The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Done

(01-07-2015 06:54 PM)CajunBlazer Wrote:  Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

+1! Screw him!

..."if someone shows you who they are the first time, believe them!" - Maya Angelou...

(01-07-2015 07:34 PM)USAFBlazerFan Wrote:  Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Just listen to his great and magnanimous voice.

#Blazergate

..."you don't get a second chance to make a first impression.." - Head & Shoulders...

..."I think I heard a shot!..."

#Blazergate

As long as the "Three Amigos" on the BOT are happy with the "work" of Ray Watts, he will not resign since that would be seen as admitting to having made mistakes. Our opinions on that don't matter to those in Tuscaloosa. As long as the fall out from their decisions affect only the B'ham area and UAB, they see it as a win for them as they have "tunnel vision" on such matters.

Will any of them be dismayed if UAB loses its membership on C-USA? To do that, they would have had to care about the negatives of the decision in the first place.

(01-07-2015 06:47 PM)Hopeful Wrote:  I haven't seen it posted yet, but there was another mass email from Dr. Watts not too long ago.

Quote:Welcome back.

I hope you enjoyed a relaxing winter break and are ready for an exciting spring semester. UAB students, faculty and staff are poised to achieve many milestones across the pillars of our mission in education, research, patient care, community service and economic development.

In 2015, we will continue the important dialogue underway on our campus that will ultimately build a framework for greater collaboration and shared governance. To assist in this effort, we have launched UAB Forward to provide updates, enable readers to provide input, and share the great things UAB faculty, staff, students, alumni and partners are doing — every day — to support our mission.

I spent much of December meeting with leaders from the student body, faculty, alumni, administration and the community. More meetings have been scheduled, and many more will take place. I have learned a lot from these meetings, and I am excited about the great things we can accomplish if the UAB community works together in setting our strategic course.

To that end, several task forces are being created to study some of the priority issues shared with me during these meetings.

Assistant Vice President of Student Life Andy Marsch will chair a task force of student leaders addressing how to engage students in decisions affecting campus life, facilities, programs, housing and other areas.
Interim Athletic Director Shannon Ealy will chair a task force made up of students, alumni, athletes and others focused on how to best engage and build support for programs so they can compete for championships.
Provost Linda Lucas will lead the task force on improving shared governance across the campus.
Vice President of Human Resources Alesia Jones will work closely with the faculty senate and lead a task force studying employee benefits.

Additional task forces will be formed with broad input from the UAB community to guide candidate searches and hiring for several high-profile vacancies including for UAB's next athletic director.

Community and government leaders will play a critical role as UAB enhances opportunities for inclusion and collaboration. For that reason, Clay Ryan of Maynard, Cooper & Gale will work with the university on educational and governance issues, as well as strategic planning initiatives, to advance important dialogues beyond UAB's campus. I have also enlisted Birmingham's Direct Communications to help us communicate and support the important dialogue that will lead the strategic direction of our campus.

Please visit UAB Forward often to learn more about efforts to maintain our great momentum in many areas across campus and beyond.

Very sincerely,

Ray L. Watts

Even though UAB Forward isn't a bad idea, the email just reeks of the same tired rhetoric that Dr. Watts uses every time he's in front of a camera. He keeps talking about being open when it is widely known now that he opts for secrecy over transparency.

Lies are what Watts specializes in. He is a master of lies and deceit.
That is why Jr. wanted him there instead of an honorable person like
Carol Garrison. Jr. had to scour the earth to find someone as morally
and ethically bankrupt as Watts and then he still had to pay him over
$850,000 in blood money to do his dirty deed.

The more I think about it…..

These folks at Direct Communications apparently have a long history around lobbying. They have had a big hand in persuading legislation. They did so for Lowder at Auburn. IMO, these guys weren't hired to help write press releases or communications pieces. (Oh, they'll do a few for appearances sake.)

This PR firm was hired to counter Jack William's efforts in Montgomery. You wait and see.

Tax dollars are paying for it too.

Watts can take "UAB Forward" turn it sideways and shove it straight up his "brouhaha!"

..."I think I heard a shot!..."

#Blazergate

(01-08-2015 02:27 PM)BlazerFire Wrote:  The more I think about it…..

These folks at Direct Communications apparently have a long history around lobbying. They have had a big hand in persuading legislation. They did so for Lowder at Auburn. IMO, these guys weren't hired to help write press releases or communications pieces. (Oh, they'll do a few for appearances sake.)

This PR firm was hired to counter Jack William's efforts in Montgomery. You wait and see.

Tax dollars are paying for it too.

Unfortunately, that makes a lot of sense.

