Bad news coming

Greeneagle87 · July 20, 2005

So this Pee Jackson character obviously isn't good for football?

grad88 · July 20, 2005

The biggest mistake was hiring a separate chancellor to begin with...that was not a wise decision. It is not as if we are such a huge system that one individual can not handle both duties. I think we will see that Lee Jackson is the worst thing that has happened to this school for a long time.

stebo · July 20, 2005

Have the BOR fire LJ and hire Pohl for the Chancellor job. That way we kill two birds with one stone. Pohl gets a new job to get excited about... he gets rid of Jackson (the real reason he is leaving)... and Bobby Ray can find us a new pro-athletic's President. I would suggest the Troy or Boise President... someone that has seen how much athletics can move a school's name into the national spotlight.

MootPoint · July 20, 2005

Pohl to leave UNT next year

UNT president says ‘level of enthusiasm’ for job is running out

07:14 AM CDT on Wednesday, July 20, 2005

By Matthew Zabel / Staff Writer

Dr. Norval F. Pohl, University of North Texas president since 2000, announced Tuesday he would leave the university when his contract expires next year because his enthusiasm for his job is running out.

Norval Pohl

“My personal career experience is that my level of enthusiasm for any job lasts about six or seven years, and I’m at the end of my seventh now. I think it’s time for me to make a move,” said Pohl, 62.

Pohl came to UNT as an executive vice president and provost in January 1999 and became its 13th president in October 2000 when the university’s Board of Regents split the jobs of the chancellor and president into two positions.

Pohl said he does not have another job yet, but he is considering several different options, most likely in academia but possibly in the business world.

Pohl’s contract expires Aug. 31, 2006, but depending on when he finds another position, he could leave before then, said UNT Chancellor Lee Jackson.

Jackson said he appreciated receiving notice so far in advance so that the university could begin its search for Pohl’s replacement.

Jackson praised Pohl for his leadership style.

“He brought a very personal, warm style to campus leadership,” Jackson said. “He renewed the campus spirit, not only around athletics, but in campus residency as well. He was highly regarded by the community for his hands-on approach.”

The Board of Regents is scheduled to conduct Pohl’s annual review at its quarterly meeting next month, and would have considered a contract extension at that time. Several regents said Tuesday they had not discussed yet whether they would have extended Pohl’s contract.

Pohl is currently earning a base salary of $260,687 annually, plus incentives.

John Robert “Bobby” Ray, chairman of the UNT Board of Regents, said Pohl had discussed with the board a few months ago his desire to move on, so he was not surprised by Pohl’s announcement.

At its August meeting, the board will discuss beginning a search for a new president, Ray said. Ray also said Pohl had a great rapport with students, faculty and with the city of Denton.

“He was a great visionary,” Ray said. “We wouldn’t have had the school of engineering and that property if it were not for Dr. Pohl, and that’s just one example.”

Pohl made his announcement public through a campuswide e-mail Tuesday morning.

In it, he cited numerous changes for the better that had taken place at UNT during his tenure, including the university’s acquisitions of the former Texas Instruments property in north Denton and the Liberty Christian School property on South Bonnie Brae Street. He also noted the university’s expansion onto the former Eagle Point Golf Course, which is now home to a new dormitory, dining hall and Athletics Center. More expansion, including a new football stadium, is planned for that property.

Pohl also noted that several improvements at UNT during his tenure were “less visible, but ultimately more important to the future of UNT,” including the development of the College of Engineering, a $150 million capital campaign, $7 million in federal research money, 47 patent filings, and the licensing of intellectual property.

Pohl said he’s had a good relationship with Jackson and with the Board of Regents.

Pohl said he was most happy with accomplishments in athletics, school spirit and in engineering.

Pohl took little credit for UNT’s football team winning four straight Sun Belt Conference titles, saying he “was just kind of here at the right time.” But he said he fought hard and succeeded in bringing this year’s Sun Belt Conference basketball tournament to UNT in March.

Before coming to UNT, Pohl served as vice president for finance and administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He holds a doctorate in quantitative systems from Arizona State University and a master’s degree in business administration in management and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University.

