[Part 1 of 3: This three-part article addresses the current environment in collegiate athletics related to the student-athlete experience. Athletics directors and other campus administrators need to engage student-athletes in meaningful and systematic ways to promote communication, trust and accountability. The student-athlete experience must enhance overall educational goals at every institution. Find out how we […]
Gems From Wooden
John Wooden was one of the most successful college basketball coaches in the history of the game. Although he coached in a different era, his approach to coaching provided a foundation his players used for successful lives after graduating from UCLA. Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success” has become famous for its simple yet profound concepts. A […]
It’s Not What You Know…
It’s how much you care. OK, some people thought it was “who you know” that matters, right? Well, maybe that’s true for advancing your own career but in leadership positions people need to know and feel you care about them. How I Failed Miserably As a young, up and coming athletics administrator I had ambitions […]
Quantifying Athletics Impact on Enrollment
In this episode of Perspective on Athletics, we discuss the issue of enrollment management and the role athletics plays. Many small campuses are tuition dependent, if not tuition driven, institutions. In other words, hitting enrollment targets plays a critical budgetary role for the entire campus. The relationship between athletics and admissions departments can make or […]
Summer’s Here: Hurry up and relax
Summer is officially almost here. Very soon are the 7-10 days of the year that athletics administrators can exhale, unwind and (dare I say) relax. But, next year is right around the corner and fall sports will be in full swing. It’s time to review your “I wish I would have…” list. You know, it’s […]
Compromised Virtue: Where do we go from here?
Athletics’ virtue has been obliterated by one scandal after another played out publicly in various media. If one thing can come from all of the recent media coverage of alleged coach “abuse” of student-athletes, it should be that we all need to pay more attention to what it happening within athletics programs… even if there […]
Independent Investigations- The true cost of not knowing.
An independent investigation of the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay men’s basketball program provided several inconclusive conclusions, but one that rings loudly for all athletics directors and coaches is: “3. The lack of a clear standard for conduct by coaches, and the sharply disputed facts, make it difficult to evaluate the charges that Coach Wardle […]
Why You Should Scrap Your Mission Statement
Most mission statements are useless. Organizations spend time crafting and word-smithing statements that they want to use as a guiding force for the people that work there. However, few organizations get beyond words on a web page or a printed piece of paper. Some even print glossy color posters of their mission statement and hang […]