President Barron Leaving FSU for Penn State

Colleges and Universities A-Z Florida State University
1

<p>President Barron sent out an email earlier Monday in which he announced his plans to leave the role of FSU's president and to take the job at Penn State. Rumors began to swirl on Friday that Penn State had reached an agreement with Barron (Centre</a> Times Daily seems to have first broken the story).</p>

<p>Here's Barron's email, sent out to all of FSU today:</p>

<p>
[quote]
A message from FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY</p>

<p>Dear Friends:</p>

<p>I need to communicate with you about my future plans. I would like to begin by reviewing how far we have come in the last four years.</p>

<p>Florida State University has emerged in a strong position, even though the recession was long and deep and the budget cuts were severe. Among the most noteworthy achievements are being named a Preeminent University, reaching our highest national ranking in the 15 years of the current ranking system (40 among publics), establishing a clear path to the Top 25 with appropriate funding, being named the most efficient university in delivering quality in the nation (two years in a row), nearing 55% completion of a billion dollar plus campaign with 45% of the time elapsed (even with a recession and the time required to hire staff at a level appropriate to a campaign), investing in a set of Big Ideas that are putting Florida State on the map, substantially increasing faculty morale, and having the highest quality set of students in our history. And, of course, we have returned to national championship status in football, and our athletic programs are at the highest level in their history in the Directors’ Cup. This is a far different picture than in 2009 when we were losing faculty to weaker schools and we were struggling to manage repeated budget cuts.</p>

<p>I am very proud of my University and its progress over the last four years. And so, I find myself ready for the next challenge. With the approval today of the Pennsylvania State University Board of Trustees, I have accepted the appointment as President of Penn State University. With a budget of more than $4 billion annually, a national ranking among publics at #8, and the authority associated with the far simpler governance system of a state –related institution, I consider it a high compliment that they have asked me to lead their institution.</p>

<p>I am deeply appreciative of my time at Florida State University, and my love for this institution, its faculty, staff and alumni will never change. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your President.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>In talking with friends, everyone seems to agree that this email was... poorly worded at best, and a bit insulting at worst. I know that he used to head the College of Earth & Mineral Sciences at Penn State (from 1986 to 2006) and this is like a homecoming for him of sorts, but the way things went down seem to leave a bitter taste in many people's mouths. </p>

2

<p>It does come across as “this is what I’ve done for FSU (my resume) and this is why PSU is better”. </p>

3

<p>Can you blame Dr. Barron for taking the PSU job? He’ll be paid about twice as much as at FSU and with his already 20 years in the Pa. state pension plan he will likely retire with a kingly retirement pen$ion. Too, he was probably fed up with a Florida legislature that wants more and more academically for less and less money. Dr. Barron leaving FSU is like a slap in the face to all of Florida’s public higher education system.</p>

<p>Wonder if Barron will be at the scheduled emergency Board of Trustees meeting tomorrow, or was he already told to clean his office out and get gone pronto? Is the current FSU Board of Trustees the best for FSU, or are some of the present trustees political appointee hacks who are not truly doing what’s best for FSU?</p>

4

<p>Can I blame him? Sure I can. I think the way that this entire ordeal has happened is shameful and pathetic. This is the third job in a row now that Barron has had where he has up and left without any warning for what he thought was better waters. His “loyalty” is not very high and I would hope that Penn State has some clause that he can’t just up and leave that school (again) in his contract, or they will probably pay the price for it. </p>

<p>He’s done a lot of good for FSU. However, this whole ordeal will tick off a LOT of people at FSU (it already has) and could ruin a lot of the good will he has earned in his four years at FSU. </p>

5

<p>It’s reported that PSU will give Barron a $1 million bonus on top of his generous pay if he stays at job 5 years. The people of Pennsylvania want the integrity of PSU restored after the recent scandals there…Barron will be given a blank checkbook to turn things around at PSU…at FSU he had to scrounge and beg for every dime he could get for FSU. Barron will be able to do things at PSU that he couldn’t at FSU…it’s a dream job for Dr. Barron and I don’t blame him for taking advantage of the opportunity to do great things at PSU. </p>

<p>FSU is bigger than just one man…Dr. Barron is replaceable. FSU will be fine.</p>

6

<p>Pasbal, lizard,</p>

<p>are you sure FSU will be fine? do you guys think FSU is gonna take a turn for the worst?
any updates on who might be replacing him?</p>

<p>i’m choosing FSU over UF and i don’t wanna regret doing that if the year that i’m a freshman FSU just goes to ■■■■.</p>

7

<p>I don’t blame Barron for taking the job. Nor do I blame him for being quiet about it until it was a done-deal. If he had announced in advance that he was interested in the Penn State job, then he would have instantly become a “lame duck,” whether or not he even got the job. That’s an unreasonable risk to expect him to take in the name of decorum.</p>

<p>I think he was an excellent president, and I am sorry to see him go, but he got a LOT done while he was here. In particular, he ensured that FSU was acknowledged by the Florida legislature as an equal to UF, as a part of the preeminent university bill. He left the school in a much better position than he found it. I think that’s really all you can ask. </p>

8

<p>Don’t worry, adeity. Presidents come and go. FSU’s recent climb in the rankings is the result of years of work. That’s not something that can be derailed so quickly.</p>

9

<p>Dr. Barron is a very intelligent man, and has done great things for Florida State in four years. But just reading that letter has me wondering how he was ever awarded a phD. </p>

<p>For him to just up and leave his alma mater after 4 years with no warning, then communicate his decision in a letter like the one above is about as harsh of a slap in the face as he could give his own University.</p>

