05-24-2012, 08:47 AM
SJSU is in a vastly different situation. The SJSU AD job is not exactly the best AD position in the land. SJSU has big time budget challenges. SJSU has little alumni support for athletics. SJSU has an attendance problem with football. SJSU has chronic athlete graduation rate issues. Oh, and SJSU is fighting a brutal game of musical conference chairs. They found a spot, but it is not out of the question that some other school will bump them out if they can't get an AD to show the world they are serious about improving their programs.
Meanwhile, at Stanford, the Stanford AD is widely regarded as a destination job. Budget challenges are smaller. Student-athlete problems are minor. The job requires fundraising and lobbying for university support to admit a few athletes. The job also requires running around the country attending sport championships and picking up awards. Those are all things ADs probably like about their job. Musical conference chairs, NCAA graduation rate challenges, crumbling infrastructure, shrinking budgets, and little community support for athletics are probably not desirable.
SJSU's goal? Fill the position ASAP with anybody with a pulse because the department's future is in question.
Stanford's goal? Find a quality AD, but no need to just pick the next warm body that comes along.
I thought Stanford was pretty much on the record with a belief that the AD will be hired before September. Perhaps that was just a local writer's projection, but I was not expecting an announcement before the CWS.
Meanwhile, at Stanford, the Stanford AD is widely regarded as a destination job. Budget challenges are smaller. Student-athlete problems are minor. The job requires fundraising and lobbying for university support to admit a few athletes. The job also requires running around the country attending sport championships and picking up awards. Those are all things ADs probably like about their job. Musical conference chairs, NCAA graduation rate challenges, crumbling infrastructure, shrinking budgets, and little community support for athletics are probably not desirable.
SJSU's goal? Fill the position ASAP with anybody with a pulse because the department's future is in question.
Stanford's goal? Find a quality AD, but no need to just pick the next warm body that comes along.
I thought Stanford was pretty much on the record with a belief that the AD will be hired before September. Perhaps that was just a local writer's projection, but I was not expecting an announcement before the CWS.