Status of Newfields' CEO search and plan a year after job firestorm

One year ago, Newfields' Board of Trustees promised change.

The changes were prompted by a February 2021 public outcry over an Indianapolis Museum of Art director job post that sought to maintain the organization's "traditional, core, white art audience" while diversifying patrons. The fallout included open letters from employees and the art community with lists of demands, the resignation of then-president Charles Venable and an apology signed by both boards.

Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart faces political firestorm after ...

As he has done scores of times before, U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart last week signed off on a search warrant.

Unlike the countless others he has inked in his four-year judicial career, this one, allowing FBI agents to search Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach home of former President Donald Trump, ignited a political firestorm.

Major news outlets from Newsweek to Politico to Fox News to the London-based Independent, wrote stories, analyzing the 60-year-old Reinhart’s political contributions, his choice of clients, and other aspects of his professional life. Some reporters falsely claimed he was a Trump appointee.

In response to Reinhart’s newfound notoriety, his biography and his contact information were removed from the website of the U.S. District of Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Officials didn’t respond to an email asking why such unusual steps were taken. But Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said it was in response to threats Reinhart has received.

More:AG Merrick Garland: Justice Department files motion to unseal Mar-a-Lago search warrant

FBI search:Donald Trump knows what FBI agents took from Mar-a-Lago and why they took it, experts say

Trump and Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach: How big is it, is it open to the public and security breaches

VIDEO:See replay: After FBI search, supporters with signs, loud music cruise past Mar-A-Lago

“I hear he's getting threats, that his information was taken down from the judicial directory, and he's the object of vitriol from supporters of the former president,” Aronberg said.

Those who worked with Reinhart during the decade he worked as a federal prosecutor in West Palm Beach said they are stunned by the misinformation and the malice being heaped on a magistrate who was simply doing his job.

“I just think it’s a total misdirection,” said Roger Stefin, who retired in 2020 after spending 32 years as a prosecutor for the South Florida U.S. Attorney’s office. “There’s no political equation that goes into (approving a search warrant).”

What is a magistrate?

Magistrates, who are hired by district judges to help them with routine matters, simply decide whether law enforcement agents have established probable cause that a crime has been committed and that the search would uncover evidence of that crime.

"Being a magistrate judge is not a political position," Stefin said. "It's not whether someone's a Democrat or Republican."

Ellen Cohen, who worked with Reinhart when he was a prosecutor, a defense attorney and a magistrate, described her former colleague as meticulous.

“Every time I brought a search warrant to him, and I brought many, he read it, digested it and asked questions,” said Cohen, who retired recently after a 41-year career as a prosecutor. “He wasn’t someone who would sign off on it just because the government presented it to him.”

Like all magistrates, Reinhart has undoubtedly reviewed hundreds of search warrants since he joined the judicial ranks in 2018 when he was selected over 63 other lawyers who applied for the post.

“That’s what he does every day whether it’s a crime of drug dealing, gun sales or whether it’s having possession of government documents or high-security documents you’re not supposed to have,” Cohen said.

More on Bruce Reinhart:West Palm Beach attorney Bruce Reinhart appointed U.S. magistrate

Since the warrant involved the unprecedented request to search the home of a former president, she said the warrant would have been vetted at the highest levels of the Justice Department, including Attorney General Merrick Garland. Garland said Thursday he "personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant" while announcing that the Justice Department had filed a motion to unseal the warrant and property receipt from the search.

But, she said, even knowing that, Reinhart wouldn’t have simply rubber-stamped it.

“He reviewed it and did what he is legally responsible to do," Stefin agreed. "He found probable cause based on the allegations in the affidavit."

Tama Kudman, a West Palm Beach defense attorney, echoed Stefin’s claims. “Knowing him, he would never let any politics or anything else influence his decision,” she said.

Judge Bruce Reinhart has ties to Jeffrey Epstein case

Many of the news stories about Reinhart have focused on his representation of associates of serial molester Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 in a New York City jail cell after being accused of trafficking dozens of young women for sex.

As part of the long and complicated case that began a decade before Epstein’s death, Reinhart was named in a lawsuit attorney Bradley Edwards filed on behalf of some of the Palm Beach financier's young accusers.

In it, they claimed federal prosecutors violated their rights by not telling them a plea deal had been approved that would allow Epstein to plead guilty to state prostitution charges to avoid federal prosecution.

Search theories:Why did the FBI search Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate? 5 potential explanations

Reaction to search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago:Reaction to search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago: Anger from supporters, caution from critics

In court papers, Edwards claimed Reinhart used his position as a federal prosecutor to curry favor with Epstein. Then, when Reinhart left the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he immediately “joined Epstein’s payroll” by representing the politically-connected financier’s pilots and women who were accused of helping him recruit teenagers for sex, Edwards said in the lawsuit.

Saying the “unfounded factual and legal accusations” hurt his reputation, Reinhart in 2011 asked U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra to sanction Edwards. Marra declined, saying the dispute had nothing to do with whether federal prosecutors violated the women’s rights.

“The Court cannot permit anyone slighted by allegations in court pleadings to intervene and conduct mini-trials to vindicate their reputation,” Marra wrote, in denying Reinhart’s request.

Cohen called Edwards' allegations against Reinhart offensive. “The whole idea that he quit (the U.S. Attorney’s Office) so he could become a lapdog for Epstein is nonsense,” she said.

Reinhart quit, after a nearly two-decade career as a federal prosecutor in West Palm Beach and Washington, D.C., to become a criminal defense attorney.

“Good for him,” she said. “Just because you represent a murderer doesn’t mean you condone the murder.”

Reinhart, however, did acknowledge he encountered some ethical problems when he briefly represented then-Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty before she was formally charged in 2009 with conspiracy to commit honest services fraud by federal prosecutors.

When he stepped off McCarty’s case, Reinhart told The Palm Beach Post that his former bosses told him that if he continued to represent McCarty he would be violating rules prohibiting him from representing defendants on matters he had dealt with as a federal prosecutor.

While working as a criminal defense lawyer, Reinhart occasionally gave to political candidates, mostly Democrats, campaign finance records show.

In 2008, Reinhart contributed $1,000 to future Democratic President Barack Obama's election. That same year, he donated $1,000 to Jupiter attorney Bryan Miller, who lost his bid for the state house. In 2012, he gave $250 to Aronberg to boost the Democrat's first campaign for state attorney.

In 2015, Reinhart donated $500 to former Republican Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's failed presidential campaign. The Republican nomination went to Trump.

Judge Reinhart is a Princeton graduate who got his law degree at Penn

Reinhart graduated from Princeton University with a degree in civil engineering and got his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He worked as a trial attorney in the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice and was a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of the Treasury before joining the federal prosecutor’s office in West Palm Beach.

Two days before he was appointed as a magistrate, his wife Carolyn Bell, also a former prosecutor, was appointed to the Palm Beach County Circuit Court bench by then-Gov. Rick Scott. She currently presides in juvenile court.

Like others, Aronberg said the uproar about the search warrant for Mar-a-Lago and the attacks on Reinhart are unfortunate.

“The whole backlash against him is unfair, and it’s really damaging for our judicial system to have people believe that when a judge issues a search warrant, it must be for some nefarious reason,” Aronberg said.

But, he said, there is no evidence any strings were pulled or corners cut.

“By all indications, everyone involved in the search warrant process followed the law," he continued. "There’s a process in place, and it was followed. Probable cause needed to be found. It was.”

Palm Beach Post crime and safety reporter Hannah Phillips contributed to this story.

Jane Musgrave covers federal, civil and criminal courts for The Palm Beach Post. Contact her at jmusgrave@pbpost.com.

Norval Pollard from past Texas Tech coaching searches to Joey ...

NORVAL POLLARD

Another Texas Tech football coaching search has concluded, and the excitement of the prospects of perennial winning seasons and bowl invitations now fills the air in Lubbock. The honeymoon period has begun for Joey McGuire. More on him later.

These safaris always spawn politics, rumors, revelations and second-guessing. That is what makes it so much fun and downright incredulous.

Judge Bruce Reinhart signed off on search warrant of Trump's Mar-a ...

As he has done scores of times before, U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart on Monday signed off on a search warrant.

Unlike the countless others he has inked in his four-year judicial career, this one, allowing FBI agents to search Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach home of former President Donald Trump, ignited a political firestorm.

Major news outletsincluding Politico, Fox News and the London-based Independent, wrote stories, analyzing the Ivy-educated, 60-year-old Reinhart’s political contributions, his choice of clients, and other aspects of his professional life. Some reporters falsely claimed he was a Trump appointee.

In response to Reinhart’s newfound notoriety, his biography and his contact information were removed from the website of the U.S. District of Court for the Southern District of Florida.

What's in the warrant?:While everyone speculates about the Mar-a-Lago search warrant, here's what we really know

Latest updates:Trump takes the Fifth in NY deposition; questions swirl about Mar-a-Lago search

Officials didn’t respond to an email asking why such unusual steps were taken. But Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said it was in response to threats Reinhart has received.

While the issuance of the warrant has been the subject of broad speculation and has touched off a cascade of angry responses from Trump's allies, few know what's in the document Reinhart signed.

What is known is it contained details of what the FBI was after. Sources familiar with the matter have since confirmed to USA TODAY that the investigation is related to allegations Trump removed classified documents from the White House when he left office and brought them to his South Florida residence. Neither the Justice Department nor the FBI have commented, or released details.

FBI search:Donald Trump knows what FBI agents took from Mar-a-Lago and why they took it, experts say

Trump and Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach: How big is it, is it open to the public and security breaches

VIDEO:See replay: After FBI search, supporters with signs, loud music cruise past Mar-A-Lago

“I hear he's getting threats, that his information was taken down from the judicial directory, and he's the object of vitriol from supporters of the former president,” Aronberg said.