Faculty members expressed a variety of opinions about Pohl and his leadership. Some credited Pohl with making the campus more unified, while others said he made it more divided.

“I’m disappointed that we will lose such a great leader,” said Dr. Frances van Tassell, associate professor of teacher education and chairwoman of the UNT Faculty Senate.

She praised Pohl for his “strong support of the provost and the development of UNT’s first academic plan.”

Last spring, faculty members rated Pohl’s overall performance as president at 1.4 on a scale of 0 to 4.

Dr. Don Smith, a biology professor and president of the UNT chapter of the American Association of University Professors, called Pohl “utterly disdainful of faculty.”

“I was optimistic when he came,” Smith said. “I thought he understood academia, but he and [Provost Dr. Howard] Johnson have served to disgrace the university and its national reputation.”

Pohl acknowledged the year has been stressful because of controversy over individual faculty members who were denied tenure and over tenure qualifications as a whole, but “that isn’t something that would cause me to leave UNT.”

Pohl said he still believes he and Johnson have made the right decisions related to tenure and tenure appeals, but he acknowledged that tenure — both the qualifications for attaining it and the appeal process — is still a lively issue on campus.

“We took so long in hearing those, so we have to ask ourselves, ‘Is there a way to speed those up?’ I think there is,” he said. He has advocated for having multiple appeal committees to speed up the process.

Pohl also drew some criticism in 2003 when the university took over the Eagle Point Golf Course and began building an athletic center, dormitory and dining hall on that property across Interstate 35E. Some community members and residents who lived nearby objected to UNT building on the golf course.

Board members expressed their approval for Pohl’s leadership.

“He’s very thorough, a great academician,” said Regent Tom Lazo Sr. “Norval is a great educator. He has a true love for students, and he tried to work with the faculty.”

Lazo also said Pohl helped make a smooth transition when Jackson took over as chancellor in 2002.

Pohl’s departure is disappointing, Lazo said, because he has a lot of experience at the university, but it also “gives us a new challenge to bring in a new face.”

MATTHEW ZABEL can be reached at 940-566-6884. His e-mail address is mzabel@dentonrc.com.

HIGHLIGHTS OF NORVAL POHL’S CAREER AT UNT

Dr. Norval Pohl has served as president of the University of North Texas for five years. Below is a list of the highlights of both his career and the school during his tenure:

January 1999 — Norval Pohl is named executive vice president and provost of UNT.

October 2000 — Pohl becomes the 13th president of UNT.

November 2001 — UNT purchases 277 acres of land and a 550,000-square-foot building which will become UNT Research Park. Pohl says it will provide new space for an engineering program.

Dec. 18, 2001 — UNT football team plays in its first bowl game since 1959, something Pohl wanted to accomplish as president.

Feb. 23, 2002 — UNT purchases the 19 acres of land where Liberty Christian School is located for future expansions of the campus.

April 2002 — Texas Higher Educa-tion Coordinating Board gives UNT the authority to begin a College of Engineering.

May 2002 — Pohl is named president of the Sun Belt Conference.

September 2002 — UNT’s student population exceeds 30,000 for the first time.

June 2003 — After much public opposition, UNT begins construction on a dining hall and dormitory on the former Eagle Point Golf Course.

January 2004 — UNT College of Engineering moves in to the UNT Research Park.

Spring 2004 — Twelve of 32 faculty members are denied tenure. Only seven were denied in the previous six years.

September 2004 — UNT sets an enrollment record of 31,065 students, the third straight year the school has set a record under Pohl.

Fall 2004 — University Tenure Committee hears five appeals from professors denied tenure, approving four of them.

Dec. 14, 2004 — UNT football team plays in its fourth consecutive bowl game.

December 2004 — Pohl defends UNT Provost Johnson amid allegations that Johnson plagiarized documents from various universities.

Feb. 11, 2005 — University Tenure Committee member Robert Pirtle resigns, saying Pohl has reduced the committee to a mere “procedural bookkeeping purview.”

