Category: Athletic Directors

UNC Chapel Hill athletic director Bubba Cunningham joined the Higher Ed Athletics podcast for an informative conversation. Cunningham starts the conversation talking about what he learned early in his career at Notre Dame as well as what his two previous AD jobs at Tulsa and Ball State taught him before leading North Carolina. Bubba then…

Milwaukee Athletic Director Amanda Braun joined the Higher Ed Athletics podcast for a discussion heavy on institutional branding and the future of corporate naming rights in college athletics. Braun and Smith discuss the upcoming challenges and opportunities for D1 institutions operating in cities. Braun closes the episode talking about a problem developing in D1 intercollegiate…

Chris King of Robert Morris University joined me on the Higher Ed Athletics podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on his career and philosophy in being a vice president and athletic director. We start by talking about the institutional profile challenges and opportunities of a small private D1 research institution like RMU. Next we speak about…

Mike Roth has been the athletic director at Gonzaga University for almost a quarter century. Roth joined the Higher Ed Athletics podcast to give the behind-the-scenes look at how investment in basketball saved an institution. In this episode I mostly just sat back, asked quick questions, and let Mr. Roth run with it. In a…

Scott Garrett is the Athletic Director at Cleveland State University and he joined the Higher Ed Athletics podcast for a wide ranging conversation. Garrett shares his career journey and what someone can pull from a Power 5 job to the Horizon League or comparable institution. The conversation then turns to hitting the ground running with…

Charlotte Athletic Director Mike Hill joined me on the Higher Ed Athletics podcast. We started the conversation profiling UNC-Charlotte and his thought process behind leaving Florida for the Charlotte AD job. The rest of the conversation dives into the importance of branding and relationships with administrators at the other universities in the system. Below is…

Vice President and Athletic Director Kortne Gosha joins the Higher Ed Athletics podcast to talk about the changes at Florida A&M University since his arrival in late 2019. Smith and Gosha start by discussing the career trajectory decision that many athletic administrators face at some point and how to learn from mistakes throughout the early…

Indiana State’s Sherard Clinkscales joins the Higher Ed Athletics podcast for a wide-ranging conversation. The athletic department recently changed its entire brand identity with a new logo and Smith asks about the process and what current and future athletic directors should consider if tasked with taking on such a project at their institutions. In a…

Harvard University’s Athletic Director Erin McDermott recently joined me to talk about the Ivy League’s core values and approach towards intercollegiate athletics.

Turning the Atlanta Braves’ old baseball stadium into a football stadium and an athletic village for Georgia State University is the initial focus of this episode with Georgia State athletic director Charlie Cobb. Other topics include: corporate naming rights to facilities; how Charlie transitioned from the AD at App State to Georgia State and why…