Those who worked with Reinhart during the decade he served as a federal prosecutor in West Palm Beach said they are stunned by the misinformation and the malice being hurled at a magistrate who was simply doing his job.

“I just think it’s a total misdirection,” said Roger Stefin, who retired in 2020 after spending 32 years as a prosecutor for the South Florida U.S. Attorney’s office. “There’s no political equation that goes into (approving a search warrant).”

What is a magistrate?

Magistrates, who are hired by district judges to help them with routine matters, must determine whether law enforcement agents have established probable cause that a crime has been committed and that the search would uncover evidence of that crime.

"Being a magistrate judge is not a political position," Stefin said. "It's not whether someone's a Democrat or Republican."

Ellen Cohen, who worked with Reinhart when he was a prosecutor, a defense attorney and a magistrate, described her former colleague as meticulous.

“Every time I brought a search warrant to him – and I brought many – he read it, digested it and asked questions,” said Cohen, who retired recently after a 41-year career as a prosecutor. “He wasn’t someone who would sign off on it just because the government presented it to him.”

Like all magistrates, Reinhart has undoubtedly reviewed hundreds of search warrants since he applied for the position in 2018 and was selected over other lawyers who applied.

“That’s what he does every day whether it’s a crime of drug dealing, gun sales or whether it’s having possession of government documents or high-security documents you’re not supposed to have,” Cohen said.

More on Bruce Reinhart:West Palm Beach attorney Bruce Reinhart appointed U.S. magistrate

Since the warrant involved the unprecedented request to search the home of a former president, she said the warrant likely would have been vetted at the highest levels of the Justice Department, including Attorney General Merrick Garland.

But, she said, even knowing that, Reinhart wouldn’t have simply rubber-stamped it.

“He reviewed it and did what he is legally responsible to do," Stefin agreed. "He found probable cause based on the allegations in the affidavit."

Tama Kudman, a West Palm Beach defense attorney, echoed Stefin’s claims. “Knowing him, he would never let any politics or anything else influence his decision,” she said.

Judge Bruce Reinhart has ties to Jeffrey Epstein case

Many of the news stories about Reinhart have focused on his representation of associates of serial molester Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 in a New York City jail cell after being accused of trafficking dozens of young women for sex.

As part of the long and complicated case that began a decade before Epstein’s death, Reinhart was named in a lawsuit attorney Bradley Edwards filed on behalf of some of the Palm Beach financier's young accusers.

In it, they claimed federal prosecutors violated their rights by not telling them a plea deal had been approved that would allow Epstein to plead guilty to state prostitution charges to avoid federal prosecution.

Search theories:Why did the FBI search Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate? 5 potential explanations

Reaction to search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago:Reaction to search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago: Anger from supporters, caution from critics

In court papers, Edwards claimed Reinhart used his position as a federal prosecutor to curry favor with Epstein. Then, when Reinhart left the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he immediately “joined Epstein’s payroll” by representing the politically-connected financier’s pilots and women who were accused of helping him recruit teenagers for sex, Edwards said in the lawsuit.

Saying the “unfounded factual and legal accusations” hurt his reputation, Reinhart in 2011 asked U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra to sanction Edwards. Marra declined, saying the dispute had nothing to do with whether federal prosecutors violated the women’s rights.

“The Court cannot permit anyone slighted by allegations in court pleadings to intervene and conduct mini-trials to vindicate their reputation,” Marra wrote, in denying Reinhart’s request.

Cohen called Edwards' allegations against Reinhart offensive. “The whole idea that he quit (the U.S. Attorney’s Office) so he could become a lapdog for Epstein is nonsense,” she said.

Reinhart quit, after a nearly two-decade career as a federal prosecutor in West Palm Beach and Washington, D.C., to become a criminal defense attorney.

“Good for him,” she said. “Just because you represent a murderer doesn’t mean you condone the murder.”

Judge Reinhart is a Princeton graduate who got his law degree at Penn

Reinhart graduated from Princeton University with a degree in civil engineering and got his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He worked as a trial attorney in the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice and was a senior policy advisor at the Department of the Treasury before joining the federal prosecutor’s office in West Palm Beach.

Two days before he was appointed as a magistrate, his wife Carolyn Bell, also a former prosecutor, was appointed to the Palm Beach County Circuit Court bench by then-Gov. Rick Scott. She currently presides in juvenile court.

Like others, Aronberg said the uproar about the search warrant for Mar-a-Lago and the attacks on Reinhart are unfortunate.

“The whole backlash against him is unfair, and it’s really damaging for our judicial system to have people believe that when a judge issues a search warrant, it must be for some nefarious reason,” Aronberg said.

But, he said, there is no evidence any strings were pulled or corners cut.

“By all indications, everyone involved in the search warrant process followed the law," he continued. There’s a process in place, and it was followed. Probable cause needed to be found. It was.”

Palm Beach Post crime and safety reporter Hannah Phillips contributed to this story.

The Covid-19 emergency may end, but there's no rule to say when ...

CNN —

President Joe Biden lit a firestorm of controversy this week when he said in an interview that “the pandemic is over”: Is it really over? How do we know? Who gets to decide?

Pandemics don’t have hard edges. Knowing where they start or stop is a judgment call, and there isn’t a clear authority that gets to make that decision.

Epidemiologists recognize a pandemic as a disease outbreak that happens in many countries at the same time and affects more people than an epidemic. Pandemics are often caused by new viruses or a strain of a virus that hasn’t circulated among humans in a long time. These events are impactful, often leading to large numbers of deaths, social disruptions and economic hardship.

“I think we were all a little bit shocked when President Biden said what he said on ’60 Minutes,’ but I also think that in many ways, he was reflecting what many Americans already think and feel,” said J. Alex Navarro, assistant director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.

But because a pandemic is a global event, no single country or leader can decide it’s over, he said.

“Declaring a pandemic over is a little different than declaring a local epidemic over,” Navarro said. “To declare a pandemic over, you need to have various regions of the world having their epidemics over. So it looks a little bit different, I think.”

The world will probably have to reach an consensus, and that’s something that may come as a kind of acknowledgment from the World Health Organization – or it might not.

“There’s not an official designation-holder,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health Security. “WHO will acknowledge that we’re in a pandemic, but it’s not as if somebody calls it a pandemic and then says the pandemic is over.”

Pandemics vs. public health emergencies

Biden’s comment doesn’t change how the US or other countries are responding to Covid-19. For now, it remains a public health emergency in the United States, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, and it’s still a public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC, according to WHO.

A PHEIC creates an agreement between countries to abide by WHO’s recommendations for managing the emergency. Each country, in turn, declares its own public health emergency – declarations that carry legal weight. Countries use them to marshal resources and waive rules in order to ease a crisis.

When these designations are lifted, there will be changes that reverberate through governments and that reach individuals and families. In the United States, for example, the end of the public health emergency will have ramifications for health care coverage and cost-sharing of Covid-19 tests and treatments.

Saying the pandemic is over might influence public perception, but it doesn’t materially change how the federal government or states are responding.

“It’s separating out what is the formal legal definition versus what is just a popular discussion of saying, ‘hey, we kind of think this is over now, and hey, let’s move on,’ and there are implications for both,” said Rebecca Katz, who directs the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University.

The term “pandemic” carries a lot of weight. After they recognized the new coronavirus as a PHEIC in January 2020, it took WHO leaders more than a month to begin calling the situation a pandemic.

In March 2020, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was finally using the term because of the severity of the disease, how fast it was spreading and “alarming levels of inaction.”

“WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock,” Tedros said. “We have therefore made the assessment that Covid-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.”

It was a shift in language that put the world on alert, but it came long after many public health experts had reached the same conclusion, and it didn’t change what WHO, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or other international health agencies were doing to respond.

At this point, WHO is not saying whether it will recognize an end to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“WHO does not have a mechanism for declaring or ending a “pandemic,’ ” spokesman Tarik Jasarevik said in an email to CNN. Instead, he said, WHO will continue to assess the need for the public health emergency, and an expert committee meets every three months to do that.

Last week, Tedros said the end of the pandemic “is in sight,” but he added that “we are not there yet.”

And it’s not clear what “there” will look like.

“That’s one of the challenges we have is, we don’t have a good definition of when the pandemic begins or when it ends,” said Michael Osterholm, who directs the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

How an earlier pandemic ended

In the modern era, there’s no real precedent for closing the curtains on a pandemic.

“We’re really in some new territory here,” University of Michigan’s Navarro said.

The last pandemic that approached this scale was the 1918 influenza pandemic. Back then, there was no federal response. President Woodrow Wilson “really didn’t say anything on influenza as far as we know,” Navarro said, nor was he expected to.

“The pandemic response was then much more state and local, and so, citizens residents looked to state and local health officers for their guidance,” Navarro said. That guidance was typically communicated through local newspapers, which were widely read.

Get CNN Health's weekly newsletter Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team.

During that pandemic, life mostly got back to normal after the devastating wave of fall illnesses in 1918.

With some exceptions, most mask orders, closures and social distancing orders were lifted by the beginning of 1919.

But waves of influenza continued until 1920, Navarro said. The United States continued to see cases and deaths, but “they did not consider that to be sort of an epidemic level.”

Pandemics can end when viruses mutate to become less deadly and people build up some immunity against them, Navarro said.

“Eventually, we reach an equilibrium where we just sort of live with these microbes,” he said.

Whether the world is there with Covid-19 still remains to be seen. Vaccines and treatments now offer some protection from severe disease and death, and cases are declining in most parts of the world.

But in the United States alone, there are still about 65,000 new cases reported daily, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, and an average of about 400 people die from Covid-19 every day.

Bob Chapek's tenure marked by political missteps inside and ...

New York CNN —

Bob Chapek was initially silent on Florida’s controversial bill barring discussions of gender identity in school classrooms. Now he’s saying “Goodbye, Disney (DIS).”

