Megan Franklin, new UNI AD

[clenz]

I will say her involvement in bringing the NCAA tournament to Des Moines is encouraging. I would like to think a renovated UNI-Dome could potentially bid to host things like indoor Track & Field nationals, maybe Big 12 wrestling? Other events that help bring in revenue and visibility to the campus.

Agreed. The ability to partner with companies/cities and sell a vision to the point of completion is encouraging.

She wants that vision at UNI? Amazing. She needs to use those plans and visions to sell our facility plan to get those places on board going "If you get us X facility completed we can return Y to you through doing Z events and promotions"

As I said, there doesn't seem to be that direct "raised this money" fundraising directly. It does appear to be using connections to sell visions, which UNI needs as much as just dollars. We can't get straight money if we can't sell a vision of what we are doing with it.

[Blue42]

There's fundraising experience. She's done a lot with corporate partners in Des Moines and got a stadium that wasn't exactly a popular decision built, that's not nothing.

Football experience really doesn't matter as we're at the 4th level of college football unless everything just blows up. It's a matter of keeping it competitive without spending a fortune on it. Hopefully that's where she's at with it too.

You're being generous. The announcement said she was involved in initial concepts for the stadium. Not that she led the development of it or signed the corporate sponsorships.

As for the NCAA tourney coming to Des Moines, it says she was involved with community leaders and Catch Des Moines in those efforts.

I don't see any mentions of being in a key leadership role on either of these efforts.

When you're in this business, you don't leave any doubt on your resume or bio of the specific role you played if you were carrying the ball.

There's a big difference between leading the push to deliver a facilities project and being on a committee.

She's been in college athletics for a long time and there's not a whole lot on that bio that shows the kind of experience we clearly need.

We'll see.

[sivert]

As I understand it, Drake has been doing better than us at setting up NIL.

NIL needs to be connected to and work hand in hand with AD and PSC. I mean, I have been a PSC donor for quite a few years. And has the PSC called me and suggested I donate to NIL? No. Has the AD called and suggested I get involved with NIL? No. That's bad. If they are being lazy, that stinks. If they are worried that NIL will draw money away from PSC, they don't know how this works, which stinks.

[BCPanther]

You're being generous. The announcement said she was involved in initial concepts for the stadium. Not that she led the development of it or signed the corporate sponsorships.

As for the NCAA tourney coming to Des Moines, it says she was involved with community leaders and Catch Des Moines in those efforts.

I don't see any mentions of being in a key leadership role on either of these efforts.

When you're in this business, you don't leave any doubt on your resume or bio of the specific role you played if you were carrying the ball.

There's a big difference between leading the push to deliver a facilities project and being on a committee.

She's been in college athletics for a long time and there's not a whole lot on that bio that shows the kind of experience we clearly need.

We'll see.

I'm trying to not be the negative jerk I can be sometimes. She deserves a chance but yeah, I'm not blown away by the resume...

[Blue42]

As I understand it, Drake has been doing better than us at setting up NIL.

NIL needs to be connected to and work hand in hand with AD and PSC. I mean, I have been a PSC donor for quite a few years. And has the PSC called me and suggested I donate to NIL? No. Has the AD called and suggested I get involved with NIL? No. That's bad. If they are being lazy, that stinks. If they are worried that NIL will draw money away from PSC, they don't know how this works, which stinks.

If the AD calls it will be for contributions to facilities projects or to join the PSC.

The PSC is not promoting NIL. They are trying to maximize PSC contributions.

The NIL collective functions on its own and yes they are effectively competing for the same funds.

It's a weird game in today's college sports world.

[sivert]

If the AD calls it will be for contributions to facilities projects or to join the PSC.

That is not the right way to think.

The PSC is not promoting NIL. They are trying to maximize PSC contributions.

That's too bad.

The NIL collective functions on its own and yes they are effectively competing for the same funds.

No, the idea that they are competing for funds is wrong-headed. That type of thinking will kill athletics.

It's a weird game in today's college sports world.

Yes. I agree.

[Blue42]

I'm trying to not be the negative jerk I can be sometimes. She deserves a chance but yeah, I'm not blown away by the resume...

Yes she does deserve a chance. And I hope she hits a home run.

But I think all Panther fans who've hung in there through the last 8 years...and heard a lot of talk about the fantastic pool of candidates we had for this extremely important hire...have every right to be skeptical. And to hold those in charge of this hiring decision to account if it doesn't work out.

We all know what we need in the department. It's painfully obvious. Just listen to the coaches talk.

We need a leader. Period.

Hope she delivers.

[Blue42]

That is not the right way to think.
That's too bad.
No, the idea that they are competing for funds is wrong-headed. That type of thinking will kill athletics.
Yes. I agree.

You may need to reconnect with reality.

[Mudrafan]

Her Twitter feed is chock full of olympic and women’s sports. If she isn’t coming in with a strong background and interest in moving the needle on men’s sports including football, basketball and wrestling then this isn’t the hire. This hire screams title IX, non-revenue sports and status quo. You know…BOR type initiatives in today’s world. I was really hoping the presence of Bowlsby was going to get us back on course, but this tells me he ran into a brick wall.

[BCPanther]

There were issues but none of them came from the BOR nor the Bowlsbys or search firm.

[DownGoesKansas]

I will say its basically impossible to know if someone will be a good hire if they haven't been AD.
Like if you told me David Harris would have learned under Pollard and not been good at anything especially fundraising I'd call ya dummy.. but I would have been wrong

[DownGoesKansas]

There were issues but none of them came from the BOR nor the Bowlsbys or search firm.

Issues like what? The BOR wanting to end UNI?

[Blue42]

There were issues but none of them came from the BOR nor the Bowlsbys or search firm.

From the candidates? Or the Univ President?

['70 Grad]

D+



Hope she changes my mind. As a volunteer recruiter for the PSC, this is not going to be a new selling point.

I am waiting to hear that we weren't offering a competitive salary and were turned down by several other candidates. It did take a long time.

"Director for Strategic Initiatives and External Operations" "human resources and budget management, strategic planning, and risk management while serving as Deputy Title IX Coordinator" "director of student life for the Hokies' athletic department" "assistant athletic academic counselor" - Been there, done that Mark. The fan apathy is deafening.

So, is the search firm going to put this on their website? "Give us 4+ months and look what we can do!" (Not a fan of search firms in general - money-sucking good-old-boy leaches. Just my opinion.)

Maybe she had a good interview. She certainly wasn't worn out from the drive from Des Moines to Cedar Falls.

DEI hire? Impossible to fire, like before?

Was a Drake interim AD. Did not get the full-time job. Reason? Changes now?

[DownGoesKansas]

Yeah this is a pretty depressing hire. Hope I am wrong