np_husker
Starter
Consultant changed culture for NU athletic department
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Oct 19, 2007 - 05:26:53 pm CDT
Several Nebraska athletic department employees this week cited Steve Pederson’s hiring of a consultant from the East Coast as a source for the troublesome culture that began to permeate the department this past summer.
William J. DeLeo, a retired executive for Light Holdings Inc. of Duquesne, Pa., was hired by Pederson “to come and help me evaluate the future growth of this department,” Pederson said in August.
DeLeo, described by Pederson at the time as “a longtime friend and colleague,” arrived in Lincoln for the first time this past January to meet with top-level Nebraska athletic administrators. DeLeo began full-time duty in August, hired to help streamline operations and increase productivity within the department.
The consultant’s hire ended up being counterproductive, according to four Nebraska athletic department employees and a university employee, who all spoke to the Lincoln Journal Star on the condition of anonymity this week.
When Pederson was fired Monday, his management style and the resulting negative culture in the athletic department were cited as the primary reasons behind NU Chancellor Harvey Perlman’s decision.
Said one Nebraska athletic department employee: “(DeLeo) was big business, definitely corporate in nature. He attached a ton of formality to everything he did, which made it less efficient instead of more efficient. In my mind, he was the main contributor as to why Steve lost his job.”
Before DeLeo came on board, Pederson essentially had an open-door policy for staff members, according to the athletic department employees interview by the Journal Star. After DeLeo’s arrival in January, Pederson became much less accessible, and DeLeo became a “protector” of sorts for Pederson, the employees said.
Pederson’s dismissal effectively ended DeLeo’s association with the university, as well. DeLeo was paid a total of $30,000, plus expenses, for the months of August and September and will receive about $7,500 for his work this month, according to Randy York, NU associate athletic director for communications.
Asked Friday about DeLeo’s contributions at Nebraska, Husker executive assistant athletic director Marc Boehm said, “I’d rather not go into it.” He declined further comment.
Before this week’s events, DeLeo had recently announced there would be quarterly performance evaluations for all employees. Under DeLeo’s plan, employees’ standard cost-of-living raises would have become merit-based increases, a plan that turned up the pressure throughout the department and created an extremely competitive and uncomfortable environment.
The plan won’t go into effect now that Pederson has been fired.
“You’re trying to focus on the student-athletes, and then all of a sudden we were going to be competing with our neighbors for money,” one employee said.
Morale declined in the department as a “culture of fear-based leadership” developed, an employee said.
Pederson and DeLeo didn’t return calls Friday to their cell phones. Perlman was unavailable for comment, according to a spokeswoman.
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Oct 19, 2007 - 05:26:53 pm CDT
Several Nebraska athletic department employees this week cited Steve Pederson’s hiring of a consultant from the East Coast as a source for the troublesome culture that began to permeate the department this past summer.
William J. DeLeo, a retired executive for Light Holdings Inc. of Duquesne, Pa., was hired by Pederson “to come and help me evaluate the future growth of this department,” Pederson said in August.
DeLeo, described by Pederson at the time as “a longtime friend and colleague,” arrived in Lincoln for the first time this past January to meet with top-level Nebraska athletic administrators. DeLeo began full-time duty in August, hired to help streamline operations and increase productivity within the department.
The consultant’s hire ended up being counterproductive, according to four Nebraska athletic department employees and a university employee, who all spoke to the Lincoln Journal Star on the condition of anonymity this week.
When Pederson was fired Monday, his management style and the resulting negative culture in the athletic department were cited as the primary reasons behind NU Chancellor Harvey Perlman’s decision.
Said one Nebraska athletic department employee: “(DeLeo) was big business, definitely corporate in nature. He attached a ton of formality to everything he did, which made it less efficient instead of more efficient. In my mind, he was the main contributor as to why Steve lost his job.”
Before DeLeo came on board, Pederson essentially had an open-door policy for staff members, according to the athletic department employees interview by the Journal Star. After DeLeo’s arrival in January, Pederson became much less accessible, and DeLeo became a “protector” of sorts for Pederson, the employees said.
Pederson’s dismissal effectively ended DeLeo’s association with the university, as well. DeLeo was paid a total of $30,000, plus expenses, for the months of August and September and will receive about $7,500 for his work this month, according to Randy York, NU associate athletic director for communications.
Asked Friday about DeLeo’s contributions at Nebraska, Husker executive assistant athletic director Marc Boehm said, “I’d rather not go into it.” He declined further comment.
Before this week’s events, DeLeo had recently announced there would be quarterly performance evaluations for all employees. Under DeLeo’s plan, employees’ standard cost-of-living raises would have become merit-based increases, a plan that turned up the pressure throughout the department and created an extremely competitive and uncomfortable environment.
The plan won’t go into effect now that Pederson has been fired.
“You’re trying to focus on the student-athletes, and then all of a sudden we were going to be competing with our neighbors for money,” one employee said.
Morale declined in the department as a “culture of fear-based leadership” developed, an employee said.
Pederson and DeLeo didn’t return calls Friday to their cell phones. Perlman was unavailable for comment, according to a spokeswoman.
