In an earlier post we discussed quantifying the impact of athletics on enrollment management. One aspect of that process is establishing expectations and accountability for athletics recruiting. In this episode of Perspective on Athletics, we look at a simple, yet effective way to establish recruiting expectations that will quantify athletics’ activity as well as productivity. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Little League, Puppies and Leadership
Our eight-year old son just started his Little League season and I offered to help coach. We also recently welcomed a female Chesapeake puppy to our family. Both of these situations have offered great reminders of three effective leadership principles: 1. Create the vision. Clarity of purpose is essential. Your vision of success must be […]
Spelman College- Missing the Boat on Athletics
In November Spelman College, an historically black college for women in Atlanta, announced it was eliminating its NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletics program. Citing a desire to serve more students with the resources now dedicated to athletics (roughly $900,000), Spelman’s president announced a plan to focus on beefing up fitness, wellness, recreation and intramural programs […]
Power- Use, Abuse and Accountability
In this episode of Perspective on Athletics we look at power and what it means, especially for intercollegiate athletics and coaches. The recent media coverage of Rutgers University’s handling of men’s basketball coach Mike Rice once again raises issues about power and authority of head coaches. The Spider Man Doctrine Our 8-year old son has […]
Getting the most out of student-athlete surveys
Do you regularly collect feedback from your student-athletes? More and more senior administrators are asking to see evidence of athletics’ impact on student learning. This comes as a response to accreditation, budget justification or simply a campus commitment to assessment of student affairs units. Institutions are looking for more accountability. This is a good thing for […]
Transparency- Minimizing (Mis) Interpretation
Transparency has been a buzzword in business for many years. But what does it mean and how transparent are you in leading your department or organization? Why is transparency important? It builds trust, in the leader, in the department and its mission, objectives and values It strengthens a team or community because trust is at […]