[Mick]

of course he's only interim President....

+1. His sole ambit is keeping the lights on for the next guy (or gal) without leaving much damage in the interim. Given that Israel/Hamas felled two Presidents of peer institutions, and given that conference realignment was about to leave Stanford athletics in its dust at the exact moment he was stepping into the shoes of the President, I'd say he has precisely identified the two most existential issues of his first few months at the job

Fair points, though I still think the aftermath of a highly publicized campus suicide, the general feeling that Stanford students don't have fun, a US Supreme Court decision that upended what factors the University can use for admission, the fact that the reason Sailor is even in this position is because of allegations of academic fraud against his predecessor are all more important and just as timely as what conference Stanford plays in.

BC

Of course, you're correct. Athletics is, and should be, down the list of the President's priorities. And I suspect that in real life, that's how Saller organizes his attention, and I suspect the same will be true for the next President.

At the same time...it is a quality which makes Stanford wholly unique in the collegiate environment. There are no other universities with the same blend of absolutely top quality athletics and academics. Athletics is important to the other universities...witness the percentage of student/athletes at these institutions. MIT has 32 sports, for goodness sake, and they're D3. And given that Stanford is at a crossroads (or just past it) athletically, I can understand his public comments...knowing that when he shuts his office door, all of the other items on your list are his true concerns.

[Mick]

of course he's only interim President....

+1. His sole ambit is keeping the lights on for the next guy (or gal) without leaving much damage in the interim. Given that Israel/Hamas felled two Presidents of peer institutions, and given that conference realignment was about to leave Stanford athletics in its dust at the exact moment he was stepping into the shoes of the President, I'd say he has precisely identified the two most existential issues of his first few months at the job

Fair points, though I still think the aftermath of a highly publicized campus suicide, the general feeling that Stanford students don't have fun, a US Supreme Court decision that upended what factors the University can use for admission, the fact that the reason Sailor is even in this position is because of allegations of academic fraud against his predecessor are all more important and just as timely as what conference Stanford plays in.

BC

Of course, you're correct. Athletics is, and should be, down the list of the President's priorities. And I suspect that in real life, that's how Saller organizes his attention, and I suspect the same will be true for the next President.

At the same time...it is a quality which makes Stanford wholly unique in the collegiate environment. There are no other universities with the same blend of absolutely top quality athletics and academics. Athletics is important to the other universities...witness the percentage of student/athletes at these institutions. MIT has 32 sports, for goodness sake, and they're D3. And given that Stanford is at a crossroads (or just past it) athletically, I can understand his public comments...knowing that when he shuts his office door, all of the other items on your list are his true concerns.