Chapek’s rocky two-and-a-half year tenure at the head of the entertainment giant had a few wins. He navigated the Covid-19 pandemic, which shuttered theme parks around the world and halted film production, grew Disney+’s subscriber base and held his ground against an activist investor.

But Disney made the surprise announcement Sunday that its revered former CEO Bob Iger is making a return as the head of the company.

Chapek, who served as chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products before taking over for Iger, will be stepping down immediately.

Why? Chapek’s downfall arose, at least in part, out of his bungled response to Florida’s controversial Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics. His decisions had far-reaching effects on both Disney’s reputation and on the company’s “favored nation” status in the state.

Early this year, Disney faced mounting criticism for not taking a public stance on the bill. The law bans educators from discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in some classrooms.

Chapek ended up igniting a political firestorm — despite his initial efforts to keep the company out of politics. (Iger had publicly condemned the bill on Twitter).

Lackluster response

Chapek addressed the issue in an email to staff but refused to issue a public statement against it in March. He defended that decision saying corporate statements “do very little to change outcomes or minds” and can undermine “more effective ways” of implementing change.

Chapek’s response marked a change in tone for Disney, which had previously been led by an outspoken CEO who had famously considered running for president.

The backlash was immediate, both within the company and in the public. Disney employees began staging walkouts, saying Chapek’s statements “utterly failed” to grasp the threat to LGBTQ communities.

Later that same week, Chapek apologized for his public silence on the bill. In a letter to employees, the CEO said the issue was not just about “a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights …You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry.”

An apology too late

Chapek’s attempt to keep Disney out of politics quickly backfired. While the company began bracing for further walkouts and protests from progressives, Chapek’s eventual response led to a full blown battle between two Florida giants: the Walt Disney Company and the state’s Republican governor, Ron Desantis.

DeSantis quickly ripped Disney after Chapek’s public condemnation, calling the company a “woke corporation” with questionable business interests in China during a private event.

Disney is the main driver of Florida’s massive tourism industry and the state’s largest private employer. Before the public condemnation, Chapek told shareholders he had called Desantis to express his “disappointment and concern.”

He also announced a pause in political contributions in Florida (the company had previously donated $50,000 to DeSantis’ bid for reelection).

The feud eventually led to the Florida legislature revoking Disney’s special status to operate as an independent quasi-government around its Orlando-area theme parks.

The bill states the special designation, which also gives Disney significant tax advantages, won’t dissolve until June 2023. The Reedy Creek Improvement District, the entity that manages the Disney properties, argued it can’t be dissolved until Florida pays off its bond debts, essentially saying the special district can continue to operate as normal.

Iger vs Chapek

The fallout over the LGBTQ legislation created a rift between Iger and Chapek. CNBC reported that several Disney employees called Iger “to express their disappointment in Chapek.”

In June, it seemed that Chapek wasn’t going anywhere despite the public missteps – Disney announced a three year contract extension that would run into 2025.

“Disney was dealt a tough hand by the pandemic, yet with Bob [Chapek] at the helm, our businesses — from parks to streaming — not only weathered the storm, but emerged in a position of strength,” Disney board chair Susan Arnold said in a statement, adding he was the “right leader at the right time.”

Despite the public controversies and feuds, Chapek was dealt a lifeline with Disney+. The service’s subscriptions skyrocketed during the pandemic, and totaled more than 137 million at the time of Chapek’s contract extension.

But now economic uncertainty is looming over corporate America, and Chapek recently announced a hiring freeze and job cuts to manage costs, Reuters reported.

Streaming success wasn’t enough to save Chapek’s tenure or his reputation, as the company lost $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter.

Investors celebrated Iger’s return as CEO, sending Disney shares up nearly 7% Monday after dropping roughly 38% this year.

– CNN’s Frank Pallotta, Steve Contorno, Jamiel Lynch, Chris Boyette and Eric Levenson contributed to this report.

Editorial: Lou Anna Simon must resign as Michigan State president

Lansing State Journal Editorial Board

Lou Anna Simon is no longer the right person to lead Michigan State University.

While Simon’s 12-year tenure has been marked by numerous accomplishments, there is one stark and significant failure that now overpowers all else: MSU’s inability to keep women safe from sexual assault and harassment on campus.

That failure belongs to Simon and her team. The time has come to hold her accountable.

Fired MSU physician Larry Nassar — accused of assaulting more than 125 girls or women who have made complaints to police — has dominated recent headlines with his guilty pleas, but this is a problem deeper and more persistent than one man who is unquestionably a monster.

More:Facts, nuance should matter more in Al Franken rush to judgement

More:Sexual harassment and worse will plague politics until we get past tribalism

The year since Nassar was fired by MSU has been filled with other headlines of concern. Four football players were charged with sexual assault. Journalists revealed that a former football player was expelled from a graduate studies program in 2016 and banned from campus after being accused of assaulting a student. That woman sued MSU this month.

Still more headlines chronicled other women and men who have sued over flaws in MSU’s Title IX process for investigating complaints of sexual assault, harassment and relationship violence. Those cases include instances where punishment meted out by a disciplinary board has been overturned by one of Simon’s vice presidents and others where the accused complain of lack of due process.

And this all follows a 2015 finding by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights that MSU’s handling of Title IX complaints created a “sexually hostile environment.” Specifically, that report — written after review of MSU’s handling of 150 complaints received from 2009 to 2014 — stated:

“The university’s failure to address complaints of sexual harassment, including sexual violence, in a prompt and equitable manner caused and may have contributed to a continuation of this sexually hostile environment.”

When that report was released in September 2015, Simon told journalists: “We’re on board with the national conversation that one sexual assault is too many.”

Fast forward to April 2017, when Simon told her Board of Trustees: “I have been told it is virtually impossible to stop a determined sexual predator and pedophile, that they will go to incomprehensible lengths to keep what they do in the shadows.”

That comment — whether viewed as tone deaf or as a deliberate effort to distance the university from accountability — was incredibly inappropriate and set off a firestorm of reaction. Sexual assault victims launched an internet petition chastising Simon. The Washington Post’s editorial board paused from national politics long enough to make note of Simon’s comment and opine: “But Dr. Nassar was not in the shadows. He and his behavior were on full display, for years, waiting for administrators to take action. They chose not to listen, and they chose not to see.”

LSJ’s editorial board earlier this year called upon MSU to spend less effort managing the appearance of these events and more on taking transparent steps to change campus culture.

To date, MSU’s most visible response to all of this has been to lawyer up. There are no less than five law firms engaged in providing various assistance to the university’s in-house counsel. As of last week, LSJ’s monitoring of legal billings showed well over $5 million has been spent.

And while MSU officials and loyal Spartans resist comparisons to Penn State’s Jerry Sandusky scandal, one point worth potential comparison is the costs.

Sandusky, to refresh memories, was a retired assistant football coach who had access to campus facilities and was observed sexually abusing a young boy in an athletic department shower. The incident was reported to university officials, including then-president Graham Spanier, who agreed to bar Sandusky from campus facilities without contacting law enforcement or child welfare authorities.

After Sandusky’s eventual conviction, Penn State paid $93 million to more than 30 victims of the serial pedophile. Its total costs — including legal bills and fines — reached a quarter billion dollars.

Earlier this month, university spokesman Jason Cody disclosed that the FBI and MSU Police did a joint investigation into “whether any university employee other than Nassar engaged in criminal conduct.” The results went to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan and Cody said the university has “no reason to believe any criminal conduct was found.”

That may be intended to provide a sense of relief but, to date, Simon and the trustees have been publicly silent on details of what Simon knew and when. Regrettably, this is a case where not knowing until too late is as much a problem as knowing and doing nothing.

More than 140 women and girls have filed federal lawsuits against Nassar, with the university as a defendant in many of those cases. It seems reasonable to wonder whether Nassar’s actions may cost MSU an amount comparable to Penn State, if not more.

Some 70% of MSU’s $1.3 billion general fund revenue comes from tuition dollars, with about 20% from state tax dollars and the rest from “other sources.” How will students, donors and taxpayers react if a quarter billion or more provided for education is instead funneled into compensating sexual assault victims and paying related expenses? How will the 552,000 Spartan alumni react?

In evaluating Simon’s future, the trustees will consider the breadth and importance of her achievements:

The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, a $730 million U.S. Department of Energy project under construction on campus, is a cutting-edge international research facility that should bring a new sector of scientific industry to the region.

The expansion of medical education in Grand Rapids, public health initiatives in Flint and work with “research corridor” partners Wayne State and the University of Michigan have pushed MSU’s economic impact across the state.

Enrollment is above 50,000. Research funding in 2015-16 exceeded half a billion dollars. MSU’s Empower Extraordinary fundraising campaign reached its $1.5 billion milestone early.

Nearly three years ago, as Simon marked her 10th year as president, an LSJ article chronicled the progress under her tenure. Some compared Simon to John Hannah, the much revered and longest-serving MSU president who directed the transformation from an agricultural college into a respected research university.

More:Roy Moore response shows GOP deserves to die: Max Boot

POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media

Leadership requires bold vision for the future and relentless drive to succeed. No one can fault Simon for her vision or her drive, which have helped the university push into new frontiers of economic development and global engagement.

Yet leadership cannot be entirely forward focused. It also requires an astute sense of the present — situational awareness, if you will — and the ability to react appropriately to threats that endanger the organization and the people who support and depend upon it.

By failing to fully understand the threats posed by the escalating Nassar crisis and the long-term shortcomings of MSU’s Title IX efforts, Simon has demonstrated an acute lack of leadership in the present.

That failure already has cost MSU too much in dollars and reputation.

There have been some efforts to react in the wake of Nassar’s exposure, but those actions did not go far enough.

Nassar was fired in September 2016 only after victims began contacting journalists, who exposed the scope of his misdeeds. To date, two lower-level MSU employees have left their jobs over conduct related to Nassar. Gymnastics coach Kathy Klages chose to retire a day after being suspended for her handling of a team meeting to discuss Nassar. Physician Brooke Lemmen, a colleague of Nassar's, was allowed to resign after being told the College of Osteopathic Medicine was considering her termination for removing patient records from a university office at Nassar’s request. What about their supervisors?

Nassar had a contract that let him work for outside organizations without university supervision. After Nassar was cleared by a Title IX investigation in 2014, he was ordered to follow specific procedures to avoid future problems, but there was no follow up to check his compliance. This raises questions about the leadership of the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Court filings show that youth and student-athletes interacting with Nassar brought concerns to Klages and other university athletic trainers multiple times, going back as far as 1997. The response was to reassure these girls and young women that they were getting care from a premier physician. That nobody felt compelled to seek investigation on their behalf raises concern about the leadership of athletic programs.

At a certain point, the accumulated weight of these problems rests directly on the shoulders of the person at the top: Simon.

Nassar has pleaded guilty to 10 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. He said in Ingham County court earlier this month that one reason he agreed to do so was to allow healing to begin for victims and the community.

That healing won’t be complete with Simon as MSU’s president. It’s time for her to resign.

Failing that, MSU’s Board of Trustees should fire her.

With the magnitude of problems facing MSU, the board must exercise care in its interim leadership solution. None of Simon’s leadership team should be placed in charge during the presidential search, which could stretch over months.

There are alternatives.

One is to take a page from MSU’s history, going back to 1969 when economics professor Walter Adams served nine months as president after John Hannah left MSU, then returned to his professorship. His short tenure came at a critical time of social unrest across the nation and on the campus — a time of rapid cultural change. Adams fulfilled his presidential duties with gravitas and grace.

Absent a 21st century Adams, MSU’s trustees could turn to a distinguished alumnus with experience in high-level executive leadership, or perhaps bring in a recently retired president from another major research university. Such a temporary steward should steady the team while trustees conduct their search.

Lou Anna Simon has served MSU to the best of her considerable ability, but that does not include the skill needed to shepherd Spartan Nation through its sadness and anger, fix what’s broken and restore faith. Those challenges belong to an interim leader and a new president.

For MSU to move forward, the Simon chapter must end.

This editorial first appeared in the Lansing State Journal.

Year in Review: 50 stories from 50 states

Editors

USA TODAY

Before we usher in the new year, it's time for a retrospective of 2015.

Here's our roundup of some of the biggest stories across the country, events that influenced national conversations on issues from police brutality to gay marriage, tragedies that shook our psyche and acts of heroism that showed Americans at their best.

Alabama: Despite U.S. ruling legalizing gay marriage, gay adoption still a battle in the states

It’s a story chock-full of contention. Two lesbian mothers fight for custody of their three children. Two state courts are at odds over adoption rights for same-sex couples — or at least until the Supreme Court stepped in. But first, some background: When the women — identified only as “E.L.” and “V.L.” in court documents — were still together, they temporarily moved to Georgia to sidestep Alabama law, which wouldn’t allow V.L. to legally adopt the children (E.L. was their birth mother). Georgia, on the other hand, was fine with it. But when the couple split up, things got messy. E.L. decided Alabama had the right idea after all and denied V.L. parental rights. And V.L. wasn't having it. She took things all the way up to the Supreme Court, which blocked Alabama’s ruling on Dec. 14. If you need an explainer (we bet you do), we've got that here.

Alaska: You may have to say goodbye to one of the biggest perks of living in Alaska

Blame it on the oil. This December, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker called for the state's first income tax in 35 years. Alaska's the only state that has neither a state-level sales tax nor a personal income tax. For decades, it has been dependent on income from oil, but crude oil prices have been hovering at seven-year lows. So while you've been doing your happy dance at the pump, Alaska has been sinking further into debt. Walker's proposal is part of the state's New Sustainable Alaska Plan, which, paired with a budget proposal, is meant to close the state's $3.5 billion deficit.

Arizona: Just how low can Lake Mead go?

Lake Mead shrank to a historic low this year. The reservoir, on the Colorado River, stores water for parts of Arizona, Southern California, southern Nevada and northern Mexico — all of which have endured a 15-year drought. The record low signals that users are consuming more than the river provides. In other words, check-engine light.

Arkansas: The Duggars' 19 problems and counting

It was a year of turmoil for Arkansas' Duggar clan. TLC pulled the plug on the family's hit series, 19 Kids and Counting, following the revelation that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's son Josh sexually molested five young girls, including his own sisters. Other things Josh Duggar admitted to this year: having an Ashley Madison account. Being unfaithful to his wife. Other things that happened to Josh Duggar this year: rehab. Getting sued by a porn star.

California: Nightmare in San Bernardino

It was a reminder that Islamist terrorism isn't just a boys' club. In San Bernardino, Calif., this December, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29, burst into a social services center and opened fire, killing 14 people and setting off an intense manhunt that ended with their deaths. On the surface, they had all the makings of the American dream — he had a secure job, they lived in a nice neighborhood in a prosperous community, and they had a new baby girl. But apparently in their off hours, police say the couple, who authorities believe had been radicalized, stockpiled guns, ammunition and bombs in preparation for an attack aimed at killing as many people as possible.

Colorado: 'A warrior for the babies'

Planned Parenthood found itself in a firestorm of controversy this year after a militant anti-abortion group released secretly filmed videos showing Planned Parenthood doctors discussing how best to collect fetal tissue and organs for research. Abortion-rights groups said the footage led to a surge in violence against abortion clinics. Fast-forward to November, when a gunman killed three people at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs (none of the victims actually worked there). Authorities said that after the five-hour standoff, Robert Lewis Dear, 57, mentioned "no more baby parts." When Dear was in court to be formally advised of the 179 charges against him, he hollered, "I’m a warrior for the babies."

Connecticut: Syrian family finds home in America — just not where they planned

The family of refugees was destined for Indiana, but politics derailed that. Connecticut Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy welcomed to his state in November a family of Syrian refugees diverted from Indiana because of security concerns raised by Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Pence. Pence was among dozens of governors who said they wouldn't allow Syrian refugees to settle in their states because of fears about terrorism. "It is the right thing, the humane thing to do," Malloy said about welcoming the Syrian family. "Quite frankly, if you believe in God, it’s the morally correct thing to do."

Delaware: 'Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known'

Former Delaware attorney general Beau Biden might have been the son of a larger-than-life politician, but in his own way, he was a quiet force of nature. Biden was diagnosed in August 2013 with brain cancer and died in May. His father, Vice President Biden, said in a statement: "Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known." In October, the vice president ended months of intense speculation when he announced he wouldn't seek the presidency: "As my family and I have worked through the grieving process, I've said all along what I've said time and again to others. It may very well be that that process, by the time we get through it, closes the window on mounting a realistic campaign for president. ... I've concluded it has closed."

Florida: Search efforts for two teens lost at sea hit dead ends

The deepest fears of two Florida families came to fruition on July 24 when their 14-year-old sons, Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos, went missing at sea. The Coast Guard found their capsized 19-foot boat 67 miles off the coast of Daytona Beach two days later and spent a week scanning hundreds of miles of water before calling off the search. The families refused to give up hope that their sons survived and continued their private search funded through crowdsourced donations. Weeks later, when no credible evidence surfaced, the families were forced to end their search but vowed to "never stop looking for our boys."

Georgia: Bobbi Kristina Brown dies after she was found unconscious in a bathtub, a demise eerily similar to that of mother Whitney Houston

Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of the legendary Whitney Houston, died in July in an Atlanta-area hospice, nearly six months after she was found unconscious in her Georgia home. She was 22. She never regained consciousness to explain what happened before she was found Jan. 31, facedown and unresponsive in her bathtub. Her death came three years after her mother's eerily similar demise, and sordid details about Brown's death unfolded throughout the year, including that a woman in charge of her care is charged with impersonating a nurse, accusations that Brown smoked pot and possibly crack, and documents that allege boyfriend Nick Gordon injected her with a "toxic mixture" before putting her, unconscious, into the bathtub. The double tragedy of Bobbi Kristina Brown and Whitney Houston is easily one of the most heartbreaking of the celebrity world.

Hawaii: Flying on sun power

We'll call this one down but not out. It's a solar-powered airplane that uses no fuel, can remain in the air indefinitely and which this year attempted a nearly 22,000-mile, round-the-world voyage — until it fried its batteries. Solar Impluse 2's journey, which began March 9 with a flight from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, included various stops around the world with the mission of showcasing what can be done using nothing but renewable energy. The plane landed in Hawaii in July after the longest, most dangerous leg, the eighth of 13. It'll be housed at the University of Hawaii hangar at the Kalaeloa airport on Oahu while repairs are made. It's due to continue its journey come April.

Idaho: An injured hunter’s harrowing tale of survival

John Sain thought he would die alone. While on a solo hunting trip in the Idaho wilderness, the 50-year-old snapped two bones in his right leg after an unlucky misstep. In pain and miles from the nearest trail, he considered ending his life. He even penned goodbye letters to his wife and two children. But he decided to fight. After almost four days of dragging himself through the dense wilderness toward the trail with little food or water, two men found him and called for help. Life Flight took Sain to a nearby hospital, where he reunited with his family and started his road to recovery.

Illinois: Laquan McDonald and The Chicago Way

Seventeen-year-old Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times by police officer Jason Van Dyke on Oct. 20, 2014 — thirteen of those shots were fired while McDonald was on the ground. You're reading about this story in 2015 because that's when explosive video of the shooting was made public. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration was forced by court order to release it. The city sat on the dashcam video, which is at odds with the narrative pushed by the Chicago Police Department, for more than a year. Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder hours before the footage was released. USA TODAY reporter Aamer Madhani wrote in a column this year that the McDonald case shows "The Chicago Way — the city’s shorthand for its politics in which corruption, patronage and ineptitude have long been part of the landscape — is alive and well."