March 2005 — UNT hosts the Sun Belt Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournament.

May 2005 — Pohl receives a less-than-satisfactory rating in a survey conducted by the faculty senate, a 1.4 out of 4.0.

July 19, 2005 — In a letter to the UNT community, Pohl says he will not accept a contract extension, which expires in August 2006.

MeanGreen61 · July 20, 2005

“He brought a very personal, warm style to campus leadership,” Jackson said. “He renewed the campus spirit, not only around athletics, but in campus residency as well. He was highly regarded by the community for his hands-on approach.”

"Pohl said he was most happy with accomplishments in athletics, school spirit and in engineering".

PlummMeanGreen · July 20, 2005

June 2003 — After much public opposition, UNT begins construction on a dining hall and dormitory on the former Eagle Point Golf Course.

I think there were significantly more for this move than against it and that fact should possibly be pointed out in due time.

And if I had were a home-owner at Denia, I'd probaby take the low profile approach and just hope there are no eminent domain possibilities in the future concerning all their properties "which just happens to be adjacent to state-owned property" and was when they built or purchased their homes however many years ago.

Wake up and smell the coffee (and the future) Denia-ites.

And the beat goes on.......

Edited July 20, 2005 by PlummMeanGreen

pollock · July 20, 2005

Dr. Pohl received low teacher approval ratings in recent months and I believe a lot of that had to do with us. Us? He stuck his neck out for athletics at NT and I think that cost him approval points among the academians on campus.

Nah. If he had low ratings from teachers, it was due to the tenure scandal. I didn't follow that real closely (or I would have died of boredom), but I get the sense that he was largely blamed for either mishandling the issue or for profs being denied tenure - perhaps unfairly.

Again, I don't know the specifics on that....

And yeah, LJ is clearly behind the Branding Fiasco, but to say he is the main reason we're not getting a new stadium right now is a stretch. I think the lack of $50 million to spend is the main reason.

Regardless of whatever it was that happened regarding tenure, I think Dr. Pohl was a great prez for UNT and I hate to see him go. I hope RV doesn't follow him out.

PlummMeanGreen · July 20, 2005

Nah. If he had low ratings from teachers, it was due to the tenure scandal. I didn't follow that real closely (or I would have died of boredom), but I get the sense that he was largely blamed for either mishandling the issue or for profs being denied tenure - perhaps unfairly.
Again, I don't know the specifics on that....
And yeah, LJ is clearly behind the Branding Fiasco, but to say he is the main reason we're not getting a new stadium right now is a stretch. I think the lack of $50 million to spend is the main reason.
Regardless of whatever it was that happened regarding tenure, I think Dr. Pohl was a great prez for UNT and I hate to see him go. I hope RV doesn't follow him out.

Understand what you are saying, but Lee Jackson has much say on who athletics can and cannot talk to for that $50 million, and someone with that kind of money may be subtlely steered to spend it elsewhere in the UNT System besides Eagle Point. UNT Athletics has faced that scenario with other NT adminstrators in the past other than Lee Jackson (of which I wish we could have put a "Dr." in front of any UNT System chancellor's name BTW).

<>*<> I'm with stebo inasmuch as I also wish "DOCTOR" Norval Pohl were the Chancellor of the UNT System. Lee Jackson failed in his atttempt to NT get a law school on his first go around with the Texas legislature and I haven't heard of any significant donations that were supposed to be raised under this watch, either; BUT for sure, we do have different university brandings and a new shade of green since he took the over.

Edited July 20, 2005 by PlummMeanGreen

NTEagle08 · July 20, 2005

Nah. If he had low ratings from teachers, it was due to the tenure scandal. I didn't follow that real closely (or I would have died of boredom), but I get the sense that he was largely blamed for either mishandling the issue or for profs being denied tenure - perhaps unfairly.

