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Sonoma State coaches intend to file a class action lawsuit against the institution and will pursue lobbying efforts to save the athletic department. Per The Press Democrat’s Gus Morris, the coaches are also looking to “enlist the faculty union and will push for more transparency on the budgetary and decision-making process that led to the cuts.” They plan to speak at this week’s California State University Board of Trustees meeting and engage alumni and the community to gain enough financial support to continue operating. Men’s Soccer HC Marcus Ziemer is one calling for budget transparency, as he states SSU athletics ran on a $3.7M budget with over $2M funded via Instructionally Related Activities fees. Further: “We knew athletics might be on the table for cuts, but all their actions (prior to Wednesday’s announcement) showed the opposite. They put a travel ban on the university, but they let athletics continue to recruit.” Women’s Soccer HC Emiria Salzman: “We’re here to fight and we want our student-athletes to know that we’re fighting. That’s what we do.” (link)

MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy sits down with D2.ticker's Anthony Grassi at the 2025 NCAA Convention to dive into Racy’s efforts to push for change in Division II and the industry. The DII Football Alliance met in Nashville with eight conferences represented among the roughly 50 attendees and the focus of their conversations was around changes they would like to see, such as an expanded bracket or different bracketing principles, and the organization of football broadly to potentially include lower-level FCS programs that may not want to participate in a revenue-share model. “If there is, is there a way to align some of those schools with some of the schools that were at our meeting last night and create a different model either under the NCAA umbrella or outside of it?” Racy believes that to enact change on these critical issues, the alliance will have to come forward with a strategy and plan. “The days of survey, discussion, contemplation, another survey, here's our strategy, now let's go vote two years later, I'm sorry it can't continue to work like that. On some of these critical issues; we've got to be proactive, we've got to make some decisions and we can't continue to be reactive.” One other group Racy is engaged with is the college advisory board, facilitated by former Horizon League (DI) Commissioner Jon LeCrone: “It’s purpose is to bring representatives from FCS, Division II, Division III and even the NAIA around the table to talk about the future of college sports committed to an educational model.” On what some may see as moving away from the “Life in the Balance” mantra for DII: “I helped create Life in the Balance. Life in the Balance was never about being mediocre in more than one thing so you can balance your life. Life in the Balance was a destination to be excellent in everything you do. […] I feel like on the competitive landscape, we're taking ourselves back. Division II has brought in a number of schools that used to be in the NAIA. When you used to leave the NAIA and move into Division II, it was about enhancing your athletic program. […] My personal opinion seeing the difference of schools that are coming in now versus where they were 10 years ago, we've got schools now that aren't really trying to change anything. They're treating NCAA as NAIA Version 2 and I think it's watering down the competitive nature of Division II athletics.” Asked about the current NCAA division structure: “I worked at the NCAA. I have a lot of affinity for the good old days and how grand the three divisions were, how grand this great convention was. That was invented in 1973. It served us 50 great years. It's time for something else. We can do better.” Full conversation on BOSCA. (link)

Virginia Senator Creigh Deeds (D-Charlottesville) has proposed a bill to amend an existing law that caps the amount of tuition subsidies Virginia public schools can direct toward athletics. According to Sportico’s Daniel Libit and Eben Novy-Williams, the legislation would remove a paragraph that requires any new student fee revenue allocated toward athletics to be matched with a proportionate increase in generated revenue from elsewhere. It also expands the list of expenses that are exempt from the cap’s calculations. The bill also asks the state’s joint legislative audit and review commission to study the impact of its current limitations on student fee revenue “in light of evolving trends in intercollegiate athletics institutions and organizational structures and policy,” and to consider how they impact a school’s ability “to maintain competitiveness” in college sports. The subsidy percentage for DII members will remain at 81% for those with Football and 85% for those without Football. (link)

Henry L. Aaron Field at James P. Small Memorial Park, the home of Edward Waters Baseball, recently cut the ribbon on a $2M renovation that includes upgraded dugouts and lighting, a new turf surface and more. (link)

It’s Personnel:

+ Missouri-St. Louis Asst. AD for Facilities and Game Management Alex Langella has been promoted to Assoc. AD for Marketing, Facilities and Sport Administration. (link)

+ Cedarville names high school HC Rich Ritter as the Yellow Jackets’ new Men’s and Women’s Golf HC. (link)

+ Flagler selects Lander Women’s Volleyball HC Jeff Reynolds for the same role with the Saints. (link)

+ This morning’s edition of Coaches.wire is loaded with details of all coaching staff changes across all sports from the past few days. (link)

Saturday’s Maryville-Lincoln (MO) Women’s Basketball game was suspended after a medical emergency with a Saints coach. Maryville AD Brittany Fennell: “A member of our women's basketball coaching staff was taken to a local medical center. Maryville University would like to thank the first responders, EMT staff and the Maryville and Lincoln athletic trainers who arrived promptly and attended to our coaching member. Our thoughts are with the entire Maryville women's basketball family." (link)

@1QLeadership Question: How much does an athletics director think about succession planning?

Alex Ricker-Gilbert, Senior Vice President and Athletic Director at Jacksonville University, discusses hiring coaches and succession planning with Lamarr Pottinger, Director of Leadership Development with the NCAA. Ricker-Gilbert has a process of identifying assistant coaches that could potentially be head coaches in the future and engaging with them regularly. He also talks about being aggressive with head coaches who show early signs of success, such as extending one Jacksonville head coach to a 10-year contract after his first year.

• "Will this person care more about our student-athletes as people than as athletes?"

• "Tell us why you want to be at our institution"

• "If you do a good job hiring, the rest of the leader's job is much easier."

Ricker-Gilbert believes upward mobility at Jacksonville is the department's competitive advantage. 🎥 on Youtube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

James Moore & Co. Partner Katie Davis notes that another NIL collective was denied 501(c)(3) status. “The IRS rejected the collective's claim that only student-athletes could quickly achieve its goals, when its website emphasized NIL deals over charity. IRS also noted athletes aren't a charitable class. … PLEASE NOTE! This does not automatically mean that athletic departments/universities will lose their tax-exempt status when athletes start being paid rev share. Different facts & circumstances, and the slice of the pie that is 'private benefit' is much smaller.” (link); Full letter. (link)

Deloitte has released a white paper titled The New Era of College Athletics: Securing a sustainable financial future through revenue generation and expense management. The paper advises athletic departments to take a three-pronged approach to identifying and capturing new revenue streams, starting with assessing the current state of the athletic department. “Build a baseline understanding of current strategic, operational, and financial health, benchmarked against leading practices to inform the athletic department’s financial and operating goals. The comprehensive assessment should provide a clear understanding of the current landscape and identify areas for improvement and growth.” Second, plan for the future. “Forecast and scenario plan for known and potential expenditures and revenue over the next five years. This should include detailed financial categories specific to athletics,” such as team health, academic services, team travel and recruiting costs. “By considering these specific financial categories, athletic departments can create more accurate and actionable financial plans that address the unique needs and challenges of collegiate athletics.” Finally, chart a path forward: “Develop a strategic plan that prioritizes increasing revenue and reduces costs through the identification of sustainable opportunities for growth, centering the experience of current and future student-athletes, faculty, staff and fans.” Recommended revenue-generation activities could include developing a creative NIL strategy, exploring naming rights partnerships and setting clear objectives, among others. Expense management strategies could include updating the budget model, eliminating redundancies, establishing or refining governance structures and more. Full paper. (link)

The American Association of Colleges and Universities, in partnership with the American Association of University Professors and NORC at the University of Chicago, conducted a national survey of higher ed faculty to understand their perspectives on and experiences with academic freedom. More than one-third of all faculty say they have less academic freedom today when it comes to teaching content without any interference (35%), speaking freely as citizens (36%), and speaking freely when participating in institutional governance (38%). Those who joined the faculty in 2017 or earlier are significantly more likely than those who joined in 2018 or later to say they have less academic freedom today when it comes to teaching content without interference (44% vs. 27%), speaking freely as citizens (44% vs. 23%), and speaking freely when participating in institutional governance (47% vs. 27%). Additionally, half of all respondents (50%) said that colleagues at their institutions are more careful today to avoid controversial topics when revising curricula. Significant percentages said colleagues in their academic program or department are less willing to express controversial views in their courses (39%), on social media (38%), and at professional conferences (30%). When gathering with colleagues at informal campus events or social gatherings, 61% of faculty have observed a tendency to avoid controversial topics. Full report. (link)

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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

(NEW!) Assistant Men's Soccer Coach (Coker University / Hartsville, SC): Coker University is accepting applications for the position of Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach. Coker is a member of NCAA Division II and competes in the South Atlantic Conference. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (Goucher College / Baltimore, MD): The Director of Athletics is responsible for organizing and administering all aspects of the College’s NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletics program and IHSA equestrian program. (DIII) More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Operations (University of Missouri – St. Louis / St. Louis, MO): Position plays a vital leadership role in ensuring the smooth management and operation of athletic facilities with the ability to collaborate and be a part of a team striving for excellence. More details HERE.

Head Coach Baseball/Physical Education & Wellness Instructor (Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT / Cambridge, MA): Full-time (10-month appointment) benefits eligible position, responsibilities will include the management and oversight of all facets of the MIT Baseball program. (DIII) More details HERE.

Associate Head Coach - Women's Golf (San Jose State University / San Jose, CA): Assist the HC in management of all phases of the W. Golf program, including recruiting, team travel, student-athlete services, competition scheduling, budget management, and community/donor relations. (DI) More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (Rowan University / Glassboro, NJ): Establishes policies and procedures that achieve the parallel goals of developing quality, competitive athletics teams and supporting the individual educational goals of student-athletes. (DIII) More details HERE.

Director of Equipment Operations (Tarleton State University / Stephenville, TX): The Director for Equipment Operations is a highly skilled and motivated individual who serves in a leadership role and is responsible for managing the equipment operations for all Division I sports. (DI) More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (Columbus State University / Columbus, GA): The Athletic Director provides strategic vision and direction for the athletic department and competitive intercollegiate sports program. More details HERE.

Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics (Kentucky Wesleyan College / Owensboro, KY): VP provides strategic leadership of our NCAA DII athletics program. Responsibilities include recruiting and managing staff, fundraising, ensuring compliance, and community engagement. Go Panthers! More details HERE.

Athletics Graphic Designer/Content Creator (University of Dayton / Dayton, OH): This position will be the primary designer of graphics for the external and internal needs of the Dayton Flyers. (DI) More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Trainer (St. Mary's University – Texas / San Antonio, TX): The Assistant Athletic Trainer is responsible for recognizing, treating, rehabilitating, and providing care and first aid to St. Mary's University intercollegiate student-athletes year-round. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (Lock Haven University / Lock Haven, PA): Lead the Bald Eagles in providing a holistic experience for nearly 500 student athletes, inspiring extraordinary accomplishments in academic achievement, athletic competition and civic engagement. More details HERE.

Senior Associate Athletic Director/Chief Financial Officer (University of North Georgia / Dahlonega, GA): The Senior Associate Athletic Director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is a senior leadership position within the university's highly competitive NCAA Division II athletic department. More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Athletics for the AHP Air Dome and Athletics Administration (LeTourneau University / Longview, TX): Responsible for the management of the new Athletic & Human Performance Air Dome athletic facility. (DIII) More details HERE.

Head Men's Soccer Coach (South Dakota Mines / Rapid City, SD): This is an NCAA DII head coaching opportunity at one of the top STEM institutions in the nation, located in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. More details HERE.

Deputy Director of Athletics/Chief Financial Officer (University of Arkansas at Little Rock / Little Rock, AR): Little Rock Athletics seeks a Deputy AD/CFO who will serve as a member of the Leadership Team and provide oversight of financial operations, budget planning, & fiscal management for the Department. (DI) More details HERE.

Senior Associate Athletics Director – Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) (University of Arkansas at Little Rock / Little Rock, AR): Little Rock Athletics seeks a Senior Associate AD–Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS). Serves as member of Leadership Team & fosters success and development of student-athletes. (DI) More details HERE.

Chief Development Officer (University of Arizona / Tucson, AZ): Reporting to the VP & Director of Athletics, the CDO for Arizona Athletics leads the department’s comprehensive development strategy, overseeing major gifts, annual giving, and donor engagement. (DI) More details HERE.

Head Athletic Trainer (Lubbock Christian University / Lubbock, TX): Oversee the athletic training staff and supervise the initial care, evaluation, prevention, and rehabilitation of athletic injuries for assigned sports. More details HERE.

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