Northwestern’s announcement of Mike Polisky as its new athletic director has been met coolly by some alumni and campus leaders who have expressed confusion and resistance to the selection, according to sources and faculty members.
Six female faculty members sent an open letter Wednesday to Provost Kathleen Hagerty demanding greater transparency, and they’re planning a picket Friday afternoon that will march from campus to President Morton Schapiro’s home to express opposition to the decision to hire Polisky.
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Polisky, who had been Northwestern’s deputy athletic director for external affairs since 2010, is part of an ongoing investigation by a university-hired law firm and is one of four defendants along with the university in a lawsuit filed by a cheerleader who said she and others were sexually exploited and harassed.
The suit Hayden Richardson filed in January said Polisky was dismissive of her complaints in a meeting and accused her of fabricating evidence.
“We are alarmed by this decision and, indeed, embarrassed on behalf of the university,” the letter signed by the six faculty members read in part. “We believe that, at the very least, before Polisky is formally hired, the university must commission and make public an independent, transparent, third-party investigation that demonstrates that Polisky performed his legally mandated duties and acted with integrity when addressing the concerns of the cheerleaders and their allies.”
Northwestern has filed a motion to dismiss “most of the complaint, including the individual defendants,” a university spokesperson told the Tribune on Sunday. “The university has reviewed the complaint and denies that Northwestern violated any law, including Title IX.”
The six faculty members were also among 80 female faculty who signed a letter to Schapiro, Hagerty and other officials in February demanding greater transparency after the lawsuit was made public.
Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, a political science professor and the Crown chair of Middle East studies, signed both letters.
“Where are the facts and where is the evidence they’re basing this (hire) on?” Shakman Hurd told the Tribune this week. “They owe us transparency. I think there’s a lot of disappointment. We want to make clear we’re not going to lie down and they can’t continually push women and people of color to the side.”
Northwestern announced Polisky’s promotion Monday and plans to hold a news conference to formally introduce him early next week. An athletic department spokesperson said the scheduled introduction is timed to correspond with Schapiro’s return from travel.
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At least three members of the university search committee have expressed displeasure and multiple members of the board of trustees also are dismayed about the hire, according to sources. They have not received an explanation about the reasons for hiring Polisky or an update on the status of the investigation or the lawsuit, sources said.
Sources described the search process as closed-door, muddled, frustrating and led by a “good ol’ boys” university network.
Some faculty distributed flyers that read, “Up with cheerleaders! Down with purple tie governance!” — a reference to male-dominated university leadership.
A statement to the Tribune from Andrew Miltenberg, Richardson’s attorney, said in part, “(It’s) clear that Northwestern is not taking the issue of sexual abuse even remotely seriously. This appointment is even more outrageous because Mr. Polisky called my client’s claims of sexual harassment fraudulent and fabricated when she first came forward to report them to Mr. Polisky, as she was a cheerleader under his direction.
“Let’s be clear — Northwestern’s appointment of Mike Polisky is a slap in the face to victims of sexual harassment at Northwestern and all colleges and universities, and a disgusting display of disrespect and cronyism.”
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Erika Carter, a Northwestern cheerleader from 2016 to 2018, said she and some of her friends were disappointed in Polisky’s hiring.
Carter said in previous reports that she and other Black cheerleaders were discriminated against by former cheer coach Pam Bonnevier, who stopped working for the university in October, and that Polisky dismissed her complaints about racist policies.
She said she specifically and frequently mentioned her interaction with Polisky when Northwestern’s hired investigator interviewed her in late winter.
“I think it’s a failure for the university,” Carter told the Tribune. “I’m not sure how they came to that decision, especially because it could have been filled with someone competent who could lead in a good direction. It’s a big failure and a big regression from the statements from the university (about diversity and inclusion).
“It’s important for someone at the helm of the athletic department to promote the right culture, and I don’t think Mike Polisky will do that.”
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Friday’s march organized by faculty will be the second university protest in seven months destined for Schapiro’s home.
In October, a group of Northwestern students urging the school to cut ties with local and campus police departments also called for Schapiro’s resignation, prompting him to reprimand protestors and characterize the movement as violent. Northwestern’s student newspaper reported that a burned school banner was placed in front of Schapiro’s house.
Faculty also wrote an open letter at that time criticizing Schapiro’s response.
Schapiro announced in March plans to step down Aug. 31, 2022, from the post he has held since 2009.
Polisky replaces Jim Phillips, who left after more than a decade in February to become the ACC commissioner. Before coming to Northwestern, Polisky was president of the Chicago Wolves hockey team and president and general manager of the Chicago Rush arena football team.
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As deputy athletic director for external affairs, he spent a decade working in branding and strategy with close ties to Phillips.
“With his long experience at Northwestern, and his integrity and wisdom, I’m confident we will continue to be a model for excellence on the playing field and in the classroom,” Schapiro said in a statement Monday.
Three other candidates — all women, including two women of color — were recommended by Northwestern’s search committee to Schapiro along with Polisky. The other recommended candidates were Anucha Browne, a former Northwestern basketball star and sports executive; Nina King, Duke’s deputy athletic director; and Janna Blais, a Northwestern deputy athletic director who had been serving as interim athletic director since Phillips’ departure.
