Baseball

[brianstl]

10 hours ago, billikenfan05 said:

Fair enough. Also MB lives!!!!

That said, I think the school needs to upgrade the baseball and soccer facilities.  It isn't just about helping those programs.  When potential students tour the campus the current facilities make the university look small time.  When you are asking potential students to pay over $40,000 a year, appearances matter.

[prebilliken]

A10 SEASON CHAMPIONS! Well done Bills! 

Go get them in the tournament. As you can tell by the passionate conversation on this thread, the board is behind you. Go put more trophies in the case and let's get to the NCAAs! 

[TheGrandLife]

I am sure the staff with soccer and baseball are massively underpaid as well. 

[cgeldmacher]

This is going to be an oversimplification, but here goes.  The $1 billion endowment is invested.  It is not sitting in the basement of DuBourg.  It is in an account with a private equity firm and a good chunk if it is invested in the stock market.  The stock market is up 32% in the last two years (using the S&P, not the Dow).  Even if only half of the endowment is invested in stocks, that means SLU has added $160 million dollars to its endowment just because the market is up.  Again, I'm spitballing the details, but the concept is sound.

If the market drops at some point, all that money goes with it.  If the market sits pat for a while, so does that money.  The only risk of pulling the money out is if the stock market continues to go up.  I think most people who are experts in this area are predicting that the wild upturn of the last two years is not going to continue.

Now is the time to invest this money in the University.  Take advantage of this extra money sitting in the endowment.  SLU's BofT could build a very nice baseball stadium, significantly upgrade Hermann, and build a few academic buildings if it wants, and still end the day with over a billion dollars in the coffers.  What is the endowment for if not to improve the facilities when necessary?  Come on BofT.  Be smart and take advantage of the opportunity the stock market is giving you and use this extra money to do what the endowment is intended to do.

[willie]

58 minutes ago, cgeldmacher said:

This is going to be an oversimplification, but here goes.  The $1 billion endowment is invested.  It is not sitting in the basement of DuBourg.  It is in an account with a private equity firm and a good chunk if it is invested in the stock market.  The stock market is up 32% in the last two years (using the S&P, not the Dow).  Even if only half of the endowment is invested in stocks, that means SLU has added $160 million dollars to its endowment just because the market is up.  Again, I'm spitballing the details, but the concept is sound.

If the market drops at some point, all that money goes with it.  If the market sits pat for a while, so does that money.  The only risk of pulling the money out is if the stock market continues to go up.  I think most people who are experts in this area are predicting that the wild upturn of the last two years is not going to continue.

Now is the time to invest this money in the University.  Take advantage of this extra money sitting in the endowment.  SLU's BofT could build a very nice baseball stadium, significantly upgrade Hermann, and build a few academic buildings if it wants, and still end the day with over a billion dollars in the coffers.  What is the endowment for if not to improve the facilities when necessary?  Come on BofT.  Be smart and take advantage of the opportunity the stock market is giving you and use this extra money to do what the endowment is intended to do.

An Endowment Fund is not a bank account. One typically can not pull money out to fund the latest project  Most Endowments have a set distribution policy limiting how much can be taken annually. A distribution rate of 4 to 8 percent would be normal. Most of this money probably goes to scholarships and maybe some operating expenses. Secondly I have been in the investment business for over 40 years. NO ONE CAN TIME THE MARKETS. If you don't believe me ask Warren Buffet. 

[Major Majerus]

6 hours ago, willie said:

An Endowment Fund is not a bank account. One typically can not pull money out to fund the latest project  Most Endowments have a set distribution policy limiting how much can be taken annually. A distribution rate of 4 to 8 percent would be normal. Most of this money probably goes to scholarships and maybe some operating expenses. Secondly I have been in the investment business for over 40 years. NO ONE CAN TIME THE MARKETS. If you don't believe me ask Warren Buffet. 

Listen to Willie- the endowment provides a return & there are restrictions on annual withdrawals - that's why specific uses for funds require dedicated outright gifts or pledges - hence the need for targeted fundraising.  Thus- May - be proactive!!!

[Billy Ken]

Maryville. Enough said.

[prebilliken]

Bills open A10 tournament play at 1:30PM on Thursday as they take on the winner of the the 4 seed Richmond vs 5 see Davidson. 

First round bye means the Bills need to win 4 games to take the crowns and get back to the big dance. Let's Go Bills! 

[billikenfan05]

On 5/20/2018 at 1:33 PM, Billy Ken said:

Maryville. Enough said.

The baseball field scoreboard still features the old Billiken. Let that sink in.

[billiken_roy]

please keep us updated on the success of your meeting with the BoT and getting their perception of the overall athletic department and in particular the baseball team.  Good luck.  We are all counting on you. 

