As someone who is frequently baffled and occasionally disgusted by the way the University of Minnesota conducts its business, I can't criticize the U's regents for wanting more control over the athletic department.
They're right to want to fix the athletic department's dysfunction. They're wrong to try to take too much control.
The U has responded to its athletic problems by hiring search firms to hire athletic directors and coaches, and some regents have suggested that they be able to review all major contracts before they are signed.
What has happened here is that the athletic department has been run so poorly for so long that the regents have lost sight of how the department should work. It's the same way every business should work.
You hire good people and let them do their thing.
The U needs to hire a good athletic director, not put in limitations on the next AD's authority.
Hire a good athletic director, let the AD hire good coaches, and 70 percent of the problems disappear.
Start letting regents insert themselves into every major decision, and you'll wind up with a more limited field of candidates for the AD job, which in turn could lead to more bad hires.
There is no substitute for hiring a good AD.
It's sad enough that the U is using a search firm to hire one.
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