Interested in advertising a department opening in D2.ticker? Post your department-wide openings on CollegeSports.jobs for inclusion in any of our College.town publications, where tens of thousands of administrators and coaches get news and updates about the industry. Want unlimited job-postings for one year? Learn more about all job posting options HERE or contact jobs@wearecollegetown.com

D2 Jobs on CollegeSports.jobs... New opportunities at Coker and Lee, below. Post your department-wide openings with CollegeSports.jobs, where thousands of administrators start their days and where tens of thousands of coaches get news and updates about their respective sports. Want unlimited job-postings for a year? Learn more about all job posting options HERE or contact jobs@wearecollegetown.com

D1.dossiers...  Troy is hot off the press. D1.dossiers are also ready for the AD openings at Bucknell, Cal Poly, CSUN, Delaware, Gardner-Webb, New Mexico State, New Orleans, South Carolina State, South Florida, Tampa (DII - also available as a single purchase), UC San Diego and Utah State - $349 for an entire year of access to all dossiers. Coming soon: Austin Peay, Ohio, Oklahoma, Southern Utah and UC Riverside. (link) D2.dossiers... Tampa is available for the single purchase price of $199. (link)

Simon Fraser has been exploring its future in the NCAA, according to The Province’s Steve Ewen, as the university writes in a statement: “SFU is proud to be Canada’s only NCAA team. We are working closely with the NCAA to understand evolving changes to the NCAA participation framework and how they may impact our programs and our student-athletes. It has also become more challenging to have student-athletes cross the U.S. border. Underlying these specific examples, like all post-secondary institutions, SFU needs to consider sustainability as we build successful programs. Because of these factors, the responsible step for SFU is to consider various governance models, costs and implications. This is something we are committed to do. We are aware that any change would be a huge decision for the university and would take some time. It would also need to include careful conversations with internal and external stakeholders.” (link)

New Emporia State AD Steve Rodecap was introduced in his new role today. His three key initiatives: “a winning mentality and a championship culture, philanthropic engagement, and alignment.” On the latter: “Hornet Athletics must be intentionally aligned with our broader goals and initiatives at Emporia State University. Our success is not just measured in wins and losses, but also in how well we integrate with and support our university's overall mission.” (link)

NCAA Senior VP of Policy and Governance Kevin Lennon reflects on an almost 40-year career at the national headquarters with SBJ’s Ben Portnoy mentioning that for the soon-to-be-retiring Lennon, the idea of working in Indianapolis was intriguing, but not something he expected to do for the majority of his career. Lennon: “I didn’t know what regulatory work was going to be for me. But what I have found in this work is that it is incredibly important.” As for how Lennon sees the current inflection point of the industry: “We find ourselves in this interesting point in time where all of us have something to do to better this environment of college athletics. The NCAA, our campuses, our conferences, in Congress and, dare I say, even the fans, like the people who are betting and harassing young people — if we all want sports to be better, we all have a role to play in this.” NCAA Chief Legal Officer Scott Bearby reflects on Lennon’s tenure: “What Kevin brings is credibility from athletic directors, from university presidents, from commissioners. People know Kevin is giving you what his honest feelings are and there’s just no agenda there. It’s never ‘The Kevin Lennon Show.’ That remains constant in this tumultuous world. In this chaotic world where there is, I think, an erosion of trust among some corners of college sports. We’re going to miss Kevin, because he has sort of risen above that. The national office has a trust level, in part, because of Kevin.” (link)

Dr. Ian Williamson, Dean of UC Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business, shares how he applies his assessment framework to both his leadership role and the organizations he advises. He explains that, whether leading an academic institution or consulting with companies, success depends on regularly understanding the external environment, evaluating operational health, and aligning strategy with future trends.

➤ identify external shifts, sense them early through the right advisors, and translate insights into strategy, hiring, and service design

➤ regarding talent management -  build internal capabilities (“making”) alongside acquiring new talent (“buying”) to create sustainable performance

Williamson’s approach highlights that effective leadership requires continual reflection on where time is spent, awareness of the environment’s influence, and disciplined adjustments to remain relevant. 🎧 on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts

After a year in Canyon, West Texas A&M AD Doug Lipinski rolls out the department’s new strategic plan, “The West Texas Way.” The plan’s big five strategic initiatives: leadership development, championship culture, fan experience, community outreach, and financial metrics. Lipinski: “As the landscape of collegiate athletics continues to evolve, we are preparing for the changes. We are committed to be an ELITE nationally competitive athletics department that focuses on the overall student-athlete experience. […] Be ELITE in all we do is the standard. Our opportunities to ENHANCE and ELEVATE as we redefine EXCELLENCE. We will continue to ENHANCE our university and ELEVATE our commitment to being champions as we create a culture of EXCELLENCE. We are very fortunate to have great support through the strong fan base we call ‘Buff Nation’. […] Our department is responsible for generating about 30% of our annual operating budget. We are proud of how much our coaches, staff and student-athletes accomplish with the funds they have and we are grateful for the loyal financial support of so many. We need Buff Nation now more than ever to INVEST in WT student-athletes and the teams you love! As we continue to strive to be the best, it is essential we embrace innovation, creativity, encourage entrepreneurial ventures, adapt to swiftly changing environments, attract highly talented student-athletes and implement a comprehensive support system for us to be national leaders!” (link, link - full plan)

