Tech Leadership (change) has a huge bearing on where VT ends up or stays

Dr. Steger is a clear link to the past, what VT always wanted - into the ACC. Jim Weaver has played a large role in successfully transferring the dream into financial success. We now have a University President that has successfully completed a huge fund raising campaign that caps his VT legacy. Now he has a couple of legal matters to address and he retires. The AD has a debilitating disease that will likely shorten his career. So in the near future VT must hire a new President and a new AD, likely before CFB retires. They will not think as the current Admin do. Folks inside the University community assert that the new President will come from the outside not the inside. All of this adds up to - what connections do the new President and AD have to the ACC? SEC? or other conferences for that matter??

Spokesperson Larry Hincker in his comments in the past year said what the current Admin feels about SEC membership. Steger and the current leadership have no interest in moving, but times and people do change.

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Originally Posted by HokiForester

Dr. Steger is a clear link to the past, what VT always wanted - into the ACC. Jim Weaver has played a large role in successfully transferring the dream into financial success. We now have a University President that has successfully completed a huge fund raising campaign that caps his VT legacy. Now he has a couple of legal matters to address and he retires. The AD has a debilitating disease that will likely shorten his career. So in the near future VT must hire a new President and a new AD, likely before CFB retires. They will not think as the current Admin do. Folks inside the University community assert that the new President will come from the outside not the inside. All of this adds up to - what connections do the new President and AD have to the ACC? SEC? or other conferences for that matter??

Spokesperson Larry Hincker in his comments in the past year said what the current Admin feels about SEC membership. Steger and the current leadership have no interest in moving, but times and people do change.

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If I recall correctly, they said they have no interest in moving but if the ACC loses teams they would reassess their options.

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Originally Posted by HokiForester

Dr. Steger is a clear link to the past, what VT always wanted - into the ACC. Jim Weaver has played a large role in successfully transferring the dream into financial success. We now have a University President that has successfully completed a huge fund raising campaign that caps his VT legacy. Now he has a couple of legal matters to address and he retires. The AD has a debilitating disease that will likely shorten his career. So in the near future VT must hire a new President and a new AD, likely before CFB retires. They will not think as the current Admin do. Folks inside the University community assert that the new President will come from the outside not the inside. All of this adds up to - what connections do the new President and AD have to the ACC? SEC? or other conferences for that matter??

Spokesperson Larry Hincker in his comments in the past year said what the current Admin feels about SEC membership. Steger and the current leadership have no interest in moving, but times and people do change.

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Well I'm sure the BoV will play huge. But you are right in that we don't entirely know what a new administration will bring.

As for bringing someone in from the outside is concerned, it may be time to do that...just to make sure there aren't any inbreed problems.

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Originally Posted by HokiForester

Dr. Steger is a clear link to the past, what VT always wanted - into the ACC. Jim Weaver has played a large role in successfully transferring the dream into financial success. We now have a University President that has successfully completed a huge fund raising campaign that caps his VT legacy. Now he has a couple of legal matters to address and he retires. The AD has a debilitating disease that will likely shorten his career. So in the near future VT must hire a new President and a new AD, likely before CFB retires. They will not think as the current Admin do. Folks inside the University community assert that the new President will come from the outside not the inside. All of this adds up to - what connections do the new President and AD have to the ACC? SEC? or other conferences for that matter??

Spokesperson Larry Hincker in his comments in the past year said what the current Admin feels about SEC membership. Steger and the current leadership have no interest in moving, but times and people do change.

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My impression is that much of the leadership that has been hired over the past 10 years or so have had educational or experience backgrounds in AAU schools or the equivalent. That would seem to be placing VT more securely in the orbit of the ACC, not the SEC. As for myself, I am a little bit intrigued by the possibility of the SEC move. I think it could be done and still preserve dedication to academics--- the public Vanderbilt, so to speak, with a state university fan base.

VT would go if ACC self destructs. Otherwise not going to happen. Lot of reasons.

I can't come up with any scenario that ACC self destructs. Worst case, FSU/Clemson go to SEC. ACC picks up SUNJ/UConn. Plus 1 MNC contender (hoops), minus 2 FB schools (apparently borderline top 25).

ACC is where VT belongs and even if it isn't the cash cow that SEC/B1G are, it is a great home.

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Originally Posted by KnoxHokie

My impression is that much of the leadership that has been hired over the past 10 years or so have had educational or experience backgrounds in AAU schools or the equivalent. That would seem to be placing VT more securely in the orbit of the ACC, not the SEC. As for myself, I am a little bit intrigued by the possibility of the SEC move. I think it could be done and still preserve dedication to academics--- the public Vanderbilt, so to speak, with a state university fan base.

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I have heard from some coworkers (WVU guys) that the Big 12 is looking at FSU and Clemson about possible membership. If they jump I say we definitely go to the SEC. I personally would prefer the SEC anyway because our increased recruiting and revenues would make us more of a power in our home recruiting area.

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Originally Posted by 1eyeopen

VT would go if ACC self destructs. Otherwise not going to happen. Lot of reasons.

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it's really that simple...

as long as there is a viable, competitive ACC with similar membership to today, we're not going anywhere, no matter what. if there is an exodus or a split in the membership of the ACC, we will position ourselves with the schools whose ideals best match ours, and that is impossible to predict not knowing what might cause the theoretical split.

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Originally Posted by Beez

I have heard from some coworkers (WVU guys) that the Big 12 is looking at FSU and Clemson about possible membership.

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Haha, why would FSU and Clemson consider the Big XII-II-II+II? Your coworkers are in a dream world.

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Originally Posted by HokiForester

Dr. Steger is a clear link to the past, what VT always wanted - into the ACC. Jim Weaver has played a large role in successfully transferring the dream into financial success. We now have a University President that has successfully completed a huge fund raising campaign that caps his VT legacy. Now he has a couple of legal matters to address and he retires. The AD has a debilitating disease that will likely shorten his career. So in the near future VT must hire a new President and a new AD, likely before CFB retires. They will not think as the current Admin do. Folks inside the University community assert that the new President will come from the outside not the inside. All of this adds up to - what connections do the new President and AD have to the ACC? SEC? or other conferences for that matter??

Spokesperson Larry Hincker in his comments in the past year said what the current Admin feels about SEC membership. Steger and the current leadership have no interest in moving, but times and people do change.

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From the University's recently released Long Range Plan (p. 12: http://www.longrangeplan.vt.edu/draft_021912.pdf)"Support the academic initiatives of the Inter-*institutional Academic Collaborative of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACCIAC) recognizing the added value of our successful athletics programs to the life of the campus."