Robert Robbins, MD, left his role as CEO of Houston-based Texas Medical Center last year to become president of the University of Arizona in Tucson, and has since taken a disruptive position in the debate about paying college athletes, according to Bleacher Report.
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."