Fundraising Developments…
➤ Lewis saw a major jump in fundraising success in 2024-25, with a 51.9% increase in total giving and a 21.1% bump in the number of donors compared to the last five year average. The Flyers also saw a 26.6% increase in the average gift amount and a 54.4% hike in $1K+ donations. AD John Ashaolu: “This record-breaking year reflects the momentum across Lewis athletics, not only competitively and academically, but also in fundraising. In today's changing landscape of college athletics, this level of support is more critical than ever.” (link)
➤ Fort Lewis brought in more than $2.2M in FY25 from over 1,700 donors. The Skyhawks also saw a 20% jump in corporate sponsorship. (link)
➤ UC Merced rolls out its new Bobcat Club to support athletics’ transition into DII and a new elite giving society, the Director’s Society. Vice Chancellor/Chief External Relations Officer E. Edward Klotzbier: “Athletics has long been an area of interest for our supporters, and now with the Bobcat Club and our move to the NCAA, donors can directly support our scholar-athletes and championship-winning athletic programs. There’s never been a better time to support Bobcat Athletics!” (link)
➤ Pittsburgh State is the newest DII with a collective, with the launch of The Uncaged Collective. Retired Baseball HC Bob Fornelli will serve as the collective’s executive director. (link)
➤ Incoming DII member Middle Georgia State relaunches its athletics fundraising arm, the Knights Athletic Association. AD Michael Brown: “A lot of work has been going on behind the scenes to relaunch the Knights Athletic Association and I'm thrilled that MGA Knights' fans, alumni and supporters will have several different ways to get involved. The opportunity to impact the quality of experience of our student-athletes while they compete as Knights is truly life-changing whether it be through assisting with scholarships, the NCAA Division II transition or other strategic initiatives, our top priority is continuing to raise the bar and we must elevate our available resources to accomplish our goals.” (link) 

Deal Digest…
➤ Illinois Springfield partners with Teamworks to utilize Teamworks Elite to support its communication, compliance and recruiting efforts. (link)
➤ Cal State Monterey Bay teams up with FanWord to assist with its written content creation. (link) 

We offer our deepest condolences to the Tuskegee community following the passing of Baseball student-athlete Macahri Washington-Parker. (link)

Kutztown Men’s Basketball HC Bernie Driscoll will retire at the end of next week, concluding his quarter-century leading the Golden Bears. Assoc. HC Tom York will serve as Interim HC for the upcoming season. (link)

Coaches.wire…
➤ Goldey-Beacom taps Softball AC Jay Davis as Interim HC. (link)
➤ Jessup hires Trevecca Nazarene AC/Director of Operations Laura Gustafson as Cross Country/Track & Field HC. (link)
➤ West Virginia Wesleyan Swimming HC Collin Meadows departs for an AC opportunity at Davis & Elkins. (link)
➤ This morning’s edition of Coaches.wire keeps you abreast of the changes to coaching staffs over the weekend. (link)

According to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Karin Fischer, severe backlogs could cause an estimated 30-40% drop in new foreign enrollments with as many as 150K international students potentially being prevented from receiving visas in time to begin the fall semester. That drop would be similar to the one seen during the COVID-19-plagued 2020 school year, when closed borders and interruptions in travel affected worldwide declines. This year’s issues are mainly “attributable to a three-week halt in the scheduling of student-visa interviews during the busiest time of the year for student applicants as well as to changes in visa policy and practices since President Trump took office.” With the academic year starting soon at many institutions, NAFSA and more than a dozen Congressional members have urged the State Department to deal with the backlog, particularly in India, which has the largest foreign-student population in the U.S. Overall, per NAFSA: Association of International Educators and JB International, total international enrollments could drop by 15%, resulting in almost $7B in lost revenue, while State Department numbers illustrate a 22% drop in May student-visa issuances, compared to last year, with June’s numbers potentially slated to climb as high as 80 or 90%. More. (link)

SBJ’s Mollie Cahillane digs into a Performance Research and Full Circle Research study highlighting the shift of sports viewers from cable and broadcast to streaming services with nine in 10 sports viewers claiming to now utilize at least one streaming service to watch live games. Overall, 45% of respondents noted they watch live sports more often on streaming than a year ago with younger audiences, including 63% of Gen Z and 56% of Millennial respondents, leading the charge. Amazon Prime Video is far-and-away the most used by 65% of respondents followed by ESPN+ (39%), Peacock (37%) and Paramount (32%). While the study also noted that streaming can “make fans feel more connected to their favorite teams and sports (48%),” the study also highlighted that with the fragmentation of streaming, 68% of respondents are concerned over costs, while 73% are looking to reduce streaming expenses over the next six months. (link)