[billikenfan05]

nm

[Littlebill]

42 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

please keep us updated on the success of your meeting with the BoT and getting their perception of the overall athletic department and in particular the baseball team.  Good luck.  We are all counting on you. 

So when anyone on this board has a complaint they’re supposed to act on it themselves? We can’t just have complaints?

[Billy Ken]

1 hour ago, billiken_roy said:

please keep us updated on the success of your meeting with the BoT and getting their perception of the overall athletic department and in particular the baseball team.  Good luck.  We are all counting on you.

 

It's good to know the BoT and the AD can count on people like you who defend decades of missteps and poor management. You have as much vision as current AD and BoT. Fans sure are crazy wanting the same facilities as some local high schools and a local D2 school, at the very least. Plus I would not care one bit what the BoT at SLU think, they have helped drive the place into the ground and a majority of them do not belong on a board like SLU's. If you think the BoT are doing good, then that explains why you don't see a problem with facilities. Keep raising the bar....just enough to stumble over it. Geesh. 

 

[Billy Ken]

26 minutes ago, Littlebill said:

So when anyone on this board has a complaint they’re supposed to act on it themselves? We can’t just have complaints?

No you can't. You'll get this is the way it's always been, AD does great job, you don't get it, facilities don't matter, tell baseball coach win more, SLU isn't going to be like Xavier or Creighton and that's fine, wrote a check (my favorite), blah, blah, blah, blah....insiders to AD repeat like parrots what AD tells them and can't think for themselves or realize with their own eyes how messed up it really is. All I know is if I was a local high school kid being recruited by soccer, softball or baseball why would I go to play 4 years on worse facilities than my high school? You can't answer that. That falls on President totally.

[Cowboy]

37 minutes ago, Billy Ken said:

No you can't. You'll get this is the way it's always been, AD does great job, you don't get it, facilities don't matter, tell baseball coach win more, SLU isn't going to be like Xavier or Creighton and that's fine, wrote a check (my favorite), blah, blah, blah, blah....insiders to AD repeat like parrots what AD tells them and can't think for themselves or realize with their own eyes how messed up it really is. All I know is if I was a local high school kid being recruited by soccer, softball or baseball why would I go to play 4 years on worse facilities than my high school? You can't answer that. That falls on President totally.

-this is the second time you have mentioned that folks on here are saying the AD does a great job, please show us where this is actually taking place? I don't think that is being said

[billiken_roy]

59 minutes ago, Billy Ken said:

 

It's good to know the BoT and the AD can count on people like you who defend decades of missteps and poor management. You have as much vision as current AD and BoT. Fans sure are crazy wanting the same facilities as some local high schools and a local D2 school, at the very least. Plus I would not care one bit what the BoT at SLU think, they have helped drive the place into the ground and a majority of them do not belong on a board like SLU's. If you think the BoT are doing good, then that explains why you don't see a problem with facilities. Keep raising the bar....just enough to stumble over it. Geesh. 

 

we all complain.   but at some point, either do something about it or be quiet.   this 05 vision has been turned up to 11 for quite awhile.   time to let it go or do something. 

 

and i am the last person to defend the BoT.  a lot of the S2 issues we all have fall on the BoT. 

  i currently have absolutely no use for the BoT and actually i am completely serious when i say i wish someone could get through to them.   but complaining here isnt going to help.  

[billikenfan05]

4 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

we all complain.   but at some point, either do something about it or be quiet.   this 05 vision has been turned up to 11 for quite awhile.   time to let it go or do something. 

Hey Roy stop making sh!t up to fit your narrative. Thanks.

[billiken_roy]

6 minutes ago, billikenfan05 said:

Hey Roy stop making sh!t up to fit your narrative. Thanks.

Oh I'm sorry, so you haven't been complaining about all things related to the baseball program for about a week now?  My mistake.  I apologize for misunderstanding the context of most of your recent posts

 

[billikenfan05]

5 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

Oh I'm sorry, so you haven't been complaining about all things related to the baseball program for about a week now?  My mistake.  I apologize for misunderstanding the context of most of your recent posts

 

Roy, you’ve consistently lied and said that I want a minor league/SEC setup for SLU baseball when I’ve consistently lobbied for a very modest but stylized upgrade to the facilities with better gameday ops functionality and better spectator accommodations. I’ve been having a positive conversation with my fellow Billiken fans on what we’d like to see done to the stadium, what it could look like and  you’ve come here to argue for arguments sake. 

[billiken_roy]

Just now, billikenfan05 said:

Roy, you’ve consistently lied and said that I want a minor league/SEC setup for SLU baseball when I’ve consistently lobbied for a very modest but stylized upgrade to the facilities with better gameday ops functionality and better spectator accommodations. I’ve been having a positive conversation with my fellow Billiken fans on what we’d like to see done to the stadium, what it could look like and  you’ve come here to argue for arguments sake. 

