@1QLeadership Question: How does a coach know when to remove someone from the team?

Leanne Ulmer, Head Volleyball Coach at Carthage College, talks about her experiences leading the team for almost 25 years. She discusses working through athletics director changes, leading the team without a full-time assistant coach, deciding when to remove someone from the team, and celebrating other sports on campus while mentoring young coaches throughout the department.

• "If you don't wither and die, you'll learn from the experience."
• Anticipating which student-athletes will be leaders
• Being enrollment driven is a lot to manage with a small staff
• Being intentional with developing relationships with other coaches in the department

Coach Ulmer also talks a lot about her son, University of Oregon Volleyball Coach Matt Ulmer, and the personal and professional relationship they have as volleyball coaches. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: How do leadership development, personnel changes, and organizational behavior intersect?

Angie Torain, Director of Athletics & Recreation at University of Chicago, discusses her development as an executive, developing the leaders on her staff, and enhancing the organizational priorities within the department.

• Evaluate the environment, then ask for what you need
• Allow staff to make decisions
• Figure out how you can enhance the existing culture

Torain also covers aspects of fundraising, expanding facilities, and expanding her staff to provide better experiences for student-athletes. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: Are mental health services provided to an institution's athletic alumni?

Ashton Henderson, Deputy Athletics Director at Michigan State, and Renaldo Hill, NFL/College football coach, discuss the transition away from playing sports as a competitor and the impact it can have on former athletes. Henderson describes a new resource at Michigan State for former student-athletes called Alumni STATE of Mind.

• Available to anyone who was a student-athlete at Michigan State
• 24-hour dedicated crisis lifeline available for MSU athletic alumni managed by The Hope Desk
• Discounted services provided anywhere in the country managed by Skywood Recovery
• For those without insurance, Fund Recovery will work with former student-athletes to ensure quality care despite any financial challenges

Both Henderson and Hill describe their respective transitions to their current professions. Hill talks about mentoring NFL and college football players and helping them focus on life away from Football, while Henderson covers providing services to current student-athletes and ensuring care is accessible after they finish playing. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: What is the role of an Athletic Certification Officer?

Carol Bonner, Associate Registrar for Athletic Certification and Eligibility at Texas Tech, explains her role on campus and how it supports the athletics by being housed outside of the department.

• Manage the process of determining eligibility for student-athletes
• The role is different on every college campus
• Decisions are very objective - no subjectivity

Bonner's office is also responsible for managing the research for the NCAA Graduation Success Rates and Academic Progress Rates at the school. She works with over 30 people throughout campus who contribute to the athletic certification at Texas Tech. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: Can one brand or symbol represent all of campus, including athletics?

Jason Cook, VP for Marketing and Communications at Baylor University, shares insights on communicating with a specific objective. He also gives us a deep dive into his One Brand Approach to marketing for an institution of higher education.

• 'Communicating with a specific objective' is an overarching description that covers all branches of communications
• A college's athletics logo is usually its most recognizable symbol
• Avoid brand fragmentation amongst on-campus departments, individual sports teams, alumni organizations, etc.
• People don't graduate from specific colleges on campus, they graduate from the institution

Cook discusses how communicating with a specific objective helped the Heisman campaign for former Texas A&M quarterback, Johnny Manziel. He also gives his insight on using college athletics strategies to recruiting students who aren't athletes. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: Can the Faculty Athletics Representative's (FAR) role overlap with their research and professorial responsibilities?

As a Faculty Athletics Representative at Texas Tech, Professor Brian Shannon is responsible for advocating for student-athlete welfare. While his primary teaching responsibility is contract law, he focuses his policy and research work on mental health law, an area he has been researching for a lifetime due to his family experience with mental illness.

Professor Shannon explains that mental illness patients often get caught in the criminal justice system without receiving treatment. He also emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between having a mental illness and dealing with mental health challenges. As mental health is a top issue faced by NCAA student-athletes, the NCAA Mental Health Best Practices are continuously updated to provide support. - One Question Leadership Podcat - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: Is the path to the athletics director chair always the same?

Sharief Hashim, Director of Athletics at Susquehanna University stopped by 1Q to talk about his journey from recreation director to college athletics director. From assistant basketball coach to interim athletics director, Hashim has navigated his career through passion and purpose.

• working with people
• leading adults
• servant leadership
• understanding business

Hashim's leadership principles include having empathy, understand your leadership style, and get outside of your comfort zone. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: What can college athletics teach us about retention rates?

We asked the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Chancellor, Dr. Jim Schmidt, about the importance of athletics on a college campus. He gave us insight from research done at UW-Eau Claire which says there are key components that exists in college sports that can translate to higher retention if applied to campus in general.

• Meet students where they are academically, socially, mentally
• Sense of belonging
• Upperclass mentors
• Trusted adults
• Community

At UW-Eau Claire, Black men who are student-athletes have a retention rate in the 90% range, while those of the same group who aren't athletes have a retention rate in the 70% range. Chancellor Schmidt talks about the goals and community strategies the school has put in place to focus on each student. He also talks about how a $70 million athletics facility helps to accomplish those goals. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: How does donor feedback and creativity fit in fundraising?

We asked Alvin Hines II, Sr. Associate Athletics Director at FAU, about athletics fundraising. The key topics covered were how his personality fits within the specific niche of athletic development, what is the process of fundraising in an athletics department, and how much input do donors (and potential donors) have in how funds should be used.

• Personality is a big factor in fundraising
• Season ticket holders are a starting point
• Many big ideas come from donors
• Donors will most likely support their own ideas

Hines notes that one of the biggest jobs of a fundraiser is to leverage your current assets, whether that be under utilized space to events that already exist. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

1QLeadership Question: When should a coach or administrator hire an agent?

Garry Rosenfield, Coaches Agent for Coaches Inc., stops by 1Q to discuss his process for valuing coaches contracts and why he believes agents are an asset in terms of representation.

• Football sets the standard for contracts across sports
• Women's Volleyball has the biggest potential
• Process for valuation varies across schools
• Counsel can be necessary beyond negotiating contracts

While many people think agents are only hired for money, jobs, and contracts, Rosenfield believes representation is also necessary for counsel on many of the things required that allow a coach to focus on being a successful coach. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown