"...in which a few wealthy, elite figures maintain control over the hiring and firing of coaches, athletic directors, and, yes, university presidents."

Please tell me that this statement from the CL opinion page is not true. Maybe it is only true north of I-20. Are we not presently involved in selecting a new president in a way that is far different from this? 

Oh, but the process is not complete...we are supposed to know by April 1 whether we have been fooled or not. Hope we go against the tide and have a new wave of professionalism that has not been seen before in this state. 

Left Too beat me to it. I was going to point out Mixon and Lou Ann Poynter (if you look her up on google, the second link is about her selling over $1 million in stocks, and of course Mixon is one of the infamous car dealers). Almost by definition, to become a big deal with the alumni association or foundation, you have to give a great deal of money and you have to have a great deal of money to give it. The ousting of Fleming and installation of Thames had the rich alumni stamp of approval.

On the other hand, there are far fewer alumni representatives this time around than last so I guess that lessens the impact. Additionally, without on campus interviews, there is not an opportunity for the alumni to sit in front of the college board and tell them who they want.