The Vanderbilt Way and the new plan Announcement

Vanderbilt interim athletic director Candice Storey-Lee and the university's athletic department release a part of their new strategic facilities plan on Wednesday, but a closer look still doesn't tell us much.

The official release from Vanderbilt athletics and interim athletic director Candice Storey-Lee was released this morning, and after reading it, I'm no less confused now than I was before.

Lee unveiled at least part of "the plan" this morning in a press release and a comment she shared through the university official site. 

  However, when reading it there seems to be a lot of words that don't really say much at all in terms of what steps are being taken to make this "plan" a reality and move the needle forward for Vanderbilt athletics across the campus. 

Here is Lee's statement.

"To the Vanderbilt Community,

At Vanderbilt, we firmly believe it takes collaboration, ambition and a sound strategy to achieve excellence — whether on the field of play or in the classroom.

Indeed, the best plans are based on precise research, an honest assessment of strengths and weaknesses and a careful examination of the competition. Successful plans — like many efforts at Vanderbilt — rely on trust, transparency and teamwork at every turn. They are nothing without faithful execution, open communication and a willingness to adjust along the way.

As we have developed Vanderbilt’s Strategic Plan for Athletics, we’ve adopted many of the skills embodied by our university community: extensive research, careful planning, consensus-building and transparency. We talked to students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, fans, coaches, student-athletes, media, industry experts and more. Through focus groups, surveys, one-on-one conversations and a series of planning meetings, we have embraced different perspectives in our community and created a plan that will lead us all forward.

Vanderbilt’s Strategic Plan for Athletics is guided by our vision to deliver the preeminent student-athlete experience in college athletics, providing the opportunity for our student-athletes to succeed in all areas of their lives. It details our commitment to innovation and leadership through five key areas of operation: Academic and Personal Development, Athletic Excellence, Stakeholder Engagement, Fan Experience and Financial Performance.

Our success with the Strategic Plan for Athletics relies on the entire Vanderbilt community and will require many different teams to work actively, cooperatively and closely together.

As with any plan, success comes not from words on paper but from action in the real world. Our success with the Strategic Plan for Athletics relies on the entire Vanderbilt community and will require many different teams to work actively, cooperatively and closely together. When we all know where we’re headed, we can each play our part in helping to reach our goals.

Vanderbilt is a special place and our supporters are amazing people. We truly appreciate your passionate support of the hardest-working student-athletes in the country.

Together, guided by Vanderbilt’s Strategic Plan for Athletics, we are Growing Forward.

Anchor Down!

Candice Storey Lee
Interim Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Interim Athletic Director

Susan R. Wente
Interim Chancellor and Provost

Having read and reread this statement looking for details, I find none that show real details of what the actual plans are, what they will cost and how this "plan" will be implemented going forward. 

What I read is a well crafted and written work that could have come from the law firm of Dewy-Cheatum & Howe in that is uses many descriptive words but ultimately leaves little meat on the bone for fans and supporters to chew as to what physical action, when those actions begin and how these step will begin and the timeline of implementation to completion. 

Time will tell if there is more to the plan or if this was simply a way to keep fish on the hook and keep them looking for more because that seems to be the prevailing thought amongst the faithful that this is simply another non-move by the university to appease fans and boosters without actually having to do anything to correct the problems that exist.  

Regardless, I'm finding out more and more each day just how "The Vanderbilt Way" really works.