Penn State Sports Magazine
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M A Y 2 0 2 2 13 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M ary. That really started my mind think- ing, and as I kind of assessed where I was and started thinking about it, in terms of the intersection with where Penn State was, and, in particular, our presidential transition. "I really decided that not only was it the best decision for me at the right time, but that it was probably pretty good timing for Penn State. And so, that's where my decision came from." Barbour came to Penn State from Cal in 2014. She later led the efforts to build the Morgan Academic Center, was a central figure in the creation of the fa- cilities master plan and has twice been honored as the nation's top athletics director while also landing on the fi- nalist list multiple times. She's made a number of high-profile hires, including coaches Micah Shrewsberry (men's bas- ketball), Carolyn Kieger (women's bas- ketball), Jeff Cook (men's soccer) and Katie Schumacher-Cawley (women's volleyball), and last fall she signed off on a new 10-year contract extension for head football coach James Franklin. The question now is, how will Penn State go about replacing her? Major change is on the horizon with president Eric Barron leaving and Bendapudi, formerly of Louisville, set to take office in May. Bendapudi will lead the search for the next athletics director and will be assisted by search firm TurnkeyZRG. The goal is to have Barbour's successor in place by July 1. "Penn State has one of the most successful athletics programs in the country, with a proven track record for educating and graduating our talented student-athletes," Bendapudi said in a prepared statement. "Our partnership with TurnkeyZRG will be key to iden- tifying a leader who is well positioned to further elevate the exceptional Penn State athletics experience. "The University will seek a vision- ary leader to uphold the Nittany Lions' demonstrated tradition of excellence on and off the field and support the con- tinued development of our students, coaches and staff." It's a huge first hire for the former Louisville president. Penn State needs someone with a strong fundraising background and experience with either building or renovating athletic spaces. One of the top projects the newcomer will face in that regard is Beaver Sta- dium, the 62-year-old home of Penn State's football program. It's one of the biggest and best-known college sports venues in the country, but the university has been looking to modernize it and re- cently sent out a questionnaire to Penn State fans seeking input to help guide future renovations. Other facilities need to be addressed as well, including the McCoy Natato- rium and Rec Hall. It's also crucial for the school to find someone who can lead the athletics department through the many challenges and changes that are currently reshaping college sports. The Nittany Lions' next athletics director will need to be focused on name, image and likeness initiatives, student-athlete and coach retainment, and fundraising. That's where TurnkeyZRG comes in. The search firm is adept at recruiting talent quietly. It's unlikely that there will be many leaks, if any, in the coming weeks and months as Penn State under- takes its search. Of course, that isn't going to pre- vent names from being floated in the media as potential contenders for the job. Indeed, it's already happened, with administrators from schools across the country being mentioned, including several internal candidates. It's expected that an outside hire will ultimately be made, and that it will happen within the next three months, but everything is speculative at this point. Barbour said she believes Penn State will be able to continue competing at a high level under its new athletics direc- tor, provided it embraces the changes that are occurring in college sports. "I think the pieces are here," she said. "We need to keep pushing on a lot of different things, and the facilities piece is one of them, ways for Intercollegiate Athletics to maybe garner revenue in dif- ferent ways. Just because we've never done it before doesn't mean it's a bad thing, and so I think from a mindset standpoint, as a campus, we need to con- tinue to wrap our head around that." ■ These Names Could Receive Consideration From PSU Just because Penn State is keeping a tight lid on its search for a new athletics director doesn't mean that potential candidates won't be brought up in the coming weeks. One name that has already been linked to the opening by Brett McMurphy of The Action Network is Northern Illinois athletics director Sean Frazier. McMurphy described Frazier as a "prime target." What that means isn't clear, but Frazier has a strong academic and fundraising background, and the Huskies have won two Mid-American Conference football championships during his tenure. Prior to his arrival at Northern Illinois, Frazier worked for six years at Wisconsin, serving as a deputy to athletics director Barry Alvarez. Frazier, a Long Island native and Alabama graduate, played a leading role in fundraising initiatives that brought in $123 million for various capital projects, including an $86 million student-athlete performance center. Media reports have suggested other candidates for the job, including another Mid-American Confer- ence possibility, Ball State's Beth Goetz. A veteran administrator with stops at Connecticut, Minnesota, Butler and Missouri-St. Louis, Goetz was a finalist for the Wisconsin job that went to Chris McIntosh last summer, according to The Athletic. A name with Pennsylvania ties is Patrick Kraft. Kraft currently leads Boston College's athletics de- partment, but he previously had a multi-year tenure at Temple. Kraft is credited with raising tens of millions of dollars for the Eagles' athletic department. There are internal options, as well. Lynn Holleran, Penn State's deputy director of athletics for ad- ministration, has worked at the university for seven years and has been in college athletics for more than three decades. Also, Scott Sidwell is the deputy athletics director for external affairs, having previously served as athletics director at San Francisco. — Greg Pickel