Trani’s last day as prez

VCU’s happy president on the floor of the Richmond Coliseum celebrating the Rams’ victory in the 2009 CAA men’s basketball tournament championship.

Eugene P. Trani has been Virginia Commonwealth University’s president since 1990. Today is his last day on the job.

The 69-year-old Trani announced last August that he was retiring a year earlier than planned, citing health reasons. He underwent quintuple-bypass surgery last July. Trani’s last day as president was Tuesday. He will remain as a professor after taking a yearlong sabbatical.

Click here to read the rest of that story at nbc12.com.

Former Central Michigan University President Michael Rao will become VCU’s fifth president on July 1.

The impact Dr. Trani had on VCU has been dramatic. In his 19 years in the job, no one has had more impact on Virginia’s capital city, either.

Trani seemed ready to retire at 65 in 2005. Then he was convinced to stay on five more years. No doubt, he has seen that decision in a different light over the last year. He must wish he’d never heard the name Rodney Monroe.

My own contact with Dr. Trani has had to do mostly with basketball. I’ve seen him in the Siegel Center’s media room after lots of Rams home games. Sometimes we exchange hoops small talk. I remember how relieved he was after Eric Maynor opted to stay at VCU, when VCU’s coach, Jeff Capel, departed to coach Oklahoma.

Aside from that I’ve interviewed Trani a couple of times; he was utterly forthcoming and cooperative.

Yes, this cat is as smart as they come, and he doesn’t hide it. But I find that trait in him to be more a lack of falseness than the presence of arrogance. But, then again, I never had to work for him.

In contrast, I also interviewed Trani’s predecessor, Dr. Edmund Ackell, back in 1984, and I found him to a horse’s ass. Talk about arrogant! He was deliberately obnoxious.

Remember, too, it was Trani who put the kibosh on Ackell’s march to the river that had VCU poised to take over Oregon Hill. It wasn’t long after Trani arrived that the VCU master plan was revised. The school started building on West Broad Street, instead of mowing down Oregon Hill.

Hey, I know some in Oregon Hill strongly objected to the VCU project that’s now underway to expand the old City Auditorium. Truth be told, I could see their side of it, easily. I think VCU should have played that one differently.

Nonetheless, if it weren’t for Trani’s changing of the master plan 19 years ago, Oregon Hill might have little or none of the distinctive character remaining that it still enjoys to this day.

Yes, Trani has stepped on toes at times. But I can’t imagine how a person in his position could totally avoid that. It’s a matter of whose toes, what for and when.

What I will say with confidence is that Trani now knows something about hiring top notch basketball coaches. He may not have been an expert in that department when he first got to his Fan District offices. So, he put up with Sonny Smith and Mack McCarthy long enough to learn what he surely didn’t want to do again.

After going to school, Trani did the right thing. Both Jeff Capel and Anthony Grant were very good hires. My guess is Shaka Smart will be VCU’s third straight good hire.

Lastly, I wish Dr. Trani a good sabatical, and I’m looking forward to seeing him at Rams games in the future.

– Photo by F.T. Rea

Posted by FTRea @ June 30, 2009 | 1 Comment »