Andy Noel

Adios.

[cornellbigred.com]

About the successor: What are the odds she'll be an alum?

Good news for everyone except the wrestling team?

Can we actually expect something to change? Do people think Andy is why the football team loses or why Oscar Night is rigged?

Pravda
Andy Noel, whose leadership has guided Cornell to unprecedented athletics' success in the 21st century, has announced plans to retire as the Meakem*Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education.

…

Noel's legacy of student-centered leadership, as well as his laser-focused commitment and loyalty to his coaches and staff, has been the foundation upon which he built an athletics department considered a model by those who value excellence on the competition field, in the classroom and beyond.

…

That has always been Noel's strength. Integrity, honesty and fairness.

Why does the retirement announcement for our Dear Leader sound like a cover letter? Is this tool looking to head the USOC or something?

Scersk '97

Pravda
Andy Noel, whose leadership has guided Cornell to unprecedented athletics' success in the 21st century, has announced plans to retire as the Meakem*Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education.

…

Noel's legacy of student-centered leadership, as well as his laser-focused commitment and loyalty to his coaches and staff, has been the foundation upon which he built an athletics department considered a model by those who value excellence on the competition field, in the classroom and beyond.

…

That has always been Noel's strength. Integrity, honesty and fairness.

Why does the retirement announcement for our Dear Leader sound like a cover letter? Is this tool looking to head the USOC or something?

I stopped reading after a few lines. It was too much. Good bye. Good riddance. Twenty years overdue.

Scersk '97
Why does the retirement announcement for our Dear Leader sound like a cover letter? Is this tool looking to head the USOC or something?

You're reading a story -- press release -- from Cornell's ministry of information, although they call it by a different name. It is managed, funded and responsible to Cornell. Democracy dies in darkness when there isn't an independent media. Ball's in your court, Cornell Daily Sun. The Ithaca Journal, which won a Pulitzer not long ago (if you're say Class of 1970) now covers Ithaca a couple times a week from Elmira or Binghamton.

An alternative thought on the general perceived worthlessness of Andy Noel: The guy didn't last four decades at Cornell by screwing up left and right. We haven't won national titles in hockey or lacrosse, and you want to cry at the missed chances -- I had a drink with him, or was at a table with him, post 2009-lax title game, and he looked about ready to sob (me, too) -- or zero unshared Ivy titles in football (ever), but, okay, football had a couple off years. (Like the last 25?) You can't blame Noel for Maxie Baughan and zippergate, which was late 1980s and pushed football back a couple years, it was before he became AD in 1998. Okay, he had a soft spot for David Archer that didn't pan out (edit add: yet), but is it any worse than Hillary's soft spot for Bill? Bob Kane's final years as AD were dragged down by unrest among Black athletes especially in basketball. The hiring of Tony Coma as basketball coach circa 1972 was unmitigated disaster and could have been avoided by a few phone calls to coaches in the Philadelphia area where he coached. Against that, there was the Sweet Sixteen run a decade ago, and Brian Earl seems like the real deal, possibly so good a mid-major will offer him bigger bucks. And Noel's favored sport of wrestling is a model for success.

Andy Noel should be measured by:
* How are former athletes faring broadly in adult life?
* Are female athletes / athletes of color faring well compared to the other Ivies?
* Is the hiring of a very young Connor Buczek working out or what? Might he be the lax coach for the next two decades? Correction, Cornell lacrosse coach.
* Are the facilities improving / expanding? (Where's the dome? The regulation length field house?) How charming will Pine Tree Road facilities turn out to be? Are there really only going to be 50 parking spaces?
* Are there continuing sports field / facilities opportunities for non-varsity athletes and students? That is, students and intramurals. Be nice if there was something up on North Campus for winter recreation bigger than Helen Newman.

I'm okay with the job Andy Noel has done. Could have done better and could have done a lot, lot worse.

Give him some credit for the 4 gold medals the women brought back from Beijing. Okay, we recruited the wrong figure skating Chen. Yale got lucky. We still got a silver.

Andy should also be judged by the performance of the teams his department oversees, particularly the programs which most people care about. Football has been uncompetitive for most of Andy’s tenure. Curious why Cornell is waiting till late summer to commence the search for his successor.

could be because the university has lost so much staff they dont have the proper people in place to help with the search.. could be money. could be some special project he has going and wants to be around to finish.

upprdeck
could be because the university has lost so much staff they dont have the proper people in place to help with the search.. could be money. could be some special project he has going and wants to be around to finish.

Hopefully it is so he won't be involved with the picking.

upprdeck
could be because the university has lost so much staff they dont have the proper people in place to help with the search.. could be money. could be some special project he has going and wants to be around to finish.

Cornell for many jobs has a two-year wind-down deal for retiree-age departers where you work halftime then quarter-time, get a chance to work side by side with your successor.

they have also removed phase retirement plans for almost all jobs on campus.. maybe his job they would do it, but not the normal jobs

Might have something to do with the budget cycle

I for one nominate (as I do every year for alumni-elected trustee) Ben Scrivens.

BMac
I for one nominate (as I do every year for alumni-elected trustee) Ben Scrivens.

He’s a dedicated Cornellian. If it were to happen, he’d be the second outstanding goalie to serve as AD — Laing Kennedy ‘63 the other.
.