The state requires a bachelor's degree for teaching positions at state universities.
Do you actually know this is true, or are you just making it up?
I did a little digging around and found this in ODU's faculty handbook about their faculty positions known as artists-in-residence: "The main criterion for reappointment is pre-eminence in an artistic field, and the normal academic credentials, such as advanced degrees or experience in university teaching, are not necessarily required." In other words, you don't have to have a college degree to teach as an artist-in-residence.
The faculty handbook also says the university's president may recommend to the Board of Visitors the establishment of other nontenured positions to allow the appointment of persons distinguished in their fields.
I know this is an extremely rare position, and one that only applies in the arts, but that's what Ryan was in, right? When I was pursuing my graduate studies out West, the most famous creative writing faculty member in the English department didn't have a college degree. However, their books were widely known and celebrated, and so the lack of a degree didn't matter.
All of this is to say that if Ed had wanted to keep Ryan around, he could've found a way. If he couldn't have hired him as a tenured faculty member, he probably could've hired him as an artist-in-residence. Or the university president could've created a position for him.
Those things didn't happen, and now our band is pretty average. This doesn't just hurt the game-day experience, but it also effects our marketing. How much publicity was Ryan able to procure for the Peppas while he was here? Way more than the new guy, right?
I understand Ryan's personality might have been larger than life, and maybe he hard to deal with or something. I don't know and I don't care. Ed could have and should have found a way to make it work.