Megan Franklin, new UNI AD

[DomeIsHome]

I'm more...impressed? Surprised? Something...that they're using different background colors for the headshots of the new hires.

Nobody else? Ok...I'll see myself out.

[Born-a-Panther]

I've been incredibly impressed with the hires we've been making. I also love seeing things like our student-athletes and Dr. Franklin participating at the state fair. Even from my distance in Colorado, her community presence has seemed like she's very much involved in and around the community.

She's very engaged with the community and seems to understand how important it is for the Cedar Valley community and the university to partner together more than has been done in the past.

['70 Grad]

A good step forward.
Sounds like the job description.
Glad she read it!

[FOTY]

Gotta say, I was initially skeptical of Dr. Franklin’s hire.

I’m no longer skeptical. We tailgate in a distant lot (only 2 other groups are typically in the same lot). Usually we talk to the UNI police a couple times, but that’s about it. No one from the AD has ever stopped in. Seriously, we’ve NEVER had any visitors in any official capacity. Well, yesterday, about 2:00 up rolls the new AD and, I think Scott Peace (didn’t catch the guys name - was in shock to have visitors). She stopped in to say “hi”, hand out kookies and sunglasses, ask for some feedback, and have a drink (a Prowl, of course). She especially wanted to hear from those traveling into CF. We watched as she stopped in at the other two groups to say hi. She left our little lot impressed - approximately 35-45 peeps at the time.

It’s as if she understands her role. She made some BIG inroads yesterday with our group.

[kochrab]

Gotta say, I was initially skeptical of Dr. Franklin’s hire.

I’m no longer skeptical. We tailgate in a distant lot (only 2 other groups are typically in the same lot). Usually we talk to the UNI police a couple times, but that’s about it. No one from the AD has ever stopped in. Seriously, we’ve NEVER had any visitors in any official capacity. Well, yesterday, about 2:00 up rolls the new AD and, I think Scott Peace (didn’t catch the guys name - was in shock to have visitors). She stopped in to say “hi”, hand out kookies and sunglasses, ask for some feedback, and have a drink (a Prowl, of course). She especially wanted to hear from those traveling into CF. We watched as she stopped in at the other two groups to say hi. She left our little lot impressed - approximately 35-45 peeps at the time.

It’s as if she understands her role. She made some BIG inroads yesterday with our group.

Dang. That is AWESOME. A rebuild of our nature needs attention like this. Super cool to hear.

[BCPanther]

Gotta say, I was initially skeptical of Dr. Franklin’s hire.

I’m no longer skeptical. We tailgate in a distant lot (only 2 other groups are typically in the same lot). Usually we talk to the UNI police a couple times, but that’s about it. No one from the AD has ever stopped in. Seriously, we’ve NEVER had any visitors in any official capacity. Well, yesterday, about 2:00 up rolls the new AD and, I think Scott Peace (didn’t catch the guys name - was in shock to have visitors). She stopped in to say “hi”, hand out kookies and sunglasses, ask for some feedback, and have a drink (a Prowl, of course). She especially wanted to hear from those traveling into CF. We watched as she stopped in at the other two groups to say hi. She left our little lot impressed - approximately 35-45 peeps at the time.

It’s as if she understands her role. She made some BIG inroads yesterday with our group.

Exact same experience at ours. Had a fantastic conversation with Scott. Super impressive guy.

Really encouraged.

[Born-a-Panther]

Gotta say, I was initially skeptical of Dr. Franklin’s hire.

I’m no longer skeptical. We tailgate in a distant lot (only 2 other groups are typically in the same lot). Usually we talk to the UNI police a couple times, but that’s about it. No one from the AD has ever stopped in. Seriously, we’ve NEVER had any visitors in any official capacity. Well, yesterday, about 2:00 up rolls the new AD and, I think Scott Peace (didn’t catch the guys name - was in shock to have visitors). She stopped in to say “hi”, hand out kookies and sunglasses, ask for some feedback, and have a drink (a Prowl, of course). She especially wanted to hear from those traveling into CF. We watched as she stopped in at the other two groups to say hi. She left our little lot impressed - approximately 35-45 peeps at the time.

It’s as if she understands her role. She made some BIG inroads yesterday with our group.

Yup. Heard this from several people and have had several of my own interactions with her now. This sounds so simple and should be a given but we've learned it's not... she and her administration actually CARE. About the student athletes, the fan experience... winning! Getting butts in seats, taking care of the finances appropriately... all of those things we had taken for granted that I no longer take for granted anymore. What a difference. In the areas that she's not as experienced, she's making really good hires and surrounding herself with people that know what they're doing. Same with Scott --- we're very lucky to have him.

[UNIpanther99]

Wait, did she have a Prowl at every tailgate?

It's great to hear this is happening.

[clenz]

I've heard so many amazing things about her, that I'm full steam ahead.

I was always going to give her the benefit to start, but it's clear she gets what a modern AD roll is. Get the right people in place to make things happen and then network the **** out of fans, donors, alumni, etc. and build a community around it.

Hopefully it starts to payoff with some athletic facility updates and announcements soon, but she is certainly building the right foundation.

[kochrab]

I've heard so many amazing things about her, that I'm full steam ahead.

I was always going to give her the benefit to start, but it's clear she gets what a modern AD roll is. Get the right people in place to make things happen and then network the **** out of fans, donors, alumni, etc. and build a community around it.

Hopefully it starts to payoff with some athletic facility updates and announcements soon, but she is certainly building the right foundation.

Absolutely agree. I wish our previous AD had left her in a better position, but some of that work is going to take time. Feels like we've had many years of unraveling since the 2010s.

[UNIpanther99]

Todays BOR meeting has some interesting info when you look at the long term facility budgeting on page 19: https://www.iowaregents.edu/media/cm...8AC1C8F31B.pdf

Obviously everything depends on the funding coming in as they would want it to, but it looks like plans incude:

FY26
$5 million for athletic administration and football offices
$1.5 million for a new outdoor track
$20 million toward UNI-Dome moderization

FY27
$12 million for a new court practice facility
$10 million toward UNI-Dome Modernization
$1.4 million for a new WRC roof

FY29
$5 million for a new wrestling practice facility
$3.1 million for a new McLeod Center roof

Obviously a bunch of other core campus projects listed in there as well.

Helps to give a sense of the priority and timing of things to come.

[BCPanther]

It's sad that we've done relatively nothing to the McLeod Center since it opened and we're already getting to end of life on the roof. Hartzell got it built with the idea that it would be opened and then continually improved. Hasn't happened and it's the oldest feeling 20 year old building on earth.

Things have gone relatively silent on the Dome as well. That budget implies the first $20M is raised and we should have work done starting in the spring, we'll see if that actually happens. I hope so. As someone with mobility issues, that building is dangerous at best and inaccessible at worst.

[UNIpanther99]

I think this means work would potentially start no sooner than late 2025 on the UNI-Dome, if I understand my fiscal years correctly.

It looks like $30 million is budgeted out over five years for the Dome. I thought it was supposed to cost $50 million. Hopefully they aren't cutting corners, but I think we all know how that goes.

I didn't intend for this to be a downer, I'm actually excited to see things put on paper and hopefully getting done.

[06panther10]

Am I to understand from this that wrestling is expected to train in an off campus construction shed for 6+ years before their new facility is built?

lol, good luck still having a program by then if so.

[BCPanther]

Am I to understand from this that wrestling is expected to train in an off campus construction shed for 6+ years before their new facility is built?

lol, good luck still having a program by then if so.

That's actually why we're not in a hurry. I'm not sure non-revs are going to exist at that point anyway