Higher Ed Athletics

In the second half of my interview with Dr. Benson we discuss a list of athletics topics, including: NCAA D1 Governance Model; Name, Role of Congress and the NCAA with Image & Likeness; Leveraging Athletics Exposure for the Institution; and Conference Realignment Considerations

Ohio University Athletic Director Julie Cromer joined the Higher Ed Athletics podcast for a wide-ranging conversation. Smith and Cromer start by going inside the head of an AD planning for sports in the fall and doing so within the framework of the overall institution’s plan. She reflects on her first year in the AD Chair in Athens, OH and how the initial 100 day plan quickly shifted into leading through a pandemic. Cromer expands on how the experiences early in her career at the NCAA National Office working on major academic reform has helped shape her focus on evidence-based decision making as a leader at Indiana, Arkansas and now Ohio. Cromer ends the conversation with advice for aspiring athletic directors as they navigate the landscape of college athletics after COVID-19.

*This is a re-air after being published on "Athletic Director U" in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic*

In October 2018, Long Island University announced it would consolidate the athletic departments at both of the private institution’s campuses of LIU Brooklyn (D1) and LIU Post (D2) into a single D1 institution beginning at the start of the 2019-2020 academic year, a target date it successfully hit until COVID-19 canceled spring sports. The unification, built with an entirely new athletic identity of new colors and mascot, was part of a larger strategy in building the national profile of LIU. Dr. Martinov Jr. is the athletic director for the re-branded LIU Sharks and joins Travis Smith to discuss the unique transition and offer advice to leading an athletic department through turbulent times.

A few months ago Dr. Eric Wood, UCF Deputy Athletic Director, joined the Higher Ed Athletics podcast. In this episode Smith and Wood discuss pursuing advanced degrees and how they can be helpful for current and future athletic directors based on challenges facing the industry. Deciding to pursue a doctoral degree was an intentional decision for Wood to demonstrate commitment to keeping higher education at the forefront of intercollegiate athletics. As both a practitioner and academic, Wood discusses the communication challenges between researchers and administrators within college athletics. This conversation will have the audience ready to look up the list of advanced degrees offered at their own institutions as they look to be a leader in a post-COVID and post-NIL intercollegiate athletics landscape.

This is the second part of my conversation with both President Scott Wyatt and Assistant to the President for Institutional Effectiveness Dr. Steve Meredith of Southern Utah University.

President Wyatt and Dr. Meredith are also co-hosts of their own podcast, Solutions for Higher Education, and the two share their story as to why they started the podcast and how it helps the president communicate with the SUU community stakeholders.

Next we dive deeper into athletic topics such as presidential communication because of the NCAA/Big Sky Conference governance structures. President Wyatt opens up about the inside conversation and decision process for canceling the Big Sky men's basketball tournament and spring sports, as well as how the conference must be flexible with its scheduling this fall to accommodate a conference that represents 8 different states.

This episode originally aired on Athletic Director U.

Travis Smith is joined by Robert Morris University President Dr. Chris Howard on the Higher Ed Athletics podcast. Smith and Dr. Howard discuss presidential oversight in the NCAA governance model and Dr. Howard shares his thoughts on how cash in the system has led us to the Name, Image and Likeness moment. As his term is now complete, Dr. Howard talks about the perspective a university president can provide to the College Football Playoff selection committee while also being honest about the limitations of options with so few Division I presidents having football experience. Howard ends the conversation with advice for both university presidents and athletic directors so that each can better understand one another’s role in American higher education.

This episode originally aired on Athletic Director U. Last fall before I started working at Indiana University I sat down with Vice President/Athletic Director Fred Glass.

Glass tells the story of his unconventional and unforeseen path to the AD chair at his alma mater after working as a public official and lawyer. Smith and Glass cover a number of different topics, including how and why IU has spent approximately $300 million on facility enhancements in the past decade, the relationship between an AD and a university’s board of trustees, how the Hoosiers remain self-sufficient financially, as well as an in-depth breakdown of coaching contract buyouts. Glass acknowledges that not coming up through the intercollegiate athletics establishment has made his approach to the job different than some of his Big Ten peers and he ends the talk with some valuable career advice.

HEA sat down with Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens to discuss how philanthropy from Nike’s Phil and Penny Knight have helped the athletic department innovate and build the “Decade of the Duck.” The two discuss the often unnoticed impact athletic success can have on an institution as Mullens shares plenty of examples of collaboration happening at University of Oregon. Listeners will also learn best practices in being a sitting athletic director during a university president transition and why it is so difficult to truly measure financial independence between an athletic department and the institution.

*This interview originally aired on AthleticDirectorU in August 2019

Kentucky’s Mitch Barnhart joined HEA Insider for a wide ranging conversation on the Higher Ed Athletics podcast. Barnhart explains why and how a Power 5 AD keeps the focus on non-revenue sports in a football and men’s basketball driven market. Barnhart then sheds light on the built-in relationship between athletic directors and presidents that comes with the NCAA governance model. Barnhart explains to Smith why having a small group of counselors for advice on difficult decisions is critical in this industry and what aspiring athletic directors need to understand about higher education outside of just their athletic department.

The President of Indiana State University sits down with Higher Ed Athletics to discuss challenges facing higher education in the Midwest and how ISU is approaching them. President Curtis, a first generation college student, is the first female to serve the presidency at ISU and only the second alum. This episode features mostly higher ed content that those studying college athletics will benefit from hearing about, too.