Warning: This video has graphic content.

Indiana: A 'religious freedom' law and a governor's regrets

At the end of March, Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed a law that allows businesses to assert a religious defense if they decline to provide services to a customer. These "religious freedom" laws have been described as necessary to allow, for example, a baker who has strong religious beliefs to say no to baking a cake for a gay wedding. But after the bill was signed, several large companies announced they wouldn't do business with Indiana because it was discriminating against gays. The state quickly passed an amendment to clarify the bill cannot be used to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity. With a little hindsight, Pence said in May, "If I have a regret, I regret that we didn’t spend more time listening before the bill got to my desk. My ambition is to be a better listener."

Iowa: Center of the political universe

From the moment a campaign kicks off until the time the caucus winners are declared, there is no state more important to choosing our next president than Iowa — and that was never more true than in 2015. It was Hillary Clinton’s first destination after she kicked off her White House bid in the spring. Iowa made campaigns (see Scott Walker’s rise and Ted Cruz’s recent surge) and helped end them (see Walker’s fall after his Iowa numbers plummeted). And, of course, the state was the site of some of Donald Trump’s most memorable moments — from the free rides on his helicopter he gave kids at the Iowa State Fair in August to his controversial comments about John McCain in July. We’re a long way from knowing how it will end, but Iowa helped lay the foundation for what promises to be a presidential campaign we won’t soon forget.

USA TODAY's 2016 Presidential Poll Tracker

Kansas: Where is the water?

Groundwater is disappearing beneath cornfields in Kansas. An investigation by USA TODAY and The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun reveals time is running out for portions of the High Plains Aquifer, which lies beneath eight states from South Dakota to Texas and is the lifeblood of one of the world’s most productive farming economies. The aquifer, also known as the Ogallala, makes possible about one-fifth of the country’s output of corn, wheat and cattle. But its levels have been rapidly declining, and with each passing year, more wells are running dry.

Kentucky: How a county clerk broke the law, miffed Jennifer Lawrence, got compared to Rosa Parks, met the pope

She was this year's Christian hero. Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis made national news after refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, claiming it conflicted with her Christian beliefs. She spent five nights in jail and was allowed to return to work when she agreed not to interfere with the issuance of licenses. Jennifer Lawrence said Davis made her "embarrassed to be from Kentucky." Syndicated Christian columnist Bryan Fischer wrote she's "our Rosa Parks." Davis even met with Pope Francis during his U.S. visit. “I never thought I would meet the pope,” Davis said. “Who am I to have this rare opportunity? I am just a county clerk who loves Jesus and desires with all my heart to serve him."

Louisiana: The gloves came off in the gubernatorial campaign

Democratic state Rep. John Bel Edwards was elected governor of Louisiana, defeating two-term U.S. Sen. David Vitter, a Republican, in an almost unthinkable upset in the ruby-red state. Edwards emphasized his conservative views, leveraged his appointment to West Point and used a TV ad to call out Vitter's involvement in a prostitution scandal. The ad shows Edwards "answering his country's call" in his Army Ranger uniform. Then it shows Vitter, on a cellphone, "who answered a prostitute's call." The ad launched just in time for early voting. Edwards takes office Jan. 11.

Maine: Man + dog + kindness of strangers = happiest ending

Now that's puppy love. Joel Carpenter lives in Portland, Maine, and found the dog of his dreams on petfinder.com. The only problem was she was across the country in a Minnesota shelter. Carpenter could afford to get to Minnesota, but he didn't have enough money for the ticket home. It didn't matter. He flew to Minneapolis and rescued his girl, Sadie. "I was just kind of following my heart," Carpenter said. Next began his odyssey to get back to Portland. That's when strangers, following their hearts, raised enough money for the two to return home.

Maryland: Freddie Gray dies while in police custody; riots ensue; officers face trial

On April 12, a black man was taken into custody in Baltimore. A week later, his spinal cord nearly severed, he was dead. Freddie Gray, 25, died of a "high-energy injury" that likely occurred when the police van he was riding in suddenly slowed down, an autopsy showed. His death sparked "Justice for Freddie" protests in Baltimore, which later turned violent; a curfew was instituted, and the National Guard was brought in. Despite the riots, protesters had some significant defenders, including Orioles COO John Angelos. The six police officers involved in the arrest were charged in Gray's death. The first of their trials, of officer William Porter, ended in mistrial in December.

Massachusetts: Deflategate dethrones Tom Brady

Hours after the New England Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts in January to reach Super Bowl XLIV, the Deflategate scandal broke. The NFL investigated whether Patriots employees — with the knowledge of quarterback Tom Brady — had lowered the air pressure of balls used by the team during the game. The scandal hung over the Patriots as they beat the Seattle Seahawks two weeks later to win their fourth title. Brady was eventually suspended four games by the league. That punishment was vacated by a federal judge before the start of the 2015-16 season. The case still lives on as the NFL has appealed the decision.

Michigan: The Syrian refugee who moved Edward Norton, Obama and pretty much everyone else in America with his desire to do good

A Michigan-bound Syrian refugee who lost his wife and daughter in a deadly attack became a worldwide viral sensation in December after sharing his story with Brandon Stanton, the creator of the popular photo blog Humans of New York. Among the thousands (President Obama included!) who followed the Facebook photo series about the unnamed scientist bound for a fresh start in Michigan: actor and filmmaker Edward Norton. He used his celebrity powers for good by launching an aptly named fundraising campaign for the man and his family called The Scientist, which has raised more than $455,000 and counting. That’s the power of social media for you, folks.

Minnesota: The hunter becomes the hunted

That's what happens when you kill one of the world's most beloved animals. Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer is a big-game hunter who shot and killed Cecil the lion in July. Cecil was one of the most famous animals at Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park. People flipped. Like, taping signs to Palmer's office door that read "Killer" and "ROT IN HELL." Then people flipped some more because people were flipping out about a lion and not about other things, like Black Lives Mattering. More on that here. Palmer said he thought he was acting legally and deeply regretted taking Cecil's life. He returned to work in September. You can imagine what that looked like.

Mississippi: 17 arrested in case of burned-alive teen — but none charged yet in her death

The mystery of 19-year-old Jessica Chambers, found on a rural road, burned alive, unraveled throughout 2015. Chambers was doused with gasoline and set afire on Dec. 6, 2014, near Courtland, Miss., and officials spent the ensuing months interviewing more than 150 people and sorting through more than 20,000 phone records trying to find her assailant(s). That's when investigators turned up evidence of other suspected illegal activity ranging from narcotics sales, possession of stolen firearms and possession of counterfeit currency. FBI agents targeted suspected gang members and arrested 17 men on Dec. 15, though none is charged with killing Chambers. “This is not over by any stretch of the imagination,” said District Attorney John Champion.

Missouri: About the First Amendment ...

The good news: Students were protesting racism at the University of Missouri, and their efforts led to the ouster of University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe and University of Missouri-Columbia Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin. The bad news: Students and two university employees — one a communications professor — blocked student journalists from covering the protests. Why was this a big deal? Just a little thing called the First Amendment, which protects the right to report in the same way it protects the right to protest.

Montana: Listen to your grandma when it comes to bear attacks

One way to survive a grizzly bear attack? Shove your arm down the bear's throat. That was Chase Dellwo's technique when a bear, just as startled as he was, thrashed the elk hunter around in the Montana woods. "I remembered an article that my grandmother gave me a long time ago that said large animals have bad gag reflexes," Dellwo said. The technique worked, and Dellwo, with bites on his head and leg, lived to tell his story.

Nebraska: This is what happens when your neighbor (state) smokes pot

Nebraska and Oklahoma are not fans of Colorado's legal marijuana system, saying it has created a flood of modern-day bootleggers who are buying pot in Colorado and then illegally crossing state lines. They sued Colorado, asking the Supreme Court to block Colorado's legal-marijuana system. The federal government asked the Supreme Court to stay out of it. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. argued that the Supreme Court generally avoids disputes between states, unless it's the states themselves at odds. In this case, Nebraska and Oklahoma sued Colorado over the actions of private citizens.

Nevada: High hopes dashed by Mayweather-Pacquiao fight

What cost $99.95, lasted 36 minutes and probably put you to sleep? The pay-per-view battle royale in Las Vegas between boxing legends Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao on May 2. What was supposed to be an epic fight turned out to be more of an epic failure — it was all about the payout at best, For The Win’s Chris Chase reported. We hoped for a fight that would evoke the memories of Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Sugar Ray, The Hitman and Hagler. What we got? Glorified sparring. Fingers crossed, their next rematch — if there is, in fact, one in the works — will be more a brawl and less of a bummer.

New Hampshire: Ben Carson made a map of the U.S. and put a bunch of states in the wrong place

Being president of the United States comes with a number of incredibly important responsibilities. Serving as commander in chief of our nation’s armed forces, navigating the tricky waters of foreign policy and, hey, knowing where the states are on a map. Unfortunately, Ben Carson can’t tick off that last box quite yet. The GOP presidential candidate’s campaign shared a map in November that misplaced five New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. His campaign deleted the Twitter and Facebook posts with the graphic.

New Jersey: Family terrorized by stalker called 'The Watcher'

In a story that sounds more like the plot of a twisted horror film than reality, a family was forced to forgo living in their New Jersey dream home after receiving threatening letters from a stalker called "The Watcher." The individual wrote that the Westfield, N.J., home the family recently purchased has been "the subject of my family for decades," and that he or she was "put in charge of watching and waiting for its second coming." The letters taunt the new owners and their children to the point that the family did not move in and is seeking damages for fraud and breach of contract. The family said the previous owners should have told them that the home was being watched before they purchased the property.