That's why we need every one and then some to contact their representatives and tell them to support Rep Williams bills. Apathy allows lobbying to win the day, but lobbying will never beat a hundred emails from actual voters.

Direct Communications can take the "direct approach" with their plans, too! Jack's not going to back down, only thing is, if this is somehow gotten to a public referendum, how will that go over the entire state? Birmingham has a lot of enemies out there, and we addressed some of these concerns on Blazeradio when we talked with Rep. Williams and Councilor Tyson. And as for the Governor...Even if the referendum passes the public vote, he can still veto it and cause a delay of the inevitable anyway, right? He's in his final term, and we all know where his loyalty lies...I hope I'm dead wrong about this, but IMO, he's going to do this, I just have that feeling.


..." I think I heard a shot!..."

#Blazergate

(01-08-2015 02:27 PM)BlazerFire Wrote:  The more I think about it…..

These folks at Direct Communications apparently have a long history around lobbying. They have had a big hand in persuading legislation. They did so for Lowder at Auburn. IMO, these guys weren't hired to help write press releases or communications pieces. (Oh, they'll do a few for appearances sake.)

This PR firm was hired to counter Jack William's efforts in Montgomery. You wait and see.

Tax dollars are paying for it too.

I agree.

I said it before. It is a very reasonable sounding bill and voting against it will be difficult. This means that it will go to committee, never to be seen again.

I'm not sure how Watts can call anything forward when he just sent our university backwards 30 years.

Watts last ditch attempt to save face(retain respect, avoid humiliation), far too late for either.

(01-07-2015 06:47 PM)Hopeful Wrote:  I haven't seen it posted yet, but there was another mass email from Dr. Watts not too long ago.

Quote:Welcome back.

I hope you enjoyed a relaxing winter break and are ready for an exciting spring semester. UAB students, faculty and staff are poised to achieve many milestones across the pillars of our mission in education, research, patient care, community service and economic development.

In 2015, we will continue the important dialogue underway on our campus that will ultimately build a framework for greater collaboration and shared governance. To assist in this effort, we have launched UAB Forward to provide updates, enable readers to provide input, and share the great things UAB faculty, staff, students, alumni and partners are doing — every day — to support our mission.

I spent much of December meeting with leaders from the student body, faculty, alumni, administration and the community. More meetings have been scheduled, and many more will take place. I have learned a lot from these meetings, and I am excited about the great things we can accomplish if the UAB community works together in setting our strategic course.

To that end, several task forces are being created to study some of the priority issues shared with me during these meetings.

Assistant Vice President of Student Life Andy Marsch will chair a task force of student leaders addressing how to engage students in decisions affecting campus life, facilities, programs, housing and other areas.
Interim Athletic Director Shannon Ealy will chair a task force made up of students, alumni, athletes and others focused on how to best engage and build support for programs so they can compete for championships.
Provost Linda Lucas will lead the task force on improving shared governance across the campus.
Vice President of Human Resources Alesia Jones will work closely with the faculty senate and lead a task force studying employee benefits.

Additional task forces will be formed with broad input from the UAB community to guide candidate searches and hiring for several high-profile vacancies including for UAB's next athletic director.

Community and government leaders will play a critical role as UAB enhances opportunities for inclusion and collaboration. For that reason, Clay Ryan of Maynard, Cooper & Gale will work with the university on educational and governance issues, as well as strategic planning initiatives, to advance important dialogues beyond UAB's campus. I have also enlisted Birmingham's Direct Communications to help us communicate and support the important dialogue that will lead the strategic direction of our campus.

Please visit UAB Forward often to learn more about efforts to maintain our great momentum in many areas across campus and beyond.

Very sincerely,

Ray L. Watts

Even though UAB Forward isn't a bad idea, the email just reeks of the same tired rhetoric that Dr. Watts uses every time he's in front of a camera. He keeps talking about being open when it is widely known now that he opts for secrecy over transparency.

The direct communication advisors are smart more than PR move. These are the kind of corrective procedures and policies for shared governance problems that SACS would be likely to recommend.

Get your assistants to help with your dictatorship.

Yep, that'll work.

(01-07-2015 06:51 PM)Blazer85 Wrote:  Agreed. Nothing wrong with transparency and creating ways to better communicate. Unfortunately Watts doesn't realize this isn't just about the lack of communication about the decision. The unrest is largely about the decision itself.

He realizes it is about the decision itself and he is trying to change the subject a find a way to move his career forward.

(01-08-2015 04:38 PM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  I said it before. It is a very reasonable sounding bill and voting against it will be difficult. This means that it will go to committee, never to be seen again.

Well, all 3 of the state reps for my parent's districts (Somerville, AL) have responded to me and pledged their support.
4 down, 101 to go (of the reps). Now, on to the senators.