Hitt’s Failure is an Orphan

Sorry for the light posting, but I’ve been busy hanging lights and dressing up as Santa Claus.

If you haven’t seen it, you should check out this Beth Kassab article about the business of UCF basketball.

The University of Central Florida's home court is the centerpiece of the largest construction project in the school's history: a $242 million development that includes the 10,000-seat arena, retail shops, student housing and a parking garage.

The complex opened in the fall of 2007, just before the worst recession since World War II got under way.

As a result, the economy has taken its toll on the town-like social center near the school's new football stadium. High turnover and empty storefronts plague the retail space. The pull-back in consumer spending has slowed ticket sales and concession revenue for concerts and other events. And a naming-rights deal for the arena itself — projected before the start of construction to be worth $250,000 a year — never materialized.

Hitt has always aspired to be more than an administrator tasked with the orderly and efficient operation of a university. He has aspired to be an entrepreneur. But he is not. Entrepreneurs raise capital from investors not taxpayers. Entrepreneurs are able to sense the future and profit from it.

Interesting

The Sentinel did another article on the cheating scandal. Taylor Ellis tends to speak his mind.

The midterm exam was 55 multiple-choice questions, with different versions generated by a computer program each day during the midterm testing period. Quinn set up the test so that each version was pulled from the test bank, a practice Ellis said was not ideal.

First Chink in the Armor

I haven’t gotten a particularly bad vibe from the new Provost, but this essay is really weak. Surely he could have done better.

More Bad Press

Ostensibly racist textbooks don’t win admirers.

Grant Heston Sucks, Part III

UCF spends a lot of money on PR, yet UCF gets terrible press coverage. As best I can tell, UCF PR does two things. They write good news stories that have a state-run media vibe, and they deny UCF’s culpability in the scandal of the week (e.g., they tell the press that the football stadium doesn’t need water fountains).

But they don't get UCF good press coverage.

UCF Loves Getting Sued

From the Sentinel:

A former University of Central Florida professor has filed a lawsuit against the school after she said she was let go because she refused to use a textbook that "contains antiquated and offensive racial, ethnic and other stereotypes."

Hitt hates dissent and from reading the lawsuit it appears this mentality has filtered down to the College of Nursing.

Answer the Question, Jerk!

Knight News has some fun video of Quinn ignoring an inquisitive reporter.