice, and I'm Ok with the university de-emphasizing football if that is a conscious choice. However I would suggest that some here, are being somewhat inconsistent, with the "pay the players", "fire the money cannon" to improve recruiting, etc., comments over recent years, and who now say that football is a minor element to the health and well being of the University, and the President shouldn't greatly concern himself with the views of the head football coach. Maybe it isn't the same people, and if so, fine.
September 6th, 2020 at 10:34 PM ^
Schlissel hates athletics. Sorry but our current U-M President is not a good fit.
September 10th, 2020 at 2:24 AM ^
Completely and utterly Bush League.