The Higher Ed Athletics Show

The first ever commissioner on Higher Ed Athletics, Ohio Valley Conference's Beth DeBauche joined the show for a wide-ranging conversation. DeBauche is a new NCAA Board of Governor member and shares her thoughts on balancing her past NCAA national office experience and tradition with the need to address the future of college athletics. She shares the role of a conference commissioner for those that may strive to be ADs one day, and then talks about working directly with presidents and chancellors. DeBauche tells the story and vision behind the Football partnership between the OVC and the Big South, including how it's more than a scheduling alliance. And of course the conversation can't end without a talk about conference realignment and strategic positioning as the OVC continues looking to expand. DeBauche describes the approach with Lindenwood who has 30+ sports as they joined the OVC as its regular conference.

Charles Guthrie has been leading Akron through a rebrand and joined the HEA podcast to talk about going to the Block "A" and that conversation spills into more insight into his approach to leadership as an executive. Guthrie gives his take on the pros and cons of guarantee money games in Football and whether things will change with the expansion of the College Football Playoff. With two AD Chair openings in the MAC at the time of this recording, Guthrie talks about what it's like working inside the MAC with their commissioner and its fellow ADs. We closed out the conversation talking about the transformation committee work and whether things become more challenging to operate an athletic department with so much ongoing uncertainty.

Stags VP for Athletics Paul Schlickmann is latest guest on the Higher Ed Athletics podcast. Schlickmann starts the conversation about his new VP appointment over the summer and explains what the new intention of the role is for him from the president. Schlickmann talks in detail about their brand new on-campus arena that is wrapping up construction ahead of this basketball season. The conversation then turns nationally about just rolling off of the D1 Council after a term that was full of incredible challenges and changes to the NCAA governance model. The conversation ends talking about how Schlickmann filters the curated industry news to stay knowledgeable in the local and national conversations about the future of college athletics as we address the challenges ahead in the next 5 to 10 years. Visit www.HigherEdAthletics.com to see what HEA is up to.

I hit the road to Dayton to visit with Wright State AD Bob Grant. We hit several topics, beginning with what keeps him excited about WSU after all these years leading his alma mater. The conversation turns to how WSU continues to hit above its weight in a busy D1 state of Ohio. As a self-described "least connected AD," I asked Grant if the industry noise causes him to lose focus of the day-to-day duties of the job. And at the same time, I ask how do leaders at Non-FB D1 schools like WSU help make sure their voice is heard with the Transformation Committee and other changes (it really can't). Grant shares his thoughts on the university hiring an outside firm to do an athletic department assessment on whether to stay at D1 or reclassify to D2 or D3. He then discusses in detail the decision to drop and add sports and whether they were concerned about dropping below the D1 minimum sport threshold without yet receiving a waiver. And, no, WSU hasn't been considering adding Football. I ask what problem needs solved in the next 5-10 year if the industry doesn't get ahead of it now. Grant ends the conversation with advice for administrators and how to control their stress levels with the job.

Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard is next up on Higher Ed Athletics to discuss a wide-range of topics. The conversation begins with his video communication strategy to fans, including one with President Wintersteen to calm the fan base after the shock of Texas and Oklahoma leaving the Big 12. He discusses the planning process for a university-wide entertainment district and how to prepare to present projects in front of the Board of Trustees. Pollard cites a safety concern as the reason to relocate its student section this upcoming season and what they did to accommodate season ticket holders in the new area. We discuss whether NIL Collectives will receive the fundraising dollars traditionally flowing into athletic departments. The conversation continues with thoughts on several changes, including the four additions to the Big 12 and retirements of both Commissioner Bowlsby and NCAA President Emmert, and what those jobs will look like for the new leaders chosen.

Visit www.HigherEdAthletics.com to learn more about the HEA Research services, including supporter/non-supporter, season ticket holder, brand awareness and embedded fan studies. And HEA is going to hit the road this season for in-person interviews. Visit HEA Official Visit on the site to learn more and reach out if you are interested in hosting Travis Smith to campus. Follow @TravisHEA on Twitter.

Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne kicks off season 4 of the Higher Ed Athletics podcast. Greg starts off talking about his experience growing up in Eugene, OR and other college towns as the son of an AD. He talks about what college sports was like from his perspective growing up and how that has changed from the many issues the industry is going through today. I ask him straight up whether he gets sick of people questioning his good intentions and stated passion for all of college athletics and not just football and basketball. We continue by talking about the Transformation Committee and the future responsibility for conference offices. Byrne ends the conversation talking about Commissioner Sankey's leadership in the SEC.

Check out 20 more minutes with Greg Byrne by visiting www.HigherEdAthletics.com as the conversation continues. We talk Paul Finebaum's impact on the SEC and the backstory of Mississippi State AD John Cohen. Then Greg shares advice for those working in the industry and his advice for preparing to deliver a presentation in front of a Board of Trustees.

Check out my new HEA research services: Donor Study. Season Ticket Holder Study. Embedded Fan Observation Study. https://higheredathletics.com/qualitative-research/

0:43 What was it like going to High School in Eugene, OR while your dad was Oregon's AD?

