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East Tennessee State University

MISSION STATEMENT

  1. Ensuring that student-athletes grow and develop both in and outside of the classroom, thereby positioning them to become graduates of ETSU.

   2. Competing for and winning Southern Conference championships, and to compete in the NCAA Tournaments and Championships.
 
   3. Increasing the power of the university’s brand through effective communication and connection with internal and external constituencies.

   4. Improving the quality of life for all students, faculty, alums and friends of ETSU by providing enjoyable, effectively managed and fiscally responsible programs.
 

VISION STATEMENT

To be the preeminent mid-major program in the nation.

Be GREAT

Since taking over on August 1, 2022, my priority was to try to stabilize the athletic department in two areas.  First, like every mid-major program in the country, we were faced with some challenging financial issues.  While we certainly are not out of the woods, we have made significant progress.  We were pretty much “playing defense” and trying to survive the 22-23 fiscal year.  Through the help of many folks inside and outside the University, we were able to finish in a much better financial situation than I would ever have expected.  Secondly, we experienced challenges with staffing and internal processes.  I feel we have added some very talented and experienced staff that have already made a major difference and adding processes and controls that will set the stage for much more efficient operation. 

Now we can put in place new initiatives that will set the course for the future of ETSU Athletics. As you know, today is an extremely challenging time for all of college athletics.  The lack of leadership from the NCAA has created a truly difficult landscape for every Division 1 program.  Fortunately, I feel that Charlie Baker, the new NCAA President, is the right person to deal with all the land mines facing the NCAA and the landscape of college athletics.  However, right now is a time of uncertainty and confusion, so I have taken a great deal of time to try to develop the best path forward for ETSU Athletics to be successful.  I have talked with Athletic Directors, Coaches, National media, and others to try to figure out what ETSU Athletics needs to do moving forward to have a program that will serve the University, the Community and our student-athletes in a way that makes everyone proud. 

As I conducted this research, it became very clear to me that we need to totally focus on the student-athlete and create a positive life changing experience for them.  To accomplish that goal, we need to take a holistic approach to our engagement with student-athletes.  In the past, ETSU (like every other Division 1 program) focused on two areas.  We were concerned about their performance on the field, court, diamond, track, etc. and we paid very close attention to their academic performance and progress.  For us to move forward we must be intentional and committed to much more.  I have identified the following ten areas that we are going to invest significant resources to create a great experience and provide the resources for them to be successful as a student-athlete but more importantly be successful in life.  We are calling this major initiative the “Be Great” Student-Athlete Success Paradigm.  The following represent the ten pillars of this paradigm: 

  1. Athletic Performance
  2. Academic Performance
  3. Mental Health
  4. Nutrition
  5. Career Development
  6. Sports Psychology
  7. Networking
  8. Mentoring and Peer Counseling
  9. Student/Staff Engagement
  10. Leadership Academy 

The rationale behind the “Be GREAT” Student-Athlete Success Paradigm has multiple layers of reasoning that led me to this effort.  First of all, today’s student-athlete is considerably different than the student-athlete from seven years ago.  Think of all the influences and experiences today’s student has encountered: 

  1. Covid---these young people missed at least one year of high school, and many missed a year of competition.
  2. Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL)---today’s athlete has the opportunity to generate revenue through Name, Image, and Likeness.
  3. Transfer Portal---they can transfer at any time and be eligible immediately.
  4. Social Media----social media has given everybody a public platform to criticize and complain.
  5. Information overload---information (some good and some bad) is available in every phase of life.
  6. Youth Sports Model---the youth sports model has developed into an entirely different experience for young folks that provides them a very different view of what sport is.
  7. Influencers----schools, communities and organizations are impacted by influencers who may or may not know anything about what they try to influence.
  8. Artificial Intelligence---machines simulating human intelligence using algorithms to make decisions. 

To provide the best systems to help our student athletes have a transformative experience at ETSU, we are developing the “Be GREAT” Student Athlete Success Paradigm.  I feel that we must have a mantra that ties everything together that is more a statement of what we are committed to.  We want and expect every student-athlete, coach, and administrator to totally believe and encourage the “Be GREAT” mantra.  “Be GREAT” is an acronym that identifies our core values and is the foundation for our student-athlete success paradigm. 

G          be Grateful---everyone in our program has plenty to be thankful for.

R          be Resilient—As Muhammad Ali said “Inside a ring or out, ain’t nothing wrong with going down. It’s staying down that’s wrong.”

E          be Excited----if you don’t have enthusiasm why are you part of ETSU Athletics.

A          be All in---you are either “all in” or “all out”, everyone can make that decision.

T          be Together----“pull together” or “pull apart” success depends on being together.

If we believe and commit to our mantra of “Be GREAT”, our student-athletes will have a great experience and be on the path to a successful and productive life.  Our coaches will develop teams that care and play with passion.  Our fan base will be engaged and enjoy supporting student-athletes and teams that commit to the “Be GREAT” mantra.  Our University and community will be elevated by student-athletes and teams that have a great experience and success at ETSU.  ETSU will be a source of pride for every alum, ticketholder, parent, and resident of Northeast Tennessee.

Building the “Be GREAT” Student-Athlete Success Paradigm is not an overnight effort and unfortunately, I cannot flip a switch and make this happen.  Not only will we need some time to develop the program, but we will also need some financial resources.  With that in mind we are developing the “I Give A Buc” campaign.  This campaign will have one purpose and every dollar will go toward the development of the “Be GREAT” Student-Athlete Paradigm. 

We will have costs as we move forward with new staffing, nutrition fueling stations, sports psychologists, a career development specialist and assuredly more yet to be determined expenses.   We will implement new efforts to help identify better ways to support our athletes (i.e., Meyers Briggs training, career exploration tools and experts, Leadership Assessments, etc.).  Without question, I certainly do not have all the answers, but I know we are committed to open dialogue with the student-athletes to get their input into how to make their time as a ETSU student-athlete life changing.

To make all this happen, we are building the “I Give A Buc” campaign.  The basic concept is that we are asking everyone who cares about ETSU student-athletes to give “a Buc every day” or $30 a month or $365 a year.  These dollars will assist us in every way to help us create a student-athlete experience that will not only benefit the student-athlete while they are in college but will provide them the tools to be successful, productive and a lifelong ETSU ambassador. 

Every gift dollar raised by the “I Give A Buc” campaign will be spent in one of the ten pillars of support for student-athletes.  This campaign is not the typical athletic giving where people generate priority for tickets or other benefits, this campaign is totally about helping create the best possible experience for our student-athletes from nutrition to career help to mental health.  My goal is to have 1,000 individuals commit to invest in our “Be GREAT” Student-Athlete Success Paradigm by making a commitment to the “I Give A Buc” campaign.  Please join me and every one of our head coaches and administrators by saying “I Give A Buc” and make your commitment today.

Again, I do not have all the answers, so I need your advice and assistance to make the ETSU Athletic Department one that has the correct focus, the right core values, and the leadership to make us all proud. Your support and input will make us “Be GREAT”.