The Lincoln Parish Journal sat down with Dr. Jim Henderson earlier this year to discuss a number of topics. Here is a Q&A in regards to Tech Athletics and its role in campus life and the overall mission of the University.
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VP and Director of Athletics Ryan Ivey was one of your very first hires when you became President. How would you judge the job he has done in his first year?
“Ryan was one of the first major decisions that we had to make. I think by all indications it’s been a home run. Ryan has been a great partner to me; a great confidant. We think about things in similar ways. We have the same aspirations, the same outcomes we are trying to pursue.
“We not only think about things in similar ways, but we also think about things in complimentary ways. He is thinking about things from a different level and from a different background, where I’m looking at things from a holistic level. I think those two things merge and lead to good decision making.
“He has built his team out. He has brought in some great talent that is perfectly aligned with the challenges and opportunities in college athletics. He has also elevated some talent and analyzed some (personnel). He’s been a great partner.”
How important is athletics for the overall mission of the University?
“Many people’s connection to the University comes from athletics. A lot of times, alums’ one source of information about the University, at least on a regular basis, is through athletics. Because we are walking around totally connected to the world, everyone can watch athletics. In the old days, if it wasn’t on one of the three main networks … you didn’t really get to see (college games).
“Now (thanks to TV and streaming) we are connected to our 90,000 living alumni at any given time. (Athletics) is important for us to use as a tool to connect with those external audiences. For students it’s a source of pride. There are extremes of fandom, but every student is associated with success. (Athletics) is such a tangible connection with success … all these (games and events) that are very visible. It’s a connection to the University that is vital.
“It’s why being competitive is essential. If you want to be associated with success, then you’ve got these multiple, multiple points of truth where you can demonstrate success. You must take advantage of those.”
How do you gauge success in athletics?
“Wins and losses is part of it. It absolutely is. But the integration of student athletes into the campus community is key. I do sit in this office, but I do a lot more walking around. I look to see how those student athletes are students first. I see them all the time at the Tech Table or Tolliver Hall. I see them walking to class. I see them in the library. And I have conversations with them.
“One of the first things I ask them is how is school going. Usually in the middle of every quarter the answer is the same from every Tech student. ‘It’s going great,’ just with a little bit of hesitancy and a little bit of an edge because you know they are challenged in the classroom. That is part of the Tech experience that will never change. We want every Tech student … to be challenged in the classroom. Certainly, our student athletes are like that.
“But at the same time, you get comments like, ‘You know I’m working on a project that has me thinking, a lot.’ These are the conversations we have. You want to make sure they are integrated into the student body as a whole.
“The other part of it is what you hear from the community. And what you hear from alumni. Not as much on message boards and (social media), which are great places to rant. I’m all in favor of that. Rant all you want to. But when you are walking around the community and having these conversations, and people say, ‘Man, that was a great win.’ Or, ‘Man, we were so close.’ Or, ‘I’m really looking forward to the series this weekend.’
“You hear that, and you see they are wearing loyal blue with the (Tech) logo, that’s another way to measure success. Many people want to be affiliated with this institution because of athletics. That’s certainly a measure of success.
“And finally, are people willing to invest in this product. If you want to know how people really feel about you … are they willing to dip into their own treasure and support you. Sometimes it’s supporting things because of what they have seen happen, but sometimes it’s because they believe in the vision that has been cast. They believe you have the team in place to realize that vision. And they want to be a part of it.”
What is your role as President in supporting the athletics side when it comes to resources?
“Ryan and I had this conversation a few (months) ago about this. It was on philanthropic resources. He was going to meet with a few major supporters of Louisiana Tech Athletics. Our paths cross a lot. We talk on an on-going basis, so we know we are speaking the same language.
“We know for instance the Louisiana Tech Sports Performance Institute … we brought me in and Davey (Norris) in and others into the conversation. Both sides (campus and athletics) use this in our messaging although we approach it from different angles. They are talking about it in terms of outreach from high school coaches because they are talking about it in terms of approving performance on the field.
“I talk about it in terms of a research agenda. How do we increase relevancy in some of the things we are doing. Teresa Murray is doing ground-breaking research in the treatment of head injuries. How do you do something in the very first stage of a head injury that’s prophylactic in nature that prevents that head injury from progressing in its seriousness.
“If you can’t draw the connection between that and what happens on the football field or the soccer field, you are missing some obvious connections. We have a laboratory right there in place. Drawing those connections makes it easier.
“One of the things I would love to study is what is the next generation of the blocking sled. We have a kinesiology program that is the best in the nation at understanding human motion, and what that motion results in. We have a mechanical engineering program that can build about anything you can imagine. We have a biomedical engineering program that can build devices around the human body.
“How to create the next generation blocking sled so you an set it electronically to be first-and-goal inside the one-yard line. And you put the offensive line on it, and when you snap the ball, that sled doesn’t budge unless every member of that offensive line is doing it exactly the way they are supposed to.
“I don’t know if that will ever happen, but it’s something that captures the imagination and brings athletics together with our research and scholarship.”
The student athletic fee proposal was voted down in 2022. What are your thoughts on moving forward in a day and age where you are trying to find more revenue and resources?
“The students that are at Louisiana Tech want to be at Louisiana Tech. When we bring (a prospect) on campus that is undecided, they typically become decided by the time they leave campus. That’s great for Louisiana Tech. We have great value. When you get your return on investment upon graduation it’s one of the best, if not the best, in the state.
“At the same time, we have seen the cost of going to college increase dramatically over the past 15 years. When I was a student in school, I could work 300 hours over the summer and afford tuition and fees and living expenses … for the entire year. Today, the wages for a non-educated student that wants to go to college then they have to work 2100 hours. That’s more than a full-time job.
“We have shifted the burden of funding a college education on students. So, to go ask them to reach into finite resources to contribute to athletics, you better have a value proposition associated with it. You better have a deep conversation with students. You better have an understanding of what sacrifice you are asking students to make and what is the return on that investment.
“So, as we start having those kinds of conversations, it’s important that we are very candid, very transparent, and that we deliver on those promises. When we can get that conversation had and get a general understanding of that … it may be time to look at that again. Until then it’s premature and it will never work.”
