Talk:Christopher B. Howard

COI
, as explained on your talk page, if you work for someone and are being requested to write a Wikipedia article for them, you are required to disclose this clearly, and you must propose changes related to their articles. Do not directly edit articles where you have a conflict of interest. You should also probably make an account. Among Us for POTUS (talk) 19:25, 20 June 2022 (UTC)


 * Thank you. I made an account but do not see where I can request the edit here on this page. Xavier.Hickman0411 (talk) 20:01, 20 June 2022 (UTC)
 * See the IP editor's talk page. I made a list of the edits that need reliable sources. When you have those sources, you can just leave a message here on this page, saying what text should be changed/added and what the source is for that information. I'll watch this page to reply to your requests. Schazjmd   (talk)  20:20, 20 June 2022 (UTC)
 * Here is a start of the information. I am working on the rest:
 * NCAA Silver Anniversary Award: https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2015/11/19/2016-silver-anniversary-award-winner-chris-howard.aspx
 * He is a recipient of the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, which recognizes distinguished individuals on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their college athletic careers.
 * MBA with distinction and Harvard Alumni Achievement Award: https://www.alumni.hbs.edu/stories/Pages/story-bulletin.aspx?num=6676
 * He also earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School, and in 2018 received the school's Alumni Achievement Award.
 * RMU US News and World Report Ranking: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/robert-morris-university-pennsylvania-3359
 * RMU Ranked as US News and World Report Best Value Schools: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/best-value
 * RMU Ready to Rise Campaign and UPMC Events Center: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2020/12/08/Robert-Morris-University-UPMC-Center-fundraising-phanthropy-pandemic-giving-basketball-center/stories/202012080104
 * Previously, Howard served as the eighth president of Robert Morris University in suburban Pittsburgh beginning on February 1, 2016. Under its latest strategic plan, RMU 100, the university used Gallup research and powerful new technologies to boost retention and graduation rates so as to launch students into great careers. The university is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report and in 2019 opened the UPMC Events Center, the new home to the university’s NCAA Division I basketball and volleyball teams. That project was part of the RMU 100: Ready to Rise fundraising campaign, which raised over $113.25 million, surpassing its $100 million goal a year ahead of schedule. In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked RMU No. 48 on the magazine’s list of Best Value Schools, a reflection of RMU’s high academic quality and affordable price. Xavier.Hickman0411 (talk) 23:04, 20 June 2022 (UTC)
 * Also, if you could please remove or edit this line: On May 26, 2021, Howard shuttered Robert Morris University's men's and women's NCAA division 1 hockey teams.
 * Based on the criteria that you all have given me today, I am not sure how that line at all fits with the parameters that you've given me. The source for that line is an opinionated article from a sports writer. Xavier.Hickman0411 (talk) 23:12, 20 June 2022 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the sources, . I've updated the NCAA and Harvard awards, and those bios were useful for other sections of the article as well.The first two sources you give for RMU don't mention Howard. That he was president at the time doesn't make those his achievements, unless independent reliable sources make that connection (see WP:SYNTH). The third source quotes him, but also makes the point that the fundraising campaign began before he took the job. Those sources and that para you provide would fit in RMU's article (minus the puffery), not this article.The incident with the hockey teams was covered in multiple media outlets, (plus there was the student petition to get Howard fired from RMU). Even an announcement that he was joining Arizona brings it up again. It's one of the few incidents for which Howard has received significant coverage and is relevant to the article. With these sources, I could add more details about the incident and the public reactions to the decision. I don't think it's necessary to expand on what happened, but it is appropriate to mention it. Wikipedia articles should summarize what reliable, independent sources say about a subject. Schazjmd   (talk)  00:01, 21 June 2022 (UTC)
 * Thank you. Regarding the hockey team it was a decision made by the board of trustees, the board chairman, and Howard. I believe that the sentence "Howard shuttered Robert Morris University's men's and women's NCAA division 1 hockey teams." Is a misleading as it doesn't mention that the board came to a consensus or that the teams were also brought back by him and the board of trustees (which is made clear in the sources you shared above) :
 * I’m the leader of the administration. … It was presented to the board of trustees. The board of trustees doesn’t sign off it. The way we’ve done it in years past is the exact same precedent. They come to a consensus, do they support it or not support it? They don’t have to do an official vote on this, and they didn’t.”
 * “We don’t ask our our trustees to vote on this and they didn’t, but they did arrive at a consensus,”
 * A more accurate statement would be: On May 26, 2021, Howard with the consensus of the Robert Morris University board of trustees decided to end the universities hockey programs. On December 17, 2021 Howard and The RMU Board of Trustees adopted a resolution in support of the administration's decision to reinstate the NCAA Division I hockey programs for the 2023-24 season. Source: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/rmu/2021/12/17/Robert-Morris-reinstates-hockey-programs-for-2023-24-season/stories/202112170125 Xavier.Hickman0411 (talk) 16:33, 21 June 2022 (UTC)
 * Your version tries to avoid mentioning that there was any controversy or repercussions. All that coverage was because how it was done was controversial. As Pittsburgh Hockey Digest put it, Howard made it clear that the decision was his to make and that he acted without a vote from the RMU board of trustees, though he said they could have chosen to override him and did not. WPXI Channel 11 wrote He claimed, instead, that the Trustees achieved a “consensus” after the decision had already been made, and he declined to define what “consensus” meant in this context. Or how many members were canvassed. Or why, to his knowledge, Kevin Colbert, the Steelers’ general manager, resigned as a result of there being no vote. I have reworded the section per the sources. Schazjmd   (talk)  17:07, 21 June 2022 (UTC)
 * Thank you, I understand the WPXI source but I am not sure how you are considering "Pittsburgh Hockey Digest" as a credible/ non-biased source but that is fine. As a private university, much of the details of RMU's choices are not shared publicly. Using reporting that is done from a hockey biased news outlet is a bit misleading.
 * Also I am not sure why the need to mention Kevin Colbert is in the sentence. It was a controversial situation but Colbert really has nothing to do with Howard's civilian career. Board members resign, move on, and join private universities frequently. Xavier.Hickman0411 (talk) 17:43, 21 June 2022 (UTC)
 * Multiple sources include it as a direct result of the decision. Schazjmd   (talk)  17:48, 21 June 2022 (UTC)
 * I just don't see how that means it needs to be mentioned or what it has to do with Howard's career as a whole? 1.4 million dollars being raised to reinstate the hockey teams was a direct result as well but there is no mention of that:https://www.wtae.com/article/rmu-hockey-fundraising-continues/38348552#
 * I don't see the difference. Again, it was controversial but this is still leaning a bit one sided. Xavier.Hickman0411 (talk) 17:54, 21 June 2022 (UTC)

BTW,, if you wanted to take a photo of Howard and upload it to the Commons here, it can be added to the article. (If you take the photo, then it's your own work and you can release it for use on Wikipedia.) Schazjmd   (talk)  00:05, 21 June 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi- following up on these items. I uploaded the photo for Chris Howard.
 * Also there are a few more small edits that should be made for the page:
 * - He is no longer the chairman of the impact young lives foundation. That sentence should read something like: Howard is the founder and a trustee emeritus of the Impact Young Lives Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports South African youth. http://www.iylfoundation.net/brands-vendors-sonora
 * -He is no longer heavily involved with Carolina for Kibera or the Albright Stonebridge Group. You likely will not be able to find an active trace of him on their websites, so those items do not need to be mentioned. Xavier.Hickman0411 (talk) 17:06, 11 July 2022 (UTC)