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Six female faculty members sent an open letter Wednesday to Provost Kathleen Hagerty demanding greater transparency, and they’re planning a picket Friday afternoon that will march from campus to President Morton Schapiro’s home to express opposition to the decision to hire Polisky.
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Polisky, who had been Northwestern’s deputy athletic director for external affairs since 2010, is part of an ongoing investigation by a university-hired law firm and is one of four defendants along with the university in a lawsuit filed by a cheerleader who said she and others were sexually exploited and harassed.
The suit Hayden Richardson filed in January said Polisky was dismissive of her complaints in a meeting and accused her of fabricating evidence.
“We are alarmed by this decision and, indeed, embarrassed on behalf of the university,” the letter signed by the six faculty members read in part. “We believe that, at the very least, before Polisky is formally hired, the university must commission and make public an independent, transparent, third-party investigation that demonstrates that Polisky performed his legally mandated duties and acted with integrity when addressing the concerns of the cheerleaders and their allies.”
Northwestern has filed a motion to dismiss “most of the complaint, including the individual defendants,” a university spokesperson told the Tribune on Sunday. “The university has reviewed the complaint and denies that Northwestern violated any law, including Title IX.”
The six faculty members were also among 80 female faculty who signed a letter to Schapiro, Hagerty and other officials in February demanding greater transparency after the lawsuit was made public.
Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, a political science professor and the Crown chair of Middle East studies, signed both letters.
“Where are the facts and where is the evidence they’re basing this (hire) on?” Shakman Hurd told the Tribune this week. “They owe us transparency. I think there’s a lot of disappointment. We want to make clear we’re not going to lie down and they can’t continually push women and people of color to the side.”
Northwestern announced Polisky’s promotion Monday and plans to hold a news conference to formally introduce him early next week. An athletic department spokesperson said the scheduled introduction is timed to correspond with Schapiro’s return from travel.
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At least three members of the university search committee have expressed displeasure and multiple members of the board of trustees also are dismayed about the hire, according to sources. They have not received an explanation about the reasons for hiring Polisky or an update on the status of the investigation or the lawsuit, sources said.
Sources described the search process as closed-door, muddled, frustrating and led by a “good ol’ boys” university network.
Some faculty distributed flyers that read, “Up with cheerleaders! Down with purple tie governance!” — a reference to male-dominated university leadership.
A statement to the Tribune from Andrew Miltenberg, Richardson’s attorney, said in part, “(It’s) clear that Northwestern is not taking the issue of sexual abuse even remotely seriously. This appointment is even more outrageous because Mr. Polisky called my client’s claims of sexual harassment fraudulent and fabricated when she first came forward to report them to Mr. Polisky, as she was a cheerleader under his direction.
“Let’s be clear — Northwestern’s appointment of Mike Polisky is a slap in the face to victims of sexual harassment at Northwestern and all colleges and universities, and a disgusting display of disrespect and cronyism.”
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Erika Carter, a Northwestern cheerleader from 2016 to 2018, said she and some of her friends were disappointed in Polisky’s hiring.
Carter said in previous reports that she and other Black cheerleaders were discriminated against by former cheer coach Pam Bonnevier, who stopped working for the university in October, and that Polisky dismissed her complaints about racist policies.
She said she specifically and frequently mentioned her interaction with Polisky when Northwestern’s hired investigator interviewed her in late winter.
“I think it’s a failure for the university,” Carter told the Tribune. “I’m not sure how they came to that decision, especially because it could have been filled with someone competent who could lead in a good direction. It’s a big failure and a big regression from the statements from the university (about diversity and inclusion).
“It’s important for someone at the helm of the athletic department to promote the right culture, and I don’t think Mike Polisky will do that.”
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Friday’s march organized by faculty will be the second university protest in seven months destined for Schapiro’s home.
In October, a group of Northwestern students urging the school to cut ties with local and campus police departments also called for Schapiro’s resignation, prompting him to reprimand protestors and characterize the movement as violent. Northwestern’s student newspaper reported that a burned school banner was placed in front of Schapiro’s house.
Faculty also wrote an open letter at that time criticizing Schapiro’s response.
Schapiro announced in March plans to step down Aug. 31, 2022, from the post he has held since 2009.
Polisky replaces Jim Phillips, who left after more than a decade in February to become the ACC commissioner. Before coming to Northwestern, Polisky was president of the Chicago Wolves hockey team and president and general manager of the Chicago Rush arena football team.
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As deputy athletic director for external affairs, he spent a decade working in branding and strategy with close ties to Phillips.
“With his long experience at Northwestern, and his integrity and wisdom, I’m confident we will continue to be a model for excellence on the playing field and in the classroom,” Schapiro said in a statement Monday.
Three other candidates — all women, including two women of color — were recommended by Northwestern’s search committee to Schapiro along with Polisky. The other recommended candidates were Anucha Browne, a former Northwestern basketball star and sports executive; Nina King, Duke’s deputy athletic director; and Janna Blais, a Northwestern deputy athletic director who had been serving as interim athletic director since Phillips’ departure.
Northwestern faculty say they’re ‘alarmed’ and ’embarrassed’ by athletic director Mike Polisky’s hiring and plan to protest at President Morton Schapiro’s house
Northwestern’s announcement of Mike Polisky as its new athletic director has been met coolly by some alumni and campus leaders who have expressed confusion and resistance to the selection, ac…
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