New Mexico: The knockout seen 'round the world

New Mexico native Holly Holm became an overnight sensation after doling out a devastating roundhouse kick to UFC superstar Ronda Rousey’s face. It was the knockout seen ‘round the world, and it left the previously undefeated Rousey seriously messed up. She won’t be able to eat an apple for three to six months. No, really — we're not kidding. Adding more drama to the mix, the stakes of the two powerhouse fighters' inevitable rematch are high. Rousey told ESPN the Magazine, "either I’ll win and keep going or I won’t and I’ll be done with everything.” The Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch in May may have been a bust, but odds are the Rousey-Holms rematch will be epic.

New York: The prison break that wasn't 'Shawshank' that everyone was dying to call 'Shawshank'

The escape of two convicted murderers from a maximum-security facility in New York had all the plot points of a hit movie: a seemingly impossible getaway, insider help and few concrete leads on the escapees' whereabouts. So obviously it didn't take long for The Shawshank Redemption references to drop. But we were cautioned that these guys were no Andy and Red (good guys wronged who — spoiler alert — eventually got to live as BFFs forever on a beach in Mexico). Richard Matt and David Sweat, who escaped from Clinton Correctional Facility in June, were murderers who wouldn't hesitate to kill to get away. Nearly three weeks later, Matt was fatally shot. Two days after that, Sweat was shot and taken into custody.

North Carolina: Santa Claus can speak in any language

Even sign. This holiday season, 70 deaf and hard-of-hearing children from the Charlotte region got to tell Santa everything on their lists. Bicycles. Dolls. Video game systems. The usual. What was unusual was that they were able to talk to Santa themselves. "It will be a memory they'll always remember for the rest of their lives," said Donna Katic with Deaf Services.

North Dakota: U.S. Supreme Court will take up case on ‘deep-lung’ breath tests

Can states charge motorists with a crime for refusing to take a breath test on suspicion of driving drunk when police lack a warrant? The Supreme Court will decide, after it said in December it would hear cases out of Minnesota and North Dakota in which drivers were charged with a crime after they refused to take "deep-lung" breath tests. Thirteen states make it a crime to refuse blood-alcohol tests. The Supreme Court has ruled in general that police cannot search a driver or vehicle upon arrest without a warrant unless it's for their personal safety or to preserve evidence. The court ruled in 2013 that police could not conduct blood tests for drunken driving without a warrant. Based on that, the challengers in the Minnesota and North Dakota cases said, refusing such tests should not constitute a separate crime.

Ohio: 'I didn't even do nothing'

Samuel DuBose's final words echoed across the country as a national conversation about race and police brutality churned on: "I didn't even do nothing." White University of Cincinnati Police officer Ray Tensing said he shot 43-year-old DuBose, an unarmed black man, during a traffic stop after being dragged by DuBose's vehicle. Then the video changed everything. Footage from Tensing's body camera showed a calm exchange. Tensing was fired and indicted on charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter. More examples of how video is becoming the new smoking gun in police shootings.

Oklahoma: Cop found guilty of serial rape

A former Oklahoma City police officer was convicted in December of sexually assaulting women he preyed upon in a low-income neighborhood he patrolled. A jury convicted Daniel Holtzclaw of four charges of first-degree rape and 14 other counts. He sobbed while hearing the verdicts on his 29th birthday. Holtzclaw could spend the rest of his life in prison: The jury's recommendation is that he serve 263 years.

Oregon: Terror strikes Oregon community college

Before opening fire, Chris Harper Mercer asked students in a classroom whether they were Christians. He targeted those who said yes. The 26-year-old was described as a bitter loner who acted "like he was playing a video game and showed no emotion” as he gunned down nine people and injured nine more on Oct. 1 at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore., before turning his gun on himself. From the chaos rose a hero. Army veteran Chris Mintz sprinted through the campus to warn others and physically blocked the door to a classroom of terrified students so Mercer couldn’t gain entry, getting shot five times in the process. More on him here.

Pennsylvania: Deadly Amtrak derailment snarls Northeast train traffic

The cause of a catastrophic Amtrak crash in Philadelphia that killed eight and injured 200 people on May 12 remains under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board determined Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188 was traveling 106 mph through a curve with a 50-mph speed limit when it jumped the tracks. The engineer, Brandon Bostian, has told investigators he cannot recall what happened. The incident snarled traffic between New York and Philadelphia, one of the most heavily traveled train routes in the nation.

Rhode Island: Be thankful you don't have gonorrhea

Watch where you Tinder. A recent rise in sexually transmitted diseases in Rhode Island could be, in part, due to social apps, the state’s Department of Health said this year. In a press release on the state’s website, the department states that “using social media to arrange casual and often anonymous sexual encounters” has contributed to the recent rise.

South Carolina: A massacre in Charleston; an outcry against hate across the state

On June 19, hate walked into a Bible study at the historic black Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., and opened fire. Nine people were killed, including the church's pastor, a state senator. Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old white man who flaunted symbols of white supremacy and was linked to hate groups, was arrested a day later. Roof joined the Bible study for an hour before shooting the parishioners, prosecutors say. Roof was indicted on 33 federal charges, as well as on federal hate-crimes charges and will be tried in July. As a direct response to the massacre, South Carolinians took up the issue of the Confederate battle flag on its Statehouse grounds; in July, state legislators passed the measure, and the flag, seen by many as a symbol of hatred and racism, was removed.

South Dakota: A controversial peak

It's one of the nation's biggest naming controversies (now that Denali's name is settled once and for all). Harney Peak is a 7,244-foot-high South Dakota summit (once considered for the famous mountain carving of presidents that went to Mount Rushmore). Lakota Indians and their allies are fighting to get the federal government to change the name, which they find offensive. William S. Harney, its namesake, was a brutal Army general whom Lakota tribes blame for massacring 86 people — including women and children — under Chief Little Thunder's flag of truce in the Battle of Ash Hollow in 1855. The South Dakota Board on Geographic Names this year voted to retain the name. A final decision from the federal board probably won't come until next year.

Tennessee: N.J. man adopts Tennessee school after email mix-up and gives everyone the best feels

It's a tremendous story about kindness. Thad Livingston had never been to Mount Juliet (Tenn.) Elementary School. He had never even met anybody there. And he lives about 800 miles away. But the kids call him their “New Jersey grandfather.” An email blast from the school mistakenly went to Livingston in Eastampton Township, N.J., at the start of the school year. Instead of ignoring it, he started to help with small things he learned the school needed, and his charity helped launch a Random Acts of Kindness Challenge among students. "When someone makes a big impression on you,” Mount Juliet fifth-grader Andrew Romer said, “it makes you want to do a lot of good in the world.” Livingston estimated he still gets one to two emails per week from the school, though nobody has been able to figure out why.

Texas: The mysterious death of Sandra Bland

Just what happened to Sandra Bland? It's the question her family has been asking since her death in a Texas jail cell in July. If you haven't heard of her, it may be useful to know that Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders used her name in the same breath as Eric Garner and Freddie Gray. Authorities say she was arrested for getting confrontational during a traffic stop, went to jail and committed suicide in her cell a few days later. Her family doesn't believe it. A Texas grand jury hearing in December ruled it would not indict anyone in connection with the incident.

Utah: A 100-year weather event

Utah weather officials declared it the deadliest flooding in recorded state history. It was enough to qualify as a 100-year flood event — a flood that would have a 100-to-1 chance of happening in any given year. On Sept. 14, a seasonal storm system dropped heavy rains on mountains between the Grand Canyon and Zion national parks, prompting flash flooding that claimed several lives. Members of the polygamous community on both sides of the Utah-Arizona state line referred to the tragedy as their personal 9/11 because of its proximity to the anniversary of the deadly terrorist attacks.

Vermont: Bernie Sanders has a big 2015

If you aren't from the Green Mountain State, you might not have heard of Bernie Sanders until this year. The Vermont senator, a 74-year-old known for his halo of white hair and thick Brooklyn accent, has had a big 2015. The self-described Democratic socialist proved himself a heavy-hitting contender for the Democratic nomination in the 2016 presidential race, going toe-to-toe with front-runner Hillary Clinton. Millennials love him. Scores of others #FeelTheBern. And Time magazine put him in the running for their "Person of the Year” cover. Although he didn't win, 2015 has been good to Bernie. And if he’s voted into the White House, 2016 will be even better.

Virginia: On-air killing of TV journalists leaves nation stunned

A horror story unfolded the morning of Aug. 26 as two young journalists at Roanoke’s WDBJ 7-TV were fatally shot on live television by a disgruntled former colleague, who then posted video footage of the crime from his perspective to social media. Making Alison Parker and Adam Ward's murders all the more devastating, both were in serious relationships with colleagues. Ward's fiancée, a WDBJ producer, watched his murder live from the control room, while Parker's boyfriend, an anchor for the station, later revealed the couple had planned to get married. Despite the darkness of the day, it was not without a shining light: The newsroom endured and continued to broadcast amid tears, showing strength in the face of tragedy.

Washington: A white woman identifies as black and baffles the nation on race

This is the saga of Rachel Dolezal, who resigned in June as president of the Spokane, Wash., chapter of the NAACP after it was revealed she lied about her racial identity. Dolezal publicly claims she's black. Her parents say she's white. The questions we were forced to ask: What constitutes race? And do you have the right to adopt a new identity if you haven't lived the experience? Bonus: Maya Rudolph's Dolezal impression.

West Virginia: Want to combat gender inequality online? Hire your own 'Wikipedian-in-residence'

West Virginia University wants to close Wikipedia’s gender gap. Since its founding in 2001, the free and openly editable encyclopedia has attracted more than 25 million registered users and more than 1,000 editors. But, according to a 2011 survey conducted by Wikipedia, only 8.5% of these editors are women. The ubiquity of Wikipedia use makes this gender disparity an issue of quality control. The university wants to help correct the imbalance with a one-year Wikipedian-in-residence position, designed to increase the number of Wikipedia articles about West Virginian women and gender studies by 25%, according to a press release issued by the university.

