Higher Ed Athletics

Dr. Keith Carver is the Chancellor at University of Tennessee at Martin and arguably the biggest Skyhawks fan on campus. Chancellor Carver covers several interesting and important topics across higher education and college athletics in this interview. The episode begins with an institutional profile and history lesson about UTM and their athletic nicknames. He explains why that century old motto of athletics being the "Front Porch" is true, except that he thinks it's more like a living room. Chancellor Carver shares why university systems can be incredibly valuable collaboration opportunities, and what the system president's role is in oversight of national issues facing college athletics. Travis asks the question on what a president or chancellor's role is in athletic conference governance and whether college leaders would talk very much if it weren't for athletics. Chancellor Carver shares his leadership philosophy working with his athletic director Kurt McGuffin and ends the conversation with advice on what prospective ADs need to know about challenges ahead for higher education and why they should be subscribed to Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Spoiler Alert: The chancellor is a confirmed D1.Ticker subscriber and enjoys winding down with a good Evening Standard to keep pace with college athletics.

2:00 Institutional Profile

4:14 History of Athletic Nickname Changes at UT Martin

7:00 Campus Identity as the Skyhawks

8:50 "Living Room" Instead of "Front Porch"

10:54 The Role of Athletics Amidst an Enrollment Decline

13:41 The Future of University System Collaborations in College Athletics

20:51 System President/Board Chair Oversight of Chancellors on NCAA/Athletics Decisions

24:33 Leadership Philosophy Working with VC/AD Kurt McGuffin

29:25 How Future ADs Can Better Understand Overall Institutional Administration

34:31 Explaining Chancellor Role in Governing at the Conference Level

36:35 Would College Presidents Speak Much without College Athletics?

38:33 Higher Ed Changes Future ADs Should Understand

John Cunningham became the Athletic Director at University of Cincinnati in December 2019 and is now leading the department into the Big 12 Conference. Cunningham talks about his compliance background fundamentally preparing him to become an AD from working directly with coaches in all sports and understanding the ins-and-outs of legislation and changes the industry is currently experiencing. He talks about the challenges of being a downtown institution competing with professional sports in the entertainment business and how joining the Big 12 will help with that. Cunningham acknowledges the department was already undergoing rapid changes to facilities and investments before his arrival but also shares some changes ahead to enhance facility projects. The conversation ends with advice to prospective ADs and how they need to educate themselves on the industry changes because others at the institution probably won't know those things and will expect you to explain it. And prospective ADs also need to maintain perspective and appreciation for things outside of sports that are continuing to shape our country and world.

0:45 Institutional Profile

2:48 Operating in a Busy City

6:15 Compliance Skillset for the AD Chair

8:45 Moving from Day-to-Day Compliance to Administration

12:44 Previous Power 5 Experience Helps Heading into Big 12

14:20 Long Runway to the Big 12 for Improving Facilities

18:20 Financial Considerations Going from Group of 5 to Big 12

20:05 Becoming an AD at a School Already Experiencing Rapid Growth

23:12 Future ADs Need to Understand Our Industry & Keep a Bigger Global Perspective

Janet Cone has been leading the UNC Asheville Bulldogs' athletic department since 2004 and has impressively kept the small D1 liberal arts institution of the Big South financially in the black every year. In this conversation we focus on the challenges and opportunities with all the changes happening in college athletics today. UNC Asheville is a unique place, being the only liberal arts institution in the University of North Carolina system, and one without a football program. Cone shares insight on why certain goals were placed in their strategic plan and how a department can still measure or adjust their plan that was interrupted by COVID-19. In addition, Cone explains how an AD can be upfront in hiring or evaluating head coaches when it comes to budget realities. After so many years in coaching and administration, Cone ends the conversation explaining why she still enjoys the industry despite the every day changes.

0:25 Institutional/Asheville Profile

5:33 Strategic Plan Before & After COVID-19

15:55 Budget Realities as a Small D1

19:40 AD Benefits in the UNC System

24:17 NCAA Academic Revenue Distribution in the Strategic Plan

31:20 NIL Strategy at UNC Asheville

35:45 What Keeps You Excited About the Job?

