Doug Jurney: State of mediocrity

I read with interest the April 28 letter “Wow indeed” with the strong defense of N.C. State athletic director Debbie Yow’s huge salary increase.

As a 1959 graduate of NCSU, I reflect on the fact that in spite of all the publicity and money spent, State has not won an ACC football championship since 1979, basketball since 1987 and baseball since 1992.

During this time, our academic ratings have been, if not mediocre, certainly not prestigious.

I am concerned that in leaving our concentration of “hard sciences” and trying to be everything to everybody – for example, a business school when every college in North Carolina has a business school – plus devotion to mediocre athletics, we have lost our way.

This story was originally published May 12, 2015 at 4:35 PM with the headline "Doug Jurney: State of mediocrity."