Wisconsin: Man plants 4-mile stretch of sunflowers and becomes 2015's biggest romantic

Don Jaquish lost his wife, Babbette, to cancer last year, just before Thanksgiving. "Her and I, what we had is as good as it gets," he said. Sunflowers were Babbette's favorite. In her memory, Don planted a 4½-mile ribbon of them along both sides of Wisconsin State Road 85. A gift to his wife, but also to a world of romantics. Millions of people saw Babbette's flowers — in person, online and on the news. Erin Renz, Babbette's daughter, on why the tale of the sunflowers captivated so many people: "Who doesn't love a love story?"

Wyoming: Town where Matthew Shepard was killed passes LGBT law, 17 years later

In 1998, 21-year-old University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in Laramie. Seventeen years later, the town where he died adopted a non-discrimination ordinance declaring discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, employment and public facilities illegal in the city. The Laramie mayor said Shepard's death didn't influence the ordinance but he believes it will help alleviate perceptions people developed of Laramie as a result of Shepard’s murder. Earlier this year, the state tried to pass a non-discrimination act, but it failed. Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mother, told the Associated Press: “I’m thrilled that Laramie’s doing it, at the same time sort of saddened that the state of Wyoming can’t see fit to do that as well. Maybe the rest of Wyoming will understand this is about fellow human beings and not something that’s other than what they are."

Compiled by Alia E. Dastagir. Contributing: Associated Press

What did Gov. Mike Pence get from RFRA PR contract? Blacked-out ...

Tony Cook, and Chelsea Schneider

IndyStar

A photo essay in a gay pride magazine. A crisis monitoring service called the “Radar.” References to Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act scrubbed from press releases.

These are among the topics discussed in 1,100 pages of records released this week by Gov. Mike Pence's economic development agency in response to a request from IndyStar. The request — made nearly eight months ago — sought records related to Pence’s decision to hire and then abruptly terminate global public relations firm Porter Novelli in the wake of last year’s RFRA firestorm.

Despite their breadth, the heavily redacted documents reveal little about what the state received in exchange for the $365,000 it paid the firm — or why Pence ended the contract prematurely.

But they do reveal the Pence administration’s depth of concern about the damage RFRA caused to the state’s reputation on Pence's watch — even as the governor publicly dismissed the controversy.

The documents were released to IndyStar after it filed a formal complaint with Indiana Public Access Counselor Luke Britt. He found Tuesday that the Indiana Economic Development Corp. had violated the state’s public records law in taking so long to fulfill the request.

Here’s what the documents show:

The state interviewed a who’s who of crisis PR firms

The state quickly lined up interviews with some of the world’s largest public relations firms shortly after the RFRA controversy erupted. A schedule shows back-to-back interviews with nine firms on a single day and provides a brief description of each firm’s experience in crisis management. Some examples:

Levick: Gulf Oil Spill, Vatican.

Sitrick: Ground Zero Mosque, Orange County CA bankruptcy, Hostess Brands.

Edelman: Penn State University.

Ultimately, the state chose Porter Novelli on April 10 — about two weeks after Pence signed RFRA into law.

The state — at the last minute — scrubbed all references to RFRA when announcing it hired Porter Novelli

When the IEDC announced April 13 it was hiring the New York-based PR giant, there was not a single mention of RFRA in the press release. In fact, the IEDC’s Chris Cotterill publicly downplayed RFRA’s role in the decision to hire Porter Novelli.

“The reason was there before,” he told a South Bend television station. “It's not to make up for something.”

State drops $750K to rehab image after RFRA, with more expected

But that’s not what the IEDC’s press release draft said just 24 hours earlier.

A “final press release” distributed internally referred to RFRA and to restoring the state’s reputation several times. There was even a quote from Indiana Secretary of Commerce Victor Smith that said, “we must acknowledge the recent political controversy surrounding the Religious Freedom Restoration Act has damaged our reputation.”

But in the hours before the release was sent out, IEDC officials and Porter Novelli executives eliminated any references to RFRA or efforts to “restore” Indiana’s image. The portion of Smith’s quote that referred to the controversy was cut. So too was a sentence about assessing “the impact of the RFRA controversy.” And the word “restore” was replaced with “continue to strengthen” and “enhance.”

When asked about the changes, IEDC Spokeswoman Abby Gras said Tuesday that “various word choices were considered in the development of this particular release. All of our press releases at the IEDC go through several rounds of edits; this is pretty standard.”

She declined to say who suggested the changes.

The national furor over RFRA erupted last year when concerns rose that the law would allow discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Hoosiers. After several large companies and conventions threatened to boycott the state, Pence and lawmakers approved a RFRA "fix" that was intended to prevent the law from nullifying local protections against discrimination.

9 CEOs call on Pence, legislature to modify 'religious freedom' law

State officials considered paying $50,000 for an Indianapolis-themed photo essay in a gay pride magazine

One idea discussed in emails between IEDC officials and Porter Novelli: Sponsoring content in Pride Magazine, a publication distributed to about a million attendees at gay pride festivals across the nation.

The photo essay would have featured “committed LGBT couples at famous landmarks around Indianapolis” and “a welcome message from the Governor or whoever we wished prior to the essay,” according to an April email from IEDC Communications Director Katelyn Prentice.

The state also considered sponsoring the 2015 Silicon Valley Pride Festival.

“On the face of it, could be a good step forward but also warrants a conversion (sic) ahead of reaching back to them for an email back or call,” Porter Novelli Senior Vice President Ryan Kuresman said in an April 17 email. “This is not a large event during pride celebration season. I suspect that several similar requests may come in…Should we convene on this Monday?”

Ultimately, the state decided against both sponsorship opportunities, Gras said Tuesday.

But the state did sponsor a 60-person National Society of Newspaper Columnists conference in Indianapolis, Gras said.

In an April 16 email pitch, one of the conference’s organizers said it had been “a difficult April for us. Several of our members have decided to boycott our festivities due to the initial passage of the RFRA.”

Porter Novelli deployed a crisis monitoring “Radar” on behalf of the state

The PR agency provided the state with a daily “IEDC Radar” report that tracked print, broadcast and social media.

Marked “confidential,” the reports provided a comprehensive summary of news stories and highlighted top social media “influencers,” including Republican pollster Christine Matthews, political strategist Donna Brazile and Huffington Post senior political reporter Amanda Terkel.

The reports also included brief analysis.

“Traditional media remains neutral to negative in tone as attention has shifted to the price tag of the PR campaign,” an April 15 report said. “A number of opinion writers and LGBT community leaders believe spending $2 million in taxpayer money is unnecessary, and that the state should instead pass nondiscrimination laws.”

A week later: “Social media conversation continues to remain decidedly negative as users continue to bash Indiana and Gov. Pence over the controversy and $2 million PR campaign.”

Twenty minutes after receiving that assessment, the IEDC’s Cotterill emailed the company seeking a change to the radar report.

“All of this is very focused on RFRA,” he wrote. “Is the radar broad enough to capture other sentiments about Indiana?”

Soon after, Porter Novelli sent an email to state officials: “Note: We have expanded our search terms to pick up more coverage and conversation related to economic development and Indiana business. In addition, we are tracking for mentions of the Honest-to-Goodness summer campaign but as yet have not identified pick-ups on that topic.”

The documents are rife with redactions and 285 pages were withheld

The IEDC provided the records the day before Britt, the Public Access Counselor, found that the agency had violated the state’s public records law, which requires them to provide records in a “reasonable” amount of time.

Britt noted that the IEDC had failed to provide the requested records for well over six months.

“Simply put, a reasonable period of time has long since elapsed,” he wrote in an advisory opinion Tuesday.

What the IEDC did provide includes hundreds of partially or completely redacted pages. It completely withheld another 50 documents, which included 285 pages.

As a result, it remains unclear what the state got in exchange for the $365,000 it paid to Porter Novelli.

Why did Pence abort RFRA-related PR contract?

There are references to focus groups, surveys, benchmark studies and research findings — but the IEDC withheld any documents describing the results of those efforts. Some were marked “deliberative,” others as “trade secret.”

Cotterill, the agency’s general counsel, said in a letter to IndyStar: “If, for example, the IEDC had to reveal all its marketing plans, then other states that are competing with Indiana for jobs would have Indiana’s playbook — more than that, they would have the underlying opinions and analyses that lead to the development of our ‘plays.’”

The documents also shed little light on why Pence suddenly terminated the state’s relationship with the company in July, only about halfway through the term of the contract.

On June 30, Porter Novelli executives and IEDC officials held a conference call to discuss “messaging,” but there are no records indicating what was discussed.

Among the final documents are a copy of the previously released July 1 termination agreement and a single, one-page invoice from Porter Novelli dated July 28.

Description: Public Relations Services.

Total due: $365,000.

Call IndyStar reporter Chelsea Schneider at (317) 444-6077. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyStarChelsea.

Call IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at (317) 444-6081. Follow him on Twitter: @indystartony.

Gov. Mike Pence signs 'religious freedom' bill in private

Why did Tennessee hire Beverly Davenport as UT chancellor in the ...

Beverly Davenport’s communication skills made her a standout in the trio of accomplished finalists vying for the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s chief post.

At least that’s what Bonnie Ownley remembers.

“That is the irony of it all,” said Ownley, a professor of plant pathology at UT Knoxville who served on the chancellor search committee as a representative of the university’s Faculty Senate.

The very skills that Ownley applauded in Davenport upon her hiring tie into the skills, or lack thereof, that expedited her firing.

While “her ability to communicate openly in describing her past experiences and what her vision was” for the institution impressed Ownley, by the end of her campus reign University of Tennessee System President Joe DiPietro branded as "very poor" her communication skills in one-on-one, small group and business transactions.

In what’s become widely viewed as a scathing termination letter DiPietro issued Davenport, he also noted, “You have failed to communicate to the campus a defined strategic vision of where you want to take the institution and a plan for its implementation.”

