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