By Malcolm Butler
With the departure of Eric Wood as the Louisiana Tech Vice President and Director of Athletics back in late January, the search for the University’s next athletic department leader heats up this week as the initial round of interviews begins.
A new president will be leading the charge in looking for a new AD.
Dr. Jim Henderson, who took over the role as the Tech President on January 1, said his desire is to have a new AD in place by the end of this month. However, he was clear that he will err on the side of making the right hire.
“We hope to announce the new AD the last week of February,” said Henderson. “That’s our timeline and it is very aggressive. But your timelines are flexible. Finding the right person is non-negotiable. That’s what we’re going to do.”
Henderson confirmed that the University’s five-person search committee also includes Associate VP/Deputy AD Mary Kay Hungate, University Interim Provost Donna Thomas, Director of Title IX Compliance Mortissa Harvey, and Tech alum and former President of the University Alumni Association Steve Davison. He also stated that the University contracted with Parker Executive Search firm for the process.
“We’re working with a renowned national search firm that understands our institution, that understands the landscape of college athletics, that has deep connections with potential candidates,” said Henderson. “And it has a great process of getting input from multiple stakeholder groups and truly understanding the mission and then delivering on it.
“But they also understand our desire to find the athletic director that helps move Louisiana Tech Athletics to the ultra upper echelon of the Group of Five athletics. That’s where we want to be. We understand the challenges. We understand the resource environment. But we want to be competitive in every sport that we field a team, and I believe we can do that.”
Henderson said the journey to the next AD started the day that Wood announced he accepted a Senior Deputy AD position at Ole Miss. In addition to naming Hungate the Interim AD, Henderson began dialogue with members of the athletics department.
“I talked to the the department about our path forward,” Henderson said. “I met with the athletic department leadership team and with all the head coaches. We had a good hour-long conversation, ensuring they understood what our process was going to be and that they would have a role and a voice in that process. We communicated what the expectations are.”
In addition to talking to the internal stakeholders, Henderson said he has had numerous conversations with many of the external ones as well.
“We had a number of conversations with fans and alumni that have an interest,” said Henderson. “And to their credit, they have said, ‘you know, I don’t want to get into the business, but kind of tell me what where we’re going and what you think.’ And, and all of them seemed to support this idea that we can compete with any like institutions.
“They want to win. Fans are fans. They want to have a quality product on the courts and on the fields of play. And from everything I’ve heard, the fan base has been very supportive, very positive, but also with clear expectations of what they want to see.”
So what does “compete” mean?
Henderson simply pointed to the success that one of the former CUSA members had last year on a national stage, and said he believes Tech has the potential to position itself for similar success stories.
“Just think of what Florida Atlantic did last year (advancing to the Final Four in men’s basketball),” Henderson said. “We’ve got a great stable of coaches. All have the potential to be championship coaches. We want to give them create the conditions which they can do that. And then create a system of accountability that they will do that.”
Henderson said that his meeting with the Tech head coaches led to plenty of feedback. And although the feedback include a variety of factors, he said there was one over-riding message that came out of the meeting.
“They want an AD that’s going to allow them to do what they came here to do, and that’s coach competitive teams,” said Henderson. “They don’t want to get caught up in administrivia. They don’t want to be saddled with activities that that aren’t part of coaching student athletes. We all have to step in and do things for the broader good. We have to work as a team. We have to support each other.”
Due to the budget challenges at Tech, Henderson admitted the definition of success for the next AD may look a little different than at school’s with greater resources. However, he feels strongly that success can still be measured and the right selection can help elevate the department.
“If we can get an athletic director who is going to give us at least five to six years, and if they want to lead, they leave better than they found it,” said Henderson. “That’s going to be the real success. And I think most fans would be thoroughly satisfied with it.“
Tech ranks among the bottom third in CUSA in athletic department budget so Henderson knows the importance of finding a leader that can continue to work to increase revenue streams and private giving.
“(I am looking for) someone that understands the resource game, that understands that we’ve got to fundraise and that we can’t fundraise from the same 25 alums,” said Henderson. “We have to broaden that donor base. And to do that, you have to create a compelling reason for them to give. They want to invest in excellence. People don’t give to need. They give to excellence. They want to be part of a good product.”
Henderson also said he understands his role and impact as University President on helping the athletic side of campus grow, knowing athletics success can have a direct impact on enrollment.
“Creating the conditions for success,” said Henderson about his role. “That means the resource mix. We are a resource-strained institution as are most public institutions these days. And so it’s not about dividing up our pie into different pieces, different sized pieces, and giving someone a larger piece of the pie. It’s going out and enlarging an entire pie and ensuring that that we can grow the resource base. It’s going to allow them to be successful.”