More:UT President DiPietro says Davenport firing was not personal, interim chancellor to earn $45.8K per month

More:Davenport fired: Do women higher ed leaders face more 'brutal and public' firings than men?

DiPietro's one-year turnaround

DiPietro once championed Davenport as a leader with the right makeup of skills and experience to steer UT Knoxville into its future.

“During a comprehensive national search, Dr. Davenport rose to the top of the candidate pool because of her extensive experience and qualifications,” he said in a November 2016 announcement of her appointment. “She will be an excellent fit as the next leader of UT Knoxville.”

He also termed her “a proven higher education leader with a tremendous record of accomplishments across a wide array of initiatives that show her ability to achieve great things.”

DiPietro declined a request for an interview with USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee about what propelled Davenport above the other two finalists in the running for the role of chancellor at the flagship school, instead standing by his initial words of praise for her, and how, exactly, she was vetted.

A standard, but extensive search

Davenport, who came from the University of Cincinnati where she had led the school as interim president, trumped 61 other applicants to become the first female head of UT-Knoxville at age 62.

She also brought higher education experience from Purdue University, where she filled the position of vice provost for faculty affairs, and from the University of Kansas, having served as dean of social sciences.

She was fired a little more than a year into the top job at UT-Knoxville, allowed to stay on as a professor in the College of Communication & Information – an offer that Ownley also pointed out as ironic given the criticisms directed at her.

The gamut of candidates included other interim college presidents and established presidents, provosts and executive-level administrators.

“This is a highly qualified pool of individuals who were competing for that position and her qualifications put her up there among the very top candidates,” Ownley said.

Compiling a set of viable candidates and vetting them entailed an exhaustive, months-long process steered largely by a search committee, whose members first met in July 2016. Davenport was officially named chancellor in November that year, succeeding Jimmy Cheek, who had stepped down to pivot into teaching higher education leadership as a faculty member.

The search committee, chaired by Steve Mangum, dean and professor of the UT Knoxville Haslam College of Business, brought together a spectrum of representatives from the university community – including professors, a student leader, then-UT Trustee Charlie Anderson, past-UT Trustee Vice Chairman Brian Ferguson, then-UT Alumni Board Past President Alan Wilson, then-UT Martin interim chancellor Bob Smith and other campus administrators.

The 13-person committee worked in tandem with Parker Executive Search, an executive search firm out of Atlanta specializing in higher education among other industries. The firm was paid $75,000 plus $7,500 in expenses.

The process largely consisted of two phases, recruitment and selection, Mangum said.

During recruitment, “you’re trying to cast the net as widely as you can,” he said, noting what follows are efforts to narrow the search, though it’s important to not narrow that search too quickly.

To attract a breadth of applicants, the search committee tapped its own network, shared information about the job with colleagues across the university and asked them to help spread the word, and relied on Parker Executive Search to assist in drawing talent for consideration.

The firm was then tasked with following up with any chancellor prospects who surfaced and encouraging them to submit their applications.

Often, Mangum said, most applications will arrive close to the deadline with confidentiality issues often conflicting those turning them in.

Leaders of schools eyeing job opportunities at other public colleges and universities can be wary that “confidentiality might be compromised,” Mangum said, with the potential for their employer to find out they’re interested in an outside position before they even know if they’re a serious contender for that position.

It’s something of “a cat-and-mouse” process, he said.

It’s also a barrier for attracting some of the best of the best, said Ann Baker Furrow, the first woman who served on UT’s Board of Trustees and a golfer who became the first woman to play a men’s varsity sport at the institution. She's not on the board now.

New law on hiring confidentiality

The Sunshine Law “really does narrow the process,” Furrow said, insisting policy change is due so that chancellor candidates don’t face such high stakes after being placed on such a public platform.

Legislation passed this year did change the confidentiality of the hiring process for college, university and university system presidents, but not for chancellors, according to Deborah Fisher, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government.

The legislation mandates search committees name no more than three presidential finalists, rather than no fewer than three, meaning they could name only one or two finalists, Fisher said.

Any finalist must be made public. The law will be in place for three years before it is automatically repealed, Fisher said, and a report will be produced examining how the law has worked.

But when it comes to chancellors, she said, a minimum of three finalists must still be named and put forth into the public spotlight.

Three chancellor finalists

Once the search committee whittled down the initial body of applications and determined who to move forward with for the first level of interviews – usually 12 to 15 people – they scheduled “airport interviews,” Mangum said, noting a school generally flies applicants into an airport where the interviews are conducted.

From there, the search committee decides which chancellor hopefuls to pursue more seriously, inviting them to campus typically as finalists.

“It’s a fairly fluid process and there’s no way to predict in advance just how many finalists you’re going to have,” Mangum said, noting in some cases a finalist will commit to another job in the midst of a university search process.

UT-Knoxville originally extended a campus invite to four individuals, one of whom did not end up coming to campus, though Mangum was not certain why.

Along with Davenport, who visited campus in early November 2016, University of Georgia Provost Pamela Whitten and then-provost and executive vice chancellor for the State University of New York Alexander Cartwright – now chancellor of the University of Missouri – stepped foot onto campus to share their visions for the university.

University leadership first denied that the three were finalists, even though they were the only candidates slated to come to UT Knoxville for campus-wide interviews. The News Sentinel challenged that assertion, submitting a public records request for the names and resumes of all candidates at the end of October 2016.

The university’s move to reverse its decision and frame the three as finalists fell on the seven-day deadline it had to respond to the News Sentinel.

"Given the strength of the three on-campus interview candidates and the fact that no new applications have been received in the last few weeks, I felt we needed to adjust our approach to move the search process along as efficiently as possible by the search committee naming them finalists," DiPietro had said in a statement to the News Sentinel. "We will continue to encourage and receive feedback from faculty, staff, students and external stakeholders about all finalists through the remainder of the search process."

Less than two weeks after Davenport’s first interview on campus, she returned for a second cluster of interviews before she was hired at a base salary of $585,000 annually plus additional compensation – the highest of any UT leader.

The search committee’s chief responsibility in the final stages of the vetting process centered on answering two questions for each finalist – whether they were acceptable and what their strengths and weaknesses encompassed – and passing that information along to UT System President DiPietro.

"Our job was done as a search committee when we provided to him those statements of strengths and weaknesses,” Mangum said.

Along with Mangum, Ownley and Heather Hirschfeld, a professor of English and former director of the Marco Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies who served on the search committee, expressed confidence in how extensive of a search the university conducted.

'Nothing that could have been done better'

“There’s absolutely nothing that could have been done better,” Ownley said.

“The process was very thorough,” Hirschfeld said, emphasizing that the university invited input from the community along the way.

Though, questions about the practices that the executive search firm UT-Knoxville partnered with surfaced in 2015 after the company helped with two controversial hires, as reported by Inside Higher Ed. Among them was the appointment of University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld, who disclosed that part of his resume was inaccurate.

The university has contracted with the company in past searches and has “a good track record with the university,” Mangum said would be his assumption.

Mangum had previously interacted with Parker Executive Search as a candidate when being considered to take over as business dean, but he was not involved in bringing the company on board for the chancellor search and was not aware of any of the controversies tied to the company.

He said he was not sure whether the university had known about the hiring scandals related to the company.

Parker Executive Search declined to comment on its role in UT Knoxville’s chancellor search, insisting the firm has a policy to not speak with media.

Why did Davenport stand out?

When asked what elevated Davenport above Whitten and Cartwright, the chair of the search committee said it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to expand on her strengths relative to the other contenders.

“The decision as to why an offer was extended to her above other candidates…that’s not anything I have knowledge of,” Mangum said.

However, he did note that the committee did not have any reason to doubt the capabilities of any of the three.

“There was certainly nothing in the feedback that we received as part of this process that caused us any concerns about the qualifications and capabilities of any of the individuals that we recommended for further consideration by the president,” Mangum said. “All three were very strong candidates and checked out, if you will, in terms of their prior employment and accomplishments at other universities.”

When Davenport visited campus to talk to students and faculty, she devoted part of a campus forum to drawing parallels between her goals and those of her audience and underlining her ambition to be at a place that shared her values and is “aspirational.”

It was clear that the prospective chancellor knew how important the institution’s established goals were and was keen on seeing them through, Hirschfeld said.

“I think she displayed during that time a real grasp of UT’s aspirations,” Hirschfeld said, explaining she caught on quickly to Vol vision and was able to speak to the interests of various stakeholders in the university.

“She brought a tremendous amount of energy and savvy to what had been UT’s clearly articulated long-term goals,” Hirschfeld said, though she couldn’t speak to what factors tipped the scales for Davenport’s selection.

Carson Hollingsworth, president of the Student Government Association during the search, singled Davenport out from his first interaction with her.

“Dr. Davenport was unequivocally the best candidate we interviewed,” he wrote in a text message to USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee. “From the moment I met her, I thought she was the candidate that would create the most positive change for our University and would always support our students.”

Hollingsworth, now an alumnus, stressed that “there are too many incredible qualities to list that set Dr. Davenport apart and ahead of our other candidates.”

Among them, he cited the wealth of experience she had, her genuine passion and care for her students and those she crossed paths with and said that “it was evident from the start that this was more than a job for her.”

Hollingsworth insisted that throughout Davenport’s time overseeing UT-Knoxville, she succeeded in catapulting positive change and supporting students.

Ownley saw the same track record of student engagement on the part of Davenport, noting she reached out to students to develop relationships with them.

“I think that’s one of the things that struck me more so than other chancellors that I’ve known,” Ownley said.

The professor also thought Davenport had an edge in her experiences developing entrepreneurial relationships with private industries for the sake of students wanting to kickstart their own businesses.

“She had some experiences that were a little different from what you might normally see in a chancellor,” she said.