HONOLULU – Citing family issues, University of Hawaii Athletics Director Ben Jay announced Tuesday he will resign six months from now in June 2015.
After two years on the job, he potentially leaves behind a department deficit of $3 million for the next director to contend with.
The department has struggled with finances, reporting a budget deficit during 11 of the last 13 years.
The deficit is less that when Jay came on board.
Jay negotiated a deal with former Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple and the Board of Regents last March to waive an existing $13 million deficit that began in 2002 and continued to increase.
One of Jay’s more controversial decisions was to keep Norm Chow as head coach for the University of Hawaii Warriors football team.
Chow is in his third of a 5-year contract, which pays him $550,000 a year, plus performance bonuses.
Chow is only one of two coaches –the other being Fred Von Appen – to have two straight losing seasons at the beginning of his contract, according to the sports news network SB Nation.
The UH football team has only won four of nine games this year.
The journal reports Chow currently holds the second-worst win percentage in school history, with just seven wins in 35 attempts in his first three years at UH.
While attendance at UH football games is at an all time low, further boosting the athletic department’s deficit, it would cost $750,000 to buy out Chow’s contract for its remaining two years.
Meanwhile the debate over Chow’s leadership continues.
While some fans support him, other fans have formed a Fire Norm Chow Facebook page and some students have called for his replacement.
If we can only get the politics out of the UH system.How would UH perform in a free-market system as opposed to a state constitutional mandate of public tax funding of public education imposed on Hawaii tax-payers? Hawaii tax-payers should consider that education is not a right. Education in a truly free-market,capitalist society is no different than buying grocery,getting your car serviced,etc.we pay for it as an option.and schools would compete with each other for enrollment of students. how long would a coach like Chow last in a free society education system?He'd be working for minimum wages probably based on his pastperformance.
For $550,000 A YEAR, I will coach their failing football team! Put ME in charge! I will find ways to fail spectacularly!
Wonder what a newly formed group of students, faculty and staff, I Mua Mānoa, have to say? Recently, they said students are not getting the value they deserve at the University’s flagship campus, the University of Hawaii-Manoa
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