<p>I do believe we will be fine, so long as we look to hire an academic similar to Barron as opposed to a politician (IE: TK Wetherell).</p>

<p>The vision and plan for FSU to become a top 25 public is in place; Dr. Barron did a phenomenal job laying the ground work. It’s critical we make the right hire and get someone that will continue his vision.</p>

10

<p>Barron did what was best for him. There’s nothing wrong with that.</p>

<p>However, when being interviewed for the job at FSU he was asked whether he would up and leave FSU after only a couple years, much like he had at Texas and UCAR, and he said he wanted to retire at FSU. Less than 4 years later and he has left FSU- on a pretty sour note with that email.</p>

<p>I don’t have a problem with him leaving. I do have a problem with him claiming to be going to New York to spend time with family, and that this report came out last Friday- while he was supposedly on vacation- that he had signed on to be the next PSU President. That’s something that I find despicable. It wouldn’t have been a big deal had it just been that he was going to go interview- an interview doesn’t guarantee a job (not by a long shot). The whole secrecy around his trip, the fact that he was supposedly on vacation when he was hired by PSU, and his departing email that basically blasted Florida government and Florida State specifically, while making Penn State look like a holy grail of colleges, is what I have a problem with. </p>

<p>He did a lot of great things for FSU. Even though I think that rankings are a bunch of political crap and really don’t mean much, to a lot of people they matter, and he got FSU on the right track. He helped spearhead a huge fundraising campaign that likely will result in huge benefits to the university as a whole. </p>

<p>I think it’s interesting though, apparently there is a rumor floating around that, with Florida’s Sunshine Laws, there may be a hesitation by some quality candidates from coming forward for the position. Apparently- and I don’t know if this is 100% accurate so I would hope someone could clarify for me- due to these laws, it would be public record that they were a candidate for the position- potentially alienating that person from their current employer. I thought it was interesting, at least.</p>

11

<p>Barron apparently told some of the trustees a few weeks ago he was talking to Penn State, so it’s not like it was a complete, out of the blue surprise to them like it seemed reading news articles recent days. I wonder if there was any friction between Barron and some members of the FSU board of trustees that contributed much to Barron departing…maybe everyone didn’t see eye-to-eye?</p>

<p>Florida’s Sunshine Laws make hiring a new president cumbersome, but our public universities somehow seem to be able to work around the laws to keep things quiet and get things done out of public eye. An outside recruiting company can be used to skirt around the law doing preliminary and background work finding and eliminating potential hires, too some of the trustees might fly under the radar doing one-on-one interviews with candidates out of state. Everyone knows the hiring is awkward with Sunshine Laws, but presidents can be selected and a dog and pony show put on making it look like the Sunshine Laws are not being broken.</p>

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<p>The legal, allowed rules in Florida for hiring a new president at FSU may be changing soon. If new law is passed this legislative session and made effective July 1, FSU would have a better shot and easier time at attracting good applicants for the FSU presidency this year</p>

<p><a href=“http://tbo.com/news/education/bill-would-take-make-hiring-of-university-leaders-secretive-20140220/”>http://tbo.com/news/education/bill-would-take-make-hiring-of-university-leaders-secretive-20140220/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>" It wouldn’t have been a big deal had it just been that he was going to go interview- an interview doesn’t guarantee a job (not by a long shot). "</p>

<p>That’s not true. People get fired for doing just that. Even if he wasn’t fired, he would have immediately been reduced to lame duck status and significantly undermined his ability to lead and raise funds. This isn’t an entry-level job where people “understand” that you will be moving on eventually. It is a very political position.</p>

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<p>Lizard, you should consider changing your screen name to “ANole” and keep the same graphic.</p>

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<p>I disagree completely on that aspect. He isn’t going to get fired for simply interviewing at Penn State. And considering that he spent two decades there prior to going to Texas and UCAR, it really wouldn’t have surprised too many people to hear that he had interviewed for the Penn State job. </p>

<p>What is telling is that he apologized to the board of trustees of the university yesterday for how everything went down. He didn’t want them to find out that he was leaving the way that he did- maybe he should have been forthcoming with everything instead. </p>

16

<p>Barron was not here long enough to judge him. The biggest thing he did for FSU was getting us preeminent status. A lot of the other things would have happened under any competent president or were not Barron’s initiatives.</p>

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<p>p2n, I’m a USF Lady Bull so ‘ANole’ doesn’t work for me. I’ve searched for a ‘lady bull’ photo to use, but haven’t been able to find one! My sister is a 'Nole, she graduates from FSU this semester, so I keep an eye on FSU goings on too.</p>

18

<p>Dale W. Lick was forced to resign after he interviewed for another job as a sitting FSU president.</p>

19

<p>From what I have read about the resignation of Dale Lick, it was the timing of his application to become Michigan State’s President (plus some “slightly” racially insensitive comments he made) that was the problem. </p>

<p>He also wasn’t forced to resign. He did it of his own accord, because he didn’t want the university to suffer because of a controversy that encompassed only him. </p>

20

<p>The best case scenario is that it greatly weakens your position when you have applied to another school, especially if you DON’T get the job. Faculty, boosters and politicians won’t see you the same way afterwards because you have revealed that you are a likely “short-timer.”</p>

<p>College presidents often have to worry about pending state legislation that may affect their school. Why would a politician take a risk for someone that they know will be gone soon? Politicians like to do favors for people who can reciprocate one day. They don’t like to put their necks out for people who are going to be gone soon. That’s the way it goes. </p>