Vanderbilt Chancellor Backs Athletics in Podcast Appearance
While questions remain surrounding plans for athletic facilities upgrades at Vanderbilt University, new chancellor Daniel Diermeir says he and the university are "fully committed to athletics."
Diermeir made this comment on Monday night during an appearance on The Commodore Hour with Joe Fisher for the show's debut episode on 102.5 The Game.
"I am new to this, so I've heard this, too," about the thought that the university doesn't care about athletics, Diermeier said. "I'm not going to talk about the past and what was there. We're fully committed to athletics. We're fully committed to athletics. I think a successful athletics program is an enormous asset to a university. This is a great university, we need to have a great athletics program. That is that. The idea that this is some kind of afterthought or we're not paying attention to that is certainly not how I'm thinking about it."
Fisher, the long-time radio voice of Vanderbilt athletics, was the first to get Diermeir on the record, and it was an enlightening interview.
Being new to the position of chancellor, Diermeir should be given time to understand the issues facing him in regards to athletics. He must also be allowed time to find the lay of the land and the players around him while also determining the best course of action moving forward.
It's a tall task and one that fans of the Commodores are eager to see put into action. Of course what fans are awaiting is the master facilities plan that has been talked about for some time while little detail has been shared publicly about what might be addressed in the plans.
“We had a strategic plan that was launched before I got here and that’s going to guide some of the things we are doing. But the opportunity when the new chancellor comes in, and there’s a new full-time athletic director, is to rethink things, so that’s what we’re doing right now. We’re looking at every aspect of how we think about athletics. We have a lot of current challenges. Of course, how do we deal about return to competition during the COVID pandemic? That’s one part, and we need to deal with that. But, at the same time, we are taking this time to think about our plans to advance athletics at Vanderbilt," Diermeir said. "We’re making great progress with that, everything’s on the table, and we’re thinking through these issues carefully, following the way we want to do this. Close connection with the university, clearly integrated, but with a sense of purpose such that athletics operate at a level of excellence commensurate with the university.”
All that seems logical, and while the new chancellor should be aforded time to get acclamated to his new position, fans are only going to remain patient with his new status for so long.
Aftrer all, these plans have been touted for some time and anything short of a public release of the plans will soon become more lip service for a fanbase that has been drenched in that for decades.
Diermeir has the chance to make a change in athletics at Vanderbilt, but he is now on the clock to produce more than just words.
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