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Caltech hires former Fresno State (DI)/Claremont-Mudd-Scripps AD/current consultant Terry Tumey as its new AD. Assoc. VP of Student Life/Chief Student Affairs Officer Joseph Greenwell: “Throughout his career, Terry has demonstrated exceptional skill in building bridges across teams and divisions, balancing the priorities of athletics, recreation, and academic excellence. His leadership philosophy emphasizes communication, inclusion, and student well-being—creating opportunities for all students to engage, lead, and thrive through recreation and sport.” (link) 

The DIII Presidents Council took a formal position on five proposals for January’s NCAA Convention – notably opposing the multiple AQ model for leagues with at least 12 members and changes around how seasons of eligibility are charged. Key topics of conversation included NIL, with the council supporting a resolution to have the governance structure monitor the impact of NIL on DIII, eligibility and the division’s structure. Chair/Juniata President Jim Troha: “As the Association and Division III continue to navigate the evolving landscape of higher education and athletics, the council has endorsed a focused review of key issues — including championship access, eligibility standards and membership criteria. This effort builds on recent evaluations by Deloitte (finances), Lewis Rice (Enrichment Fund) and the Division III Philosophy Working Group. The council urges Division III presidents and chancellors to attend this year's Convention and actively engage in these critical discussions.” (link)

The DI Board of Directors on Tuesday voted to delay the effective date of a rules change to allow student-athletes and athletics department staff members to permissibly bet on professional sports, thus enacting the same pause for DIII. The rule change now will not take effect until November 22. The DI legislative process allows a rule change to be rescinded within 30 days of becoming final if two-thirds of the division's members submit an electronic request supporting rescission. Because that rescission window extends to November 21, the board determined an effective date after that window was appropriate. (link)

U.S. Congressman Michael Baumgartner (R-WA) has introduced a bill that would provide a limited antitrust exemption to cap college football coaching salaries. A release from the Baumgartner camp breaks down the fine points of the COACH Act, as it’s called: “The Mechanics: Amends Title IV of the Higher Education Act and provides a limited, targeted antitrust exemption so schools can collectively set a reasonable compensation ceiling for athletics department employees. The Cap: As a condition of participating in federal student-aid programs, institutions agree to limit total compensation of any athletics department employee to 10x the institution's tuition and required fees for a first-time, full-time undergraduate for the most recent year. … No loopholes: ‘Total compensation’ is defined broadly to include salary, bonuses, deferred compensation, severance/buyouts, in-kind support, housing/mortgage or debt relief, personal-services contracts, and other remuneration-from the university or any affiliated or controlled booster organization. Why it matters: A single season's buyout can mirror a full year of operating revenue at many programs and rival top-tier budgets. Instead of paying coaches not to coach, resources should be used to control costs, limit financial liabilities of federally subsidized programs, and preserve scholarships and Olympic sports.” (link)

Fundraising Developments…
➤ Mary Washington launches a $150K challenge match with alum Linda Lemanski Blakemore and Associate Professor Emeritus Porter Blakemore to support renovating the press box at Turf Stadium. (link)
➤ Hartwick receives a $100K donation from former AC Paul Windrath and his wife to create an endowment for Swimming & Diving. (link)

Sport Sponsorship…
➤ Minnesota Morris will bring back Men’s Tennis after two years on pause under the direction of Women’s Tennis HC Dimitri Sofias. (link)
➤ Anna Maria will add Competitive Dance as its newest sport starting next year. (link)

Coaches.wire…
➤ Bethel (MN) Women’s Soccer HC Ben Linder will resign at the end of the season to take a new opportunity with a Christ-centered soccer organization. link)
➤ Carlow hires Wilmington AC James Rice as its first Baseball HC. (link)
➤ Clarkson Women’s Lacrosse HC Ally Burrows is no longer leading the Golden Knights. Asst. AD Ben Gaebel has stepped in as Interim HC. (link)
➤ East Texas Baptist names recent Softball GA/Performance Coach Maddie Melton as its first Women’s Flag Football HC. (link)
➤ Juniata selects Ashland (DII) Men’s and Women’s Tennis HC Eric Gibson for the same role in Huntingdon. (link)
➤ These changes and more can be found in this morning’s edition of Coaches.wire. (link)

Gametimes for the NCAA Men’s Final Four, NIT semifinals and championship game and Division II and III title match-ups have been announced with action at three Indianapolis venues scheduled to take place over April 2-6. Action begins on Thurs., April 2 with the NIT national semis contested at Hinkle Fieldhouse at 7 and 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN2, respectively. The Men’s Final Four is set for Sat., April 4 with match-ups slated for 6 and 8:30 p.m. ET, while the title game will be held on Mon., April 6 at 8:30 p.m. ET. On Sun., April 5, three champions will be crowned via a tripleheader consisting of the Division II national championship (1 p.m. ET - CBS), the Division III title tilt (4:30 p.m. ET - ESPN+) and the NIT championship contest (8 p.m ET - ESPN2). More. (link) 

The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday. The second such cut in as many meetings puts the benchmark in a range between 3.75%-4.00%. Despite the rate cuts, markets fell after Fed Chair Jerome Powell suggested this could be the final rate cut of the year. “In the committee’s discussions at this meeting, there were strongly differing views about how to proceed in December. A further reduction in the policy rate at the December meeting is not a foregone conclusion. Far from it.” (link, link)

Here’s the latest edition of CRO.ticker, which hit inboxes yesterday, featured an in-depth look at how mixed-use developments are becoming core revenue drivers by offering year-round programming. Also included is a McKinsey & Co. study on the growing percentage of Latino sports viewers in the U.S., branding insights from VaynerMedia’s Gary Vaynerchuk, and the latest news and analysis on how AI is impacting workforce size. Check out the full edition! (link)

More Higher Ed…
➤ Utica President Todd Pfannestiel will resign at the end of the calendar year and be succeeded by Provost/Senior VP for Academic Affairs Stephanie Nesbitt, who will lead the university through July 2028. (link)
➤ St. Norbert is set to have a balanced budget in FY26 and will add five new academic programs. (link)
➤ Maryville receives a $12M gift from the state to support the new $80M Alexander Institute for Conservation Leadership and the Sciences. (link)