8 replies
  1. asdf
    asdf says:

    Zooey, perhaps before deriding the provost’s achievements, a semicolon lesson would be useful. So what if he has lesser accomplishments than engineering the microwave control panel? What matters is that he maintain the trajectory of upward quality that Dr. Sample has fastidiously guided us on.

  3. Larry
    Larry says:

    Zooey – it sounds like you have a personal grudge against him. I think he is a great choice based on his accomplishments with the IMSC, as Dean of the engineering school and the groundbreaking work as provost – not to mention being tutored by one of the great university presidents around.

    • Zooey
      Zooey says:

      Larry, perhaps you have not been following this selection process nor the University’s progress and the changing nature of higher education over the past 20 years. When a family, such as mine, has been committed to a school as fine as USC for three of its generations; it is a great disappointment to observe a closed selection process for which the outcome was preordained. This is particularly so in that at this point in USC’s history; we could have done so much better. To Dr. Nikias’ accomplishments, I’d point out those of his predecessors dwarf those you enumerate. I bear no grudges but will point out that for all Trojans whom I have had the honor to know; Troy is very personal and will always remain so.

  4. Zooey
    Zooey says:

    This appointment and confirmation represent a giant step backwards for the University of Southern California. As a third generation Trojan alumnus whose family has been associated with the University since its founding; it is clear that our Alma Mater is marching backwards into mediocrity. Given that Dr. Nikias is neither an educator nor by any stretch of the imagination as accomplished a scholar as his predecessors; I fear for what such an obviously bad choice will portend. I suspect the good news is that Dr. Michael Jackson’s preference for USC’s next president, former Secretary of State (and Stanford Provost) Condoleezza Rice was not selected. Moreover, since none of the other candidates were ever made known to the larger Trojan Family; the bad news is that no one, anyone, better qualified than Dr. Nikias was selected and/or chose to take the position. Now all of Troy gets to learn what Fight On really means.

    • crass_not_class
      crass_not_class says:

      Zooey, you are a querulous individual.

      So how do you portend the big picture of President Nikias’ tenure? Because I doubt you got a crystal ball.

      Let me reiterate a lesson I learned in BUAD 497. Promoting from within is a more promising bet for future success than promoting an outsider. Outsiders usually don’t have emotional ties to the firm they take over, thus they just see it as a mean to an end–a big paycheck, stock options, and a golden parachute–after they let the ship sink. Ford is an exception. The current CEO is the former CEO for HP computers, and he turned Ford around to profits. Prior to that, Ford only promoted within their family, literally. Sometimes an outsider, and one who isn’t an expert per se in the field (Nikias not being an educator/scholar per se) can bring success…Pete Caroll was not an MVP in the NFL or other football standout.

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