Travis (in late June): "If you are invited to join an FBS conference, what would the institution have to consider if you're fielding those offers?" Mario: "The institution would probably have to consider how fast I could get there to sign the paperwork."

Mario Moccia is an alumnus and former standout baseball player at New Mexico State where he now serves as Athletic Director. Moccia starts by sharing how he took a different path to the AD chair than former Mizzou colleagues Ross Bjork (Texas A&M AD) and Chris Del Conte (Texas AD) by heading to an FCS school before arriving in Las Cruces. NMSU recently announced their transition from the WAC to Conference USA in all sports. This interview was recorded in the summer before conference realignment and I asked Moccia about the long-term plan for their independent football program and the positioning of the WAC, which will help the change make sense. He did say Conference USA and Mountain West were the only two likely FBS conferences. Moccia also shares all the details on their unique approach to consumable product licensing, now boasting their own beer, wine, whiskey, tequila, coffee, and even a candle. This has been an incredible (and fun) revenue generator for NMSU athletics and has other ADs wanting in on the idea. And if you've ever wondered how a football schedule is created for an independent, Moccia talks about their strategy that they probably won't miss once they begin conference play in their new conference.

0:10 AD Chair as an Alumnus

3:20 Differences in AD Jobs at Different D1 Levels

7:00 Dealing with Indirect Financial Implications in NIL for the Athletic Dept

13:50 Long-Term Strategy for NMSU Football

19:35 Scheduling Decisions of an Independent Football Program

24:15 College Football Playoff Expansion Changes to Scheduling Money Games

28:40 Innovating Licensed Consumable Products

37:40 Taste Test Event for Salsa as the Land Grant Institution

45:55 Other Potential Revenue Ideas for College Athletics

47:30 The Eventual Future of Sponsored Uniform Patches

New Orleans Vice President of Athletics and Recreation Tim Duncan joined the Higher Ed Athletics podcast and started the conversation with an institutional profile. Duncan is well-known as a speaker throughout the industry but even he acknowledges this interview brought different questions than he typically is asked. Duncan talks not just about creating a strategic plan for the athletic department, but also how they will benchmark against it and hold themselves accountable to the plan. Smith asks about the institutional collaborations within athletic departments in the University of Louisiana System. He shares how being the only D1 school in the system that doesn't offer football can be seen as a challenge or opportunity. Duncan ends the conversation with some great advice on the importance of a good boss when evaluating job opportunities.

0:35 Institutional Profile

2:20 Athletics Relationship w/ NOLA

6:05 100 Meetings in 100 Days

7:55 Revenue Generating Vision

12:00 Strategic Plan Benchmarking

14:20 System Affiliated Collaborations

17:05 Only School in System W/Out Football

19:05 1st Impression of UNO President

23:33 Privateers for Equality

27:53 D2 Versus D1 AD Chair

31:02 Lessons Learned Early in AD Career

33:15 Advice for Mid/Senior Level Administrators

Arizona State University as an institution is known for innovation and doing things differently. As you'll discover in this interview, the athletic department has embraced that culture of innovation under President Crow and Vice President/Athletic Director Ray Anderson. This episode is packed with campus collaborations, such as with the ASU Global Sport Institute, led by his former Stanford football teammate and agent Kenneth Shropshire, and using experiences outside of college athletics and bringing them in to help him and the athletic department prepare for the changes ahead in college athletics. Anderson is also a professor in the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at ASU and shares why he continues to teach class.

0:00 Introductions

0:45 NFL Experience Helping in the AD Chair

2:25 Culture of Innovation at ASU

4:48 Athletic Facility Priorities

7:06 Local Resistance to ASU Changes

9:25 Adding Instead of Dropping Sports

12:52 Why You Signed Contract Extension

16:07 Agent Experience Helping Understand Changes

18:30 Professor of Law

22:05 ASU Global Sport Institute Partnership

26:36 AD Advice for Embracing Industry Changes

GCU Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs joined the Higher Ed Athletics podcast and started the conversation with an institutional profile of Grand Canyon University. Known as a large online university, too, Boggs shares the incredible enrollment growth and buildings that have been built at GCU's physical campus as a strategic initiative. Smith asks Boggs what a senior-level administrator can do in their current role to become ready for the AD chair. In addition, Boggs talks about the transition from being in a position offering input to being the one making the decisions. Smith and Boggs also talk about what tasks were involved in reclassifying to NCAA Division 1 membership and accepting the invite to join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Boggs also shares her thoughts on why those with compliance and/or legal backgrounds are prepared to become athletic directors now more than ever before.

