Michael T. Mondak speaks about the president of Penn State

This morning's Talking Points memo asks, who in the hell is Neeli Bendapudi anyhows?

Just a couple of years ago, Neeli Bendapudi was selected as the new president of Penn State University, succeeding Eric Barron upon his retirement.

Back in February, Talking Points learned that Bendapudi was planning to shutter a bunch of branch campuses, mostly in the western portion of Pennsylvania.  This announcement was met with harsh criticism from the populace, who started petitions to stop the impending closures, reached out to various local and state officials, and went on their local newscasts to take shots at Bendapudi.  A state representative from Fayette County has even introduced legislation that would forbid universities from closing branch campuses without legislative oversight and public input.

The announcement on the closures was originally supposed to be made last Friday, but that got pushed back to mid-May so that the students could focus on their upcoming final exams.  Talking Points also learned that the Board of Trustees, which includes at least three former student athletes as well as Jay Paterno, who is the son of the legendary head football coach Joe Paterno, would make the final decisions on branch campus closures.  This means they have the power to veto any such closures.

Your humble correspondent was the person who started the petition to save the Penn State Shenango campus in Sharon from being shuttered in June 2027.  He went on the local news to blast president Bendapudi for what he calls "the biggest mistake of her career" and made it very clear that it would be personally embarrassing to him, his family, the Shenango Valley and all of Mercer County if the Shenango campus closes in June 2027.  As of this writing, the petition contains nearly 1300 signatures from current and former students, faculty, staff, alumni, advisors, and local and state political and business leaders.

Last Saturday, while breaking bread with my longtime bestie to celebrate her recent birthday, we had a conversation about who Bendapudi is.  It got me asking, who in the hell is Neeli Bendapudi anyhows?  She's never been a professor, she's never had tenure, she's never been an academic dean, she's never been a provost, she's never been an athletic director, and to the best of my knowledge, has never even been to beautiful downtown Sharon.  She's never even stepped foot inside PPG Paints Arena to see the Penguins, which I have along with my father, my longtime bestie and one of my cousins, and none of us can even afford season tickets or put our names on the waiting list for season tickets.  And she is planning to betray the citizens of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania by turning her back on the land grant mission of Penn State by shuttering critical branch campuses on June 30, 2027.  Wait until the Board of Trustees tells her, with apologies to the soon to be retiring Lee Corso, NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND!

Come mid-May, I will either be celebrating a victory or taking an X-rated shot at Bendapudi a la Wayland Flowers and Madame.

And that's the Talking Points memo... apologies to Bill O'Reilly.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Michael T. Mondak speaks to the Penn State Board of Trustees

Members of the Penn State University Board of Trustees: I write this open letter to you on behalf of the Nittany Nation.  We are fans, students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni scattered throughout the world.  This university has the world's largest alumni base and passionate Nittany Lions fans of all athletic teams offered by the university. After what happened last Saturday afternoon against evil Ohio State, aka college football's version of the Kremlin, at Beaver Stadium, I have been on social media seeing members of the Nittany Nation once again making critical comments about head football coach James Franklin reiterating comments made by the members of the media that are saying that he cannot win the biggest games in the last 11 years since his arrival in State College.  They believe that James Franklin needs to be terminated in order for us to be national championship contenders.  I believe that the entire fanbase has a problem as they do not clearly ...
Read more

Michael T. Mondak speaks to the Penn State Board of Trustees... again

To the members of the Penn State University Board of Trustees: Since my last post in the style of an open letter to you back in November, what the Penn State Nittany Lions football team has accomplished in the 2024 season has been spectacular. During the past few seasons, I heard so many naysayers say: Coach James Franklin can't win the big games. Coach James Franklin can't beat this opponent, Coach James Franklin can't beat that opponent. Coach James Franklin must go. I call bullshit on these assumptions from the naysayers after what I have observed during this College Football Playoff, even if it does not eventually result in a national championship.  Coach James Franklin can win the big games.  Penn State can be a serious contender for a national championship in football.  This year's team came too far to hear the same assumptions year in and year out.  We won 13 games this season, setting a new program record.  And it is a safe bet that we are going to win y...
Read more

Michael T. Mondak speaks about a new proposal on the local news

I have seen videos on YouTube where some local television stations have what is called a Surprise Squad on their local newscasts.  These efforts are done in partnership with local businesses (e.g., car dealerships, banks or credit unions).  These Surprise Squads honor individuals (e.g., military veterans, first responders, loyal volunteers or young children) who have freely given of themselves to assist others or are in need of things to make their lives easier or to boost their morale.  The Squad could also help people pay for gas or groceries during the holiday season or pay tribute to a military veteran who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. However, in Pennsylvania and Ohio, there has been no attempt to establish such a Surprise Squad, not even in Pittsburgh or in Cleveland or in Youngstown.  If one of the local television stations in Youngstown formed a Surprise Squad, then it might be done in partnership with Dunkin’ Donuts, Diane Sauer Chevrolet, Hun...
Read more