4:46 Athletic Director Career Report in Elementary School

7:48 Thoughts on Then & Now of college sports

13:35 Do you ever get sick of people not believing you care about anything other than Football and Basketball?

17:44 Is it a certainty at this point that conferences will take on more governance responsibility?

23:15 Commissioner Greg Sankey's brilliant stewardship of the SEC

27:40 What Paul Finebaum has done for the SEC

31:40 The backstory of Mississippi State AD John Cohen

35:50 Thoughts on those wanting to be an AD or currently working in College Athletics

40:35 Preparing for a presentation to the Board of Trustees and tips on public speaking

Randale Richmond is about to start his second year leading the Golden Flashes of Kent State University. This episode begins with the detailed story about how he researched the job and prepared for the interview. We talk about whether one year in if the job is what he expected it to be like. The conversation turns to cover topics like the Transfer Portal and how athletic directors will evaluate coaches with the increase in transfer activity. Richmond, who came up through the compliance ranks, shares his thoughts about the Transformation Committee and overall direction in governing college athletics. Richmond wraps up the conversation by previewing the 2022-2023 academic year in a way that new or future athletic directors will find useful in making the jump from year one to year two.

Michael Kelly from University of South Florida joined Higher Ed Athletics. The conversation begins with a question about whether giving levels and brand power at younger FBS institutions will ever catch up with the older institutions. Kelly shares the advantage that younger institutions like USF have right now in trying to be creative with decision-making. Kelly hosts the Bull Speed Ahead podcast and explains the reason behind the communication strategy for his fans. Particularly interesting since this show was created from being in a higher education doctorate program, Travis asks why it's been so important for Michael to teach and guest lecture at several institutions throughout his career. The conversation turns to how athletic leaders can leverage the brainpower on college campus ecosystems to help solve challenges in college athletics. Kelly shares how to decide whether advice is good or not in a decision-making process. Before closing with each sharing book recommendations, Travis asks Kelly to share a failure or challenge he has faced in his career: Ships in Jacksonville for the Super Bowl (Don't miss this story).

Recorded in October 2021, this is the first President & AD combination episode of the Higher Ed Athletics podcast. Joined by Grambling State University's President Rick Gallot Jr and Vice President Dr. Trayvean Scott, we had a wide-ranging conversation. President Gallot explains why he chose Dr. Scott to serve as not just the Athletic Director, but also becoming the first VP of Intercollegiate Athletics. Dr. Scott explains why he decided to pursue a PhD and what it was like moving from a Deputy role at Southern to the VP position at Grambling. Before becoming a university president, Gallot was a state representative and state senator and he shares how those relationships help the institution. To nerd out with me on APR, I ask Dr. Scott his thinking on what should happen with APR and he shares his philosophy and concerns on APR as it relates to NIL and transfer portal potentially negatively impacting top college athletes at HBCUs. The conversation turns to a good discussion on the unique relationships a university system can provide, especially when those system institutions are in different athletic conferences. President Gallot, when asked about how difficult it is to make decisions on college athletics with so much uncertainty, closes the conversation by explaining why it is in Grambling's historical nature to operate in challenging situations and makes the case as to why the more resourced institutions in the NCAA will be the ones at the disadvantage.

0:30 Institutional & Athletic Department Profiles

6:30 What President Gallot Saw in Hiring Dr. Scott as VP/AD

14:10 Why Dr. Scott Pursued the PhD to Complement AD Role

19:00 Going from Southern Deputy to Grambling State VP/AD

21:50 President Gallot's Experience as a State Senator/Representative Before Presidency

25:50 If Not for College Athletics, Would Presidents Talk to Each Other as Much?

29:00 How Do We Adjust APR for NIL, Transfer Portal if HBCUs Become Feeder for Transfer-Outs?

35:00 Institutions in University Systems & Different Conferences Collaborating on Athletics Decisions

42:22 Why President Gallot Thinks GCU is Well-Positioned for Uncertain NCAA Futures

Elliott Charles joined me last week for an hour conversation about Chicago State. Days after recording, Charles was reported as leaving the institution for a consulting opportunity. With his permission I have made this podcast available as a resource for those interested in becoming the next AD at Chicago State University. We spoke at length about his initial reactions in pursuit of the AD job and the first days in the chair. Then Charles talks about experiences the last two years leading through Covid-19 and his thoughts on the recently tabled legislation of the 21st Century Model for men's soccer after helping with the initial proposal while at Clemson. The conversation turned to the current challenges of not having a conference home and what role the president has for the athletic department in helping fulfill the institution's goals.

0:20 Institutional Profile

3:45 21st Century Model for Men's Soccer

14:35 Initial Reactions to Chicago State During Search

19:55 Creating Plan for Athletic Department

23:45 First to Cancel Sports During Covid-19

33:03 CSU President Scott Crisis Management & Legal Background

37:35 CSU President Scott's Goals & Vision for Athletics

44:00 Trying to Find a Permanent Conference

50:55 Difficulty & Consideration in Joining a Conference