0:15 Institutional Profile

2:41 Converting Online Students to GCU Fans & On-Campus Residential Growth

6:22 What She Learned During COVID-19 About GCU

8:58 Moving from Position of Advice to Decision Maker

10:38 How Administrators Make it Known They Want to be an AD

16:00 Changes Needed in Reclassification to D1

19:30 Building 10 Athletic Facilities in 2 Years

25:28 ADs with Compliance and Legal Backgrounds

30:20 The Need for Affordable & Christian Higher Education

34:14 Vision for GCU Athletics is to Catch Up w/ Institution

UNT Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker joined the Higher Ed Athletics podcast to discuss the 20-year Light the Tower athletic facilities master plan for the Mean Green and to share lessons learned from his career experiences. Baker become an administrator at the age of 26 as both a principal and athletic director for Valliant Public Schools in Oklahoma. He went on to lead an upstart athletic department at then-NAIA institution Rogers State before moving on to be an athletic director at NCAA D2 power house Northwest Missouri State. Wren then held senior-level administrator positions at both Memphis and Missouri before arriving at North Texas. Baker is known for his ability to fundraise and the authenticity in this interview will help the audience understand why.

0:18 UNT Institutional Profile

3:07 Athletic Department Profile

4:55 Light the Tower Athletic Facilities Master Plan

8:15 Custom Domains for Important Projects

10:08 Early Career Background

12:38 Lessons Learned as Becoming Administrator at Age 26

17:13 1st Ever AD at Rogers State

20:43 Does the Division Matter for Job Prospects?

24:25 Location Priorities for Career Decisions

28:25 Hiring & Evaluating Coaches

34:15 Becoming a Good Fundraiser

39:55 Corporate Sponsorship Patches on Uniforms

Visit this post on IUPUI Sports Innovation Institute website: https://blogs.iu.edu/iupuisii/2021/09/12/hea-at-sii-university-of-north-texas-vice-president-athletic-director-wren-baker/

Nina King is entering her first year as Vice President and Athletic Director at Duke University after serving as a senior-level administrator for 13 years. After giving an institutional profile of Duke, King shares her thoughts on what it is like moving from a position of input to a position of decision-making. She shares her honest initial reaction to Coach K's retirement announcement, philosophy on succession planning, and gives a look at what Duke has been doing behind-the-scenes to be prepared for this moment. As an internal hire, Smith asked how that experience will help shape her own senior-level team. King also shares her thoughts on what it was like being a Chief of Staff for previous VP/AP Dr. Kevin White, strategy behind her new Chief of Staff, and gives advice to current or future athletic directors that might be wondering what skillsets and responsibilities a chief role should have. King has and will continue to teach a sports business class in the MBA program at Duke with Dr. Kevin White each semester. She discusses the importance of that classroom experience to her as both an accountant and lawyer, and provides some insight into the syllabus and guest speakers. King, Chair of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee last year and again this year, shares her honest opinion on gender inequities at last year's tournament and her thoughts on the future of the tournament with the continued success and quality competition in women's basketball.

0:00 Introductions

0:20 Institutional Profile of Duke

4:00 Position of Input to Decision-Making

7:04 Coach K Retirement & Succession Planning

14:07 Adjusting Senior-level Roles after Internal AD Hire

17:17 Chief of Staff Position

25:13 Law School

29:20 Professor King Teaches Sports Business at Duke MBA

34:01 Chair of Women's Basketball Committee

The interview with Dr. Moore begins by explaining being a successful athlete and SAAC president at Missouri helped convince her to work in intercollegiate athletics. Moore explains what the differences are between working at a big school like UNC or Oklahoma, versus a Colgate. She explains the history behind the recent campus identity change with the rebranded athletic logo and who was all included. The conversation turns to additional responsibilities where Dr. Moore is responsible for other areas outside of just intercollegiate athletics and how she manages her time. Dr. Moore ends the season 2 finale with some great advice for aspiring and fresh athletic administrators looking to learn..