(11-19-2021 10:21 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote: Bones, just a hint-- put up the money to sponsor said initiative and it will happen. Note-- the baseball analytics course will be funded within the School of Social Sciences and the Sports Management department.
First, I don't personally have that kind of money anymore.... and to the extent I do, I would want to make sure that the AD et al were on board. They didn't ASK me to fund it. They didn't tell me how much my idea would cost. The idea, much like my food truck idea went into a black hole somewhere. I did this once and the AD (not JK) wasn't on board with the idea, so I did something else.... I funded one of THEIR ideas. Why is it okay for me to fund one of their ideas, but if I bring them an idea that they obviously eventually buy in to, I have to also bring the funding??
Second, I DID tell them ways to fund it/ raise money from alternative sources... specifically healthcare. Covid and the drives at the stadium for vaccinations and voting were small but perfect examples of the sort of ideas I gave them... but 6+ years later... and for political/public health purposes but not for raising money or attention or profiles at Rice. I don't know if the ADs office had much to do with that, other than saying 'okay' to the facility use... or maybe they did it all on their own... so I don't know if they even see/saw it. I proposed partnerships with the Medical center providers and insurance payers to promote wellness and 'quality' which were and still are major focuses of large amounts of dollars in healthcare. Those identical ideas were utilized there... though I don't know that we got any money for it... with lots of positive press I might add for Rice. The things we did during COVID, we could have been doing for the past 8+ years for mammograms, well child visits, immunizations, flu shots, eye exams, any of a large number of things, before, during and after games at Rice stadium, Tudor, Reckling and other places. My idea would have also involved the rec center and all of the community members of those facilities, plus the thousands who run the hedges and stands (or used to)... and of course all of the students. Let providers provide the services and let insurers pay us for providing the 'outlet' as well as the invite. We had hundreds of school age kids and their families ... many NOT from West U or near the med center... at our last game. Some I recognize from areas where quality care isn't readily available. I'm betting we could have helped some insurance companies close some care gaps.... which means $$. Billions of dollars collectively.
Third, I don't work in academia so I can't possibly know how to make all this work. My idea was to take a Rice-like/cerebral approach to football analytics and to have a course in it that might attract fans (as a continuing ed course at Glasscock) and students (as an analytics/stats course). Have coaches be guest lecturers and/or demonstrate how they might use such stats. Might that connect Rice and Rice football better to 'math' students?? How about Sports Medicine people in the Med Center who perhaps played ball at Harvard? How about just fans of UT who couldn't possibly get that sort of 1:1 time with a college coach at UT, who can then use what he's learned to enjoy his UT games more... but now Rice is his 'second team'?? I proposed all of this on this forum as well. Heck, if its a college course, maybe we can increase our 'sports management' offerings and attract more grad transfers??
I appreciate the advice Walt... but sometimes you're doing well to lead a horse to water. I specifically suggested on here dozens of times and in person to JK years ago the use of food trucks at our games. A few weeks ago, I suggested it again in front of a large donor who thought it was a great idea and he asked a VERY highly placed member of the ADs office 'why aren't we doing that'... the response was along the lines of, 'we just hadn't thought about that.' I bit my tongue. Moments later, the donor suggested that the AD's office member bring him a multi-million dollar wish list (including academic things to take to now President DeRoches) so that he could work on the funding and administrative needs for it.
