Welcome to Trustees and Presidents: A Podcast for University Leaders On College Athletics
A Podcast for University Leaders On College Athletics

Audio Podcasts

March 27, 2025

Sports Betting, Mental Health, and the Hidden Risks of March Madness

For so many college students around the country, March Madness creates opportunities to build brackets and watch them dissolve. However, since mobile sports betting became as easy as picking up your phone, the dynamic has cha...

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March 24, 2025

“We have more athletes than we have fans”

We're joined by journalist Eric Kelderman from the Chronicle of Higher Education. Erik has covered college administration for years, with a focus on the challenges facing campus leaders. From accreditation to finance to publi...

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March 3, 2025

Trustees and Politics: UNC’s Leadership Battle and the Bill Belichick…

Karen Weaver sits down with the News & Observer higher education reporter Korie Dean to discuss a brewing governance battle within the University of North Carolina (UNC) System. They explore a recent controversy involving UNC...

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March 2, 2025

Playing FAIR: NIL Dispute Resolutions Emerge in College Sports

Tim Nevius, founder of Nevius Legal and FAIR Sports, discusses the evolving landscape of college athletics, NIL agreements, and revenue-sharing models. He explains FAIR’s role in dispute resolution for athletes, universities,...

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Feb. 26, 2025

What's Inside the Power 4 NIL contracts athletes will sign?.

In this insightful episode, Dr. Karen Weaver sits down with Michael LeRoy, a labor and employment relations professor at the University of Illinois, and dive into the implications of NIL contracts and the potential for privat...

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Feb. 19, 2025

The Search for Integrity in College Athletics: Indiana President Emer…

My guest is Thomas Ehrlich, Indiana University's president emeritus, former provost at the University of Pennsylvania and Dean of the Stanford Law School. Tom was a member of the Big Ten's COP/C council (Council of Presidents...

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Feb. 19, 2025

From DEI to NCAA: The Shifting Landscape of Higher Ed

My guest is Robert Kelchen, Professor of Education Policy and an expert in higher education finance, from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. We cover the Trump administration's "Dear Colleague" letter, to pressures to cu...

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Feb. 11, 2025

A President’s Guide to Elevating Institutional Value Through College …

Join Dr. Karen Weaver as she speaks with sports media experts/consultants John Kosner and Ed Desser about the evolving landscape of college athletics. John and Ed authored the seminal 2021 NCAA Gender Equity Media analysis wh...

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Jan. 10, 2025

How Can DI University Leaders Navigate Legal Challenges in the New La…

With the 2025 NCAA Convention fast approaching, I wanted to visit with an attorney who is regular conversations with Division I campuses to navigate their futures. They ask my guest tough questions and she provides legal clar...

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Jan. 6, 2025

Accelerating Change: Improving the Athlete Experience Through Active …

Hello, and welcome to the 150th episode of Trustees and Presidents ! I’m Karen Weaver. Today, we’re diving into a topic that’s at the center of the storm in college athletics— change . Why is it so challenging for college ath...

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Jan. 5, 2025

Leading Change in Division III: Athletics, Enrollment and the NCAA's …

My guest today is a game-changer—both on the national stage and on his own campus. He’s one of the leading voices in NCAA Division III governance and transformation. As the newly appointed chair of the NCAA Division III Presi...

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Dec. 11, 2024

The MAC's Mission: Elevating Ethics and Sustainability in College Ath…

I'm joined on the podcast by President Geoffrey S. Mearns, the 17th president of Ball State University. Since 2017, he’s led initiatives like *Destination 2040: Our Flight Path*, driving record-breaking enrollment, alumni eng...

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Dec. 11, 2024

Are Demographics Destiny? A Look at Higher Ed's Future in the Philade…

Small, private colleges in the Philadelphia area are undergoing significant financial philanthropy to stabilize. Institutions can stand out for their financial resilience; others show promising signs of recovery through str...

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Nov. 13, 2024

Small Colleges, Big Changes: Serious Challenges at the Intersection o…

Welcome to today’s episode, where we're diving into one of the most pivotal and complex topics in college athletics today. I'm Dr. Karen Weaver, and joining me are two leading experts in the field, Dr. Steve Dittmore , Dean a...

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Nov. 7, 2024

Inside the Game: U. Kentucky Embraces Private Equity Strategies, Grow…

Welcome to the podcast! Today, we’re joined by Dr. Eric N. Monday, Executive Vice President at the University of Kentucky, as he shares insights on the role of UK’s brand in the community and the evolving landscape of college...

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Oct. 24, 2024

The Hidden Game: Inside College Athletes' NIL Paychecks and How the M…

Today I'm joined by three journalists from the Washington Post to discuss their deeply reported series on NIL and college athletics. Albert Samaha is a sports investigative reporter at The Washington Post and author of two bo...

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Oct. 8, 2024

Money Over Mission? West Coast Presidents Navigate Conference Realign…

Welcome to the podcast! I’m Karen Weaver, and today we’re tackling the evolving world of college athletics with my guest, the legendary John Canzano, reporter, owner of the substack site Bald Faced Truth and radio host. John’...

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Oct. 8, 2024

Now That Judge Wilken Has Approved The NCAA Settlement, What’s Next? …

Welcome to today's episode, where we’ll dive into the latest developments in the House v NCAA case. It’s a legal battle that could transform college sports forever., The attorneys in this case filed a revised settlement propo...

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May 8, 2024

Can Football Solve Campus Enrollment Issues?

My guest today is Dr. Welch Suggs, Associate Professor in journalism and mass communications at the University of Georgia. Welch and his colleagues had a study published in Spring 2024 with the journal Research in Higher Educ...

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May 2, 2024

Courtside to Herstory: Inside the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tourna…

The 2024 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball tournament broke all kinds of viewership records. From Iowa and Caitlin Clark