College sports is a multibillion dollar industry, and in recent years student-athletes have begun clamoring to be paid for their efforts. Most college administrators and officials have resisted these ideas, but Dr. Robbins, whose background is in cardiac surgery, says he wants “our student athletes to have a voice.”
“We need to do as much as we can to support the players,” Dr. Robbins told Bleacher Report. “There are issues and complexities of paying players, but I wouldn’t be against the concept. There needs to be serious dialogue with all involved. Everyone should be at the table, including current student-athletes. I’d be open to any ideas. I certainly would not say, ‘Never should we pay the players.’ I want to make it fair. I would be a strong advocate for sitting down and beginning an open dialogue.”
Dr. Robbins’ goal is to turn the University of Arizona into a student-centric university, and he said the effort is similar to patient-centered reforms in healthcare, which is “not really designed to serve the patient, but is changing.”
More articles on leadership and management:
Robert Wilkie approved to lead VA
House panel clears bills to end ACA tax, expand HSA use to gym memberships
Nashville Health Care Council announces 2018-19 board of directors
At Becker's 4th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2–5 in Chicago, more than 1,500 hospital and health system executives tackle decisions that determine whether organizations thrive or merely survive: protecting margins under cost pressure, choosing where to grow, renegotiating payer relationships, stabilizing the workforce and proving real ROI on technology. This is where leaders work through them together, face-to-face. Apply for complimentary registration now.