Pedey and Perlman sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!
Chancellor Harvey Perlman recently stated he think's that Athletic Director Steve Pederson is doing a great job. I have to give some kudos to the OWH in finding a picture of the two together that makes them look like a couple of dorks (you'll have to go to the OWH article to see it). Was that intentional? No, of course not. It was the only picture that the OWH has of them together. Looking dorky.
One line that caught my eye in the article:
Perlman said he didn't have specifics on how fund-raising is going.
My initial reaction was to think that it's no wonder that Tom Shatel can't get an interview if Steve Pederson isn't informing his own boss as to the specifics of fund-raising for new facilities. It's true that Pederson has tight reins over the place. Maybe someday we'll get a post-Pederson picture of the place that resembled Richard Nixon's presidential reign, but that isn't now, is it?
Said Perlman: "I heard a rumor from a fifth-hand source through a hairdresser that I was going to be fired because we didn't raise the money for the North Stadium - which I find amusing.
"There is no issue with respect to that. It is not an issue that is a burden to us in any way or that we are worried about."
What is the overall financial view for NU athletics?
"Our program," Perlman said, "is as financially sound as any in the country."
Harvey Perlman expects Steve Pederson to do his job of running the athletic department rather than being a micro-manager. That's the way it should be. After all, Perlman is in charge of running what is essentially a public-based holding company with an annual budget of what - around $430 million? Within that holding company he has a department that is self-sustaining with an annual budget of $50-$60 million. Do you really think he should waste his time worrying about a few million within that department when he has a guy in charge of that already?
Harvey Perlman has some bigger things happening than just football. We're not in the SEC, for crying out loud. If Harvey Perlman needs to be fired some day, let's have it be for something worth firing him over, not because of Steve Pederson.
What is it about Steve Pederson that brings out such a polarizing attitude amongst Husker fans? Frank Solich is long gone. The program is improving under Bill Callahan. The academic focus of the program remains intact. The teams are doing well - the volleyball team just won another national title.
What is it about Pederson?