I've heard also that some of the resentment towards Dr. Pohl was also the fact that some of the facility was stuck in the mud and wasn't wanting North Texas to shift focus from it's liberal arts background to one now where the University is an emerging research institution.

stebo · July 20, 2005

Ok, play devil's advocate... say we were a sports minded school with excellent (top 10) business programs... and all of the sudden a President comes along that wants to shift all the focus to cutting from those business programs, enhancing the arts and music programs, etc, etc... Dr Pohl scared a lot of old nesters in Denton. He was our salvation but we are the minority (hate to break it to you)... I imagine that a middle of the road "moderate" will be brought in next... he won't kill the program but won't push to get it through to the next level either.

Stan R · July 20, 2005

Ok, play devil's advocate... say we were a sports minded school with excellent (top 10) business programs... and all of the sudden a President comes along that wants to shift all the focus to cutting from those business programs, enhancing the arts and music programs, etc, etc... Dr Pohl scared a lot of old nesters in Denton. He was our salvation but we are the minority (hate to break it to you)... I imagine that a middle of the road "moderate" will be brought in next... he won't kill the program but won't push to get it through to the next level either.

bingo. <_<

UNTFan23 · July 20, 2005

I've heard also that some of the resentment towards Dr. Pohl was also the fact that some of the facility was stuck in the mud and wasn't wanting North Texas to shift focus from it's liberal arts background to one now where the University is an emerging research institution.

I hate to say it but we lost the liberal arts concentration years ago. The last 2 academic buildings built were the Chem and EESAT buildings and there is a new Business building on the way. Plus, if the university wanted to maintain it's liberal arts "roots" then it shouldn't have let the Biz school get so big. We're only the largest in the state and like in the top 20 nationally (based on enrollment numbers) with many nationally recognized programs (primarily ITDS and ACCT).

In regards to the tenure "scandal," it is my strict opinion that tenure shouldn't be easy (nor a given) for professors to get. While the appeals process took longer then it should have, I don't see how it is the fault of Dr. Pohl. People were expecting instant answers from him after he'd gotten everything from the appeals committee when it took that committee months just to schedule a hearing and come to their own conclusion.

stebo · July 20, 2005

thats a good point, but my question is, do you have to cut one to have another?
Isnt it possible to still maintain excellence in one area while working to improve other areas?

Well, if you REALLY want to get something accomplished then "yes" - you have to alienate one group. Look at the list of accomplishments that Pohl has under his name... out of all of those is there even one that has an emphasis in the arts or music departments? It was all business, engineering, and sports to Pohl... God Bless him. Perhaps these 7 years will never be able to be reversed but I am terrified of his replacement being a moderate that tries to please everyone and in the end pleases nobody at all.

stebo · July 20, 2005

I hate to say it but we lost the liberal arts concentration years ago. The last 2 academic buildings built were the Chem and EESAT buildings and there is a new Business building on the way. Plus, if the university wanted to maintain it's liberal arts "roots" then it shouldn't have let the Biz school get so big. We're only the largest in the state and like in the top 20 nationally (based on enrollment numbers) with many nationally recognized programs (primarily ITDS and ACCT).
In regards to the tenure "scandal," it is my strict opinion that tenure shouldn't be easy (nor a given) for professors to get. While the appeals process took longer then it should have, I don't see how it is the fault of Dr. Pohl. People were expecting instant answers from him after he'd gotten everything from the appeals committee when it took that committee months just to schedule a hearing and come to their own conclusion.

I completely agree about the tenure situation. Someone had to finally take a stand against the rubber stamping that was going on with tenures at NT. I know a couple of posters had some of their favorite professors that were denied tenure and for that I am sorry - but there are MANY factors associated with tenure... including research, publications, retention rates, and intangibles (getting along with other staff - tardiness, pay, etc... yes, a professor's job is just like any other job)... tenured professors should not just be "cool" and "popular"... It was time to take a stand and Pohl was the first to have the balls to do it. Perhaps he knew that he was on his way out and wanted to make one last stand... if so, I applaud him for (hopefully) changing the tenure process. Professors should earn tenure, it should not be a reward for sticking around for a little while.

grad88 · July 20, 2005

Ok, play devil's advocate... say we were a sports minded school with excellent (top 10) business programs... and all of the sudden a President comes along that wants to shift all the focus to cutting from those business programs, enhancing the arts and music programs, etc, etc... Dr Pohl scared a lot of old nesters in Denton. He was our salvation but we are the minority (hate to break it to you)... I imagine that a middle of the road "moderate" will be brought in next... he won't kill the program but won't push to get it through to the next level either.

Exactly...could not have said it better myself. I don't look for the program to go down but fear that someone will come in that will attempt to cool the jets of athletics a bit--which I am afraid will run RV off. THAT is what I am afraid of.

TIgreen01 · July 20, 2005

Ok, play devil's advocate... say we were a sports minded school with excellent (top 10) business programs... and all of the sudden a President comes along that wants to shift all the focus to cutting from those business programs, enhancing the arts and music programs, etc, etc... Dr Pohl scared a lot of old nesters in Denton. He was our salvation but we are the minority (hate to break it to you)... I imagine that a middle of the road "moderate" will be brought in next... he won't kill the program but won't push to get it through to the next level either.

I'm going to have to disagree with you on the point that we are the minority--or at least get clarification on who you mean by "we" being the minority. The sheer numbers, alone, say that we're (non arts/music) the overwhelming majority. Also, I believe that most music/arts students at UNT are not anti-business/engineering/athletics. There are always a few loud ones, but the VAST majority simply do not separate themselves from the rest of the campus. We (non-music folks) do more to alienate them than is returned.

That said, I agree that the old nestors are a problem. I think that they are a small minority, but they control a lot of power. Dr. Pohl, imho, was so well liked because he represented the students/alumns and their wants better than any president in UNT's history---He was a man of the people. I will be very disappointed if UNT were to hire a milk toast president.

On an aside, what becomes of the capital campaign now? Will the monies generated be used according to Pohl's vision or someone else's. I would be very discouraged if I gave money to a cause that will never materialize.

UNTFan23 · July 20, 2005

I'm going to have to disagree with you on the point that we are the minority--or at least get clarification on who you mean by "we" being the minority. The sheer numbers, alone, say that we're (non arts/music) the overwhelming majority. Also, I believe that most music/arts students at UNT are not anti-business/engineering/athletics. There are always a few loud ones, but the VAST majority simply do not separate themselves from the rest of the campus. We (non-music folks) do more to alienate them than is returned.

It depends on the student's major, some are more likely to toot their horn then others. I'd say a vast majority of CAS students are indifferent, but there are camps within that school and another entire college that are rather full of themselves.

Rudy · July 20, 2005

which I am afraid will run RV off. THAT is what I am afraid of.

Welcome to the club. Would you like your membership card?

MootPoint · July 21, 2005

Too funny

http://www.grandrapids-mn.com/placed/index...story_id=205414

PlummMeanGreen · July 21, 2005

I'm going to have to disagree with you on the point that we are the minority--or at least get clarification on who you mean by "we" being the minority.

Probably took some of this out of context, but athletics seems to pull in larger numbers of alums and fans than the NT Winds Ensemble over at the NT College of Music.

Now I appreciate good music as much as the next guy and play a bit of it myself, but no soloist or ensemble at the NT College of Music is ever going to get NT Exes out of the woodwork from all over the Lone Star State to show up for any concert while a good college football match-up at Fouts Field will.

We really do seem to have those on campus who do not like all this athletic emphasis and I'd bet everytime many of that group drive by the Mean Green Athletic Village and see all the facilities that are now finished and others being built about half a century later than the should have, that when driving by those 200 acres between the 2 Texas interstates some of them probably utter a few choice words.

It sometimes baffles some of us that Denton is even located in Texas where football is supposed to be king. To be honest about this, though, I think this is the last remnants of the the old "NTSU" campus crowd's last attempt to try to see that things would somehow return to the way things were done up there in the 1950's, 1960's and the 1970's. I think it's too late for that whether Norval Pohl is in Denton or not and if they think his leaving will enhance their agendas, I think NT Board of Regent chairman Bobby Ray and the rest of the NT Board of Regents have a big surprise waiting.