Sure

   I'm so sorry.   

You are right it's all positive.   

[Spoon-Balls]

On 5/17/2018 at 9:10 PM, Billy Ken said:

The biggest problem with powers that be at SLU is that they live in an alternate reality, a bubble if you will. They think it's 1990 before AL Gore supposedly invented the Internet. Very out of touch and frozen in time. Maybe certain posters have a sister or a brother or whatever who is a doctor, nurse, researcher, admin, whatever at SLU and they know "stuff" and if anyone says med school is fine, just ask how the dean is doing? Ask about the type of students they are admitting that has them saying enrollment is great! The next Dr. Nick, from the Simpsons will one day graduate from SLU. So probably something like new facilities IS too much to ask from the leadership. I'll leave it at that. As far as the previous poster talking about AD culture, no shock there...and in other breaking news water is wet. 

This is similar to what has been spinning around the rumor mill. I have heard from people within SLU hospital/Glennon that Behrns is already getting pushed out. I have no other knowledge about that other than what I have heard from a few higher up MD's... Apparently he had proposed a new structure for how different specialties within the hospital interact and collaborate but it got rejected. 

Here is an email that Pestello sent to the medical school community in March: 

Dear Members of the School of Medicine and SLUCare Communities,

I write to inform you of organizational changes within the School of Medicine and SLUCare. These changes will allow us to strategically focus additional attention on our academic and clinical areas, which are essential to the University’s long-term success and the health of our region.

Progress continues on our medical enterprise priorities:

• The LCME remediation; 
• Attracting stellar students, clinicians, and chairs; Retaining our best faculty in a highly competitive environment; 
• Enhancing regional and national perceptions of our school and practice;
• Attracting patients through quality care and ease of access; 
• Increasing donations; 
• Strengthening our partnership with SSM Health and contributing to its success, which is closely linked to ours; 
• Forging additional essential relationships for the future

One of the most critically important issues is the upcoming site visit by the LCME. Substantial work has already been done to remediate the issues on which we were cited. We must do everything possible to ensure that this has a successful outcome. Our students deserve that effort. Also of utmost importance is fundraising and closing major gifts for the School of Medicine.

Because of these and other important external relations initiatives, I have asked Dean Kevin Behrns to focus his attention primarily on the upcoming LCME visit, external relations, and fundraising. This will be the case for the remainder of 2018. To allow Dean Behrns to focus on these areas, a new position – Vice Dean for Medical Affairs – has been created. It will have oversight of the functions, structures, and operations of SLUCare and medical research. After consulting with the clinical and basic science chairs, I am announcing that Dr. Robert Wilmott has been selected to assume this temporary position, effective April 1. Dr. Wilmott is currently chair of the Department of Pediatrics. He is a successful, highly respected, and long-time leader within SLUCare. Dr. Robert Heaney will continue as chief executive officer of SLUCare.

Dr. Wilmott will also be responsible for the successful completion of all of the Transformative Excellence in Academic Medicine (TEAM) initiatives, with the exception of the LCME remediation (led by Dr. Behrns); and the institute model, which will not move forward. To be clear, we will not structure our medical practice as institutes.

Because it is vital that the completion of the remaining 21 TEAM initiatives move forward expeditiously, I have asked Drs. Behrns and Wilmott to provide me with regular progress reports. Further, I intend to meet monthly with the clinical and basic science chairs to discuss our progress. The initiative implementations are critical for the future of SLUCare and its success in terms of the quality of the care we provide; the hiring, development and retention of first-rate physicians who are devoted to our mission; our partnerships--specifically working with SSM Health to contribute to its success; and meeting our financial targets. 

I know that each of you will support these initiatives, and I thank you for your commitment to our students, residents, fellows, and patients.

 

Sincerely,

Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.            

President

From what I've heard, Wilmott is essentially running things right now and they're preparing him to be the new dean. It was surprising to me as well when I learned about all of this, as I had assumed that Behrns was an extremely bright and capable leader for the medical school. Again, nothing is set in stone, just what I've heard from people within SLUcare.

And as to your second point, I largely disagree. The medical student classes have consistently gotten better in terms of academic credentials over the past 5-10 years and that shows no signs of changing, even with all of the lack of leadership starting at the very top with the BoT and Pestello. 

[Billy Ken]

3 hours ago, Spoon-Balls said:

This is similar to what has been spinning around the rumor mill. I have heard from people within SLU hospital/Glennon that Behrns is already getting pushed out. I have no other knowledge about that other than what I have heard from a few higher up MD's... Apparently he had proposed a new structure for how different specialties within the hospital interact and collaborate but it got rejected. 

Here is an email that Pestello sent to the medical school community in March: 

Dear Members of the School of Medicine and SLUCare Communities,

I write to inform you of organizational changes within the School of Medicine and SLUCare. These changes will allow us to strategically focus additional attention on our academic and clinical areas, which are essential to the University’s long-term success and the health of our region.

Progress continues on our medical enterprise priorities:

• The LCME remediation; 
• Attracting stellar students, clinicians, and chairs; Retaining our best faculty in a highly competitive environment; 
• Enhancing regional and national perceptions of our school and practice;
• Attracting patients through quality care and ease of access; 
• Increasing donations; 
• Strengthening our partnership with SSM Health and contributing to its success, which is closely linked to ours; 
• Forging additional essential relationships for the future

One of the most critically important issues is the upcoming site visit by the LCME. Substantial work has already been done to remediate the issues on which we were cited. We must do everything possible to ensure that this has a successful outcome. Our students deserve that effort. Also of utmost importance is fundraising and closing major gifts for the School of Medicine.

Because of these and other important external relations initiatives, I have asked Dean Kevin Behrns to focus his attention primarily on the upcoming LCME visit, external relations, and fundraising. This will be the case for the remainder of 2018. To allow Dean Behrns to focus on these areas, a new position – Vice Dean for Medical Affairs – has been created. It will have oversight of the functions, structures, and operations of SLUCare and medical research. After consulting with the clinical and basic science chairs, I am announcing that Dr. Robert Wilmott has been selected to assume this temporary position, effective April 1. Dr. Wilmott is currently chair of the Department of Pediatrics. He is a successful, highly respected, and long-time leader within SLUCare. Dr. Robert Heaney will continue as chief executive officer of SLUCare.

Dr. Wilmott will also be responsible for the successful completion of all of the Transformative Excellence in Academic Medicine (TEAM) initiatives, with the exception of the LCME remediation (led by Dr. Behrns); and the institute model, which will not move forward. To be clear, we will not structure our medical practice as institutes.

Because it is vital that the completion of the remaining 21 TEAM initiatives move forward expeditiously, I have asked Drs. Behrns and Wilmott to provide me with regular progress reports. Further, I intend to meet monthly with the clinical and basic science chairs to discuss our progress. The initiative implementations are critical for the future of SLUCare and its success in terms of the quality of the care we provide; the hiring, development and retention of first-rate physicians who are devoted to our mission; our partnerships--specifically working with SSM Health to contribute to its success; and meeting our financial targets. 

I know that each of you will support these initiatives, and I thank you for your commitment to our students, residents, fellows, and patients.

 

Sincerely,

Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.            

President

From what I've heard, Wilmott is essentially running things right now and they're preparing him to be the new dean. It was surprising to me as well when I learned about all of this, as I had assumed that Behrns was an extremely bright and capable leader for the medical school. Again, nothing is set in stone, just what I've heard from people within SLUcare.

And as to your second point, I largely disagree. The medical student classes have consistently gotten better in terms of academic credentials over the past 5-10 years and that shows no signs of changing, even with all of the lack of leadership starting at the very top with the BoT and Pestello. 

When the med school went on probation that's when the level of student dramatically changed. I agree last 5-10 years it was good. But last couple, it's changed. Med school is in bad shape across the board. The dean was "fired" and is only kept on to get SLU accreditation back on track, then he is toast. Pestello is in way over his head with med school. Way in over his head. Hospital is a whole other animal just as messed up, if not even more. SSM would walk away yesterday if they could from what I've heard. It's sad.

[Spoon-Balls]

9 hours ago, Billy Ken said:

When the med school went on probation that's when the level of student dramatically changed. I agree last 5-10 years it was good. But last couple, it's changed. Med school is in bad shape across the board. The dean was "fired" and is only kept on to get SLU accreditation back on track, then he is toast. Pestello is in way over his head with med school. Way in over his head. Hospital is a whole other animal just as messed up, if not even more. SSM would walk away yesterday if they could from what I've heard. It's sad.

One of the most recent classes had the highest board exam scores of any class at SLU med so far, and they are highly involved in research (much more so than past classes), medical volunteer work, and community service. I don't know where you're getting your information about the students. This is not about them, it's about the failure of this administration. Pestello, frankly, needs to go. I'm really convinced at this point that he does not know how to effectively operate a larger University system...

[SLU_Lax]

I am running down the bunny hole with others now, but I was at the hospital recently. It’s bathrooms were unbelievably filthy. I can only think of a gas station in Mississippi that was worse. 

It is a minor detail, but important none-the-less.  It indicated to me there is a fair amount of turmoil and poor management in that building.

[cheeseman]

I do agree that the little things like clean bathrooms are indicative of something.  So my question is if it is poor management then the current Dean being perhaps on the hot seat would not seem odd or is the operations such as maintenance the responsibility of SSM?  I guess I do not understand how that relationship is suppose to work.