Finally, an honest account that doesn’t lazily scapegoat Pollick and isn’t afraid to tarnish some sacred cows.
I’m curious if you have any thoughts on the role Richard Scrushy played in the late 90s/early 2000s in moving BSC toward D-1 athletics, and/or the effect his ability to contribute financially to the college (for obvious reasons) may have had.
I did not focus on Scrushy, so I have no opinion about him or his role at BSC. I was less interested in personalities than in the legal structure of the College’s governance.
The College’s 1974 Charter created a unseaworthy ship with serious design flaws. It was waiting to sink. And when the waves of COVID, declining birth rates, competition from larger and better funded universities hit the ship, it rolled over and capsized.
No college with a Board as weak as BSC’s could survive , regardless of who sat on the Board. The 1974 Charter and the 1989 Amendment to the Charter were designed to keep the Board weak so that the College was tied in perpetuity to control of the 2 UMC Conferences. Berte’s autocratic style of administration made the Board further subservient to not only the Conferences but to its own administration. That is not how it is supposed to work. By law, the Board is charged with the fiduciary responsibility of overseeing the operation of a corporation. A Board is not supposed to be just an honorific ornament on the corporate tree. The Board did not see itself as the virtual “owner” of the College, the stewards who were to ensure that the College thrived and survived. This can be seen by their collective failure to personally raise the funds they pledged to President Linda Flaherty-Goldsmith they would raise. And when I called this gross breach of fiduciary duty to the attention of the Board Chairman I received radio silence in return.
Wow. What an amazing job you did here. I read one of the source books, the one Pollick published, and now your article, and it seems BSC was always on the brink. I find it all very sad because I do think it was something special when I was there in 84 to 88. I began to hear some talk about how things had gone down in recent years, but the end was a surprise to me, and I suspect to many.
Thank you for the time and effort you put into this enlightening account.
Finally, an honest account that doesn’t lazily scapegoat Pollick and isn’t afraid to tarnish some sacred cows.
I’m curious if you have any thoughts on the role Richard Scrushy played in the late 90s/early 2000s in moving BSC toward D-1 athletics, and/or the effect his ability to contribute financially to the college (for obvious reasons) may have had.
I did not focus on Scrushy, so I have no opinion about him or his role at BSC. I was less interested in personalities than in the legal structure of the College’s governance.
The College’s 1974 Charter created a unseaworthy ship with serious design flaws. It was waiting to sink. And when the waves of COVID, declining birth rates, competition from larger and better funded universities hit the ship, it rolled over and capsized.
No college with a Board as weak as BSC’s could survive , regardless of who sat on the Board. The 1974 Charter and the 1989 Amendment to the Charter were designed to keep the Board weak so that the College was tied in perpetuity to control of the 2 UMC Conferences. Berte’s autocratic style of administration made the Board further subservient to not only the Conferences but to its own administration. That is not how it is supposed to work. By law, the Board is charged with the fiduciary responsibility of overseeing the operation of a corporation. A Board is not supposed to be just an honorific ornament on the corporate tree. The Board did not see itself as the virtual “owner” of the College, the stewards who were to ensure that the College thrived and survived. This can be seen by their collective failure to personally raise the funds they pledged to President Linda Flaherty-Goldsmith they would raise. And when I called this gross breach of fiduciary duty to the attention of the Board Chairman I received radio silence in return.
Thank you for the time and effort you put into this enlightening account.
Wow. What an amazing job you did here. I read one of the source books, the one Pollick published, and now your article, and it seems BSC was always on the brink. I find it all very sad because I do think it was something special when I was there in 84 to 88. I began to hear some talk about how things had gone down in recent years, but the end was a surprise to me, and I suspect to many.
I am glad I found this article. Thank you for sharing intimate insight to the inner workings of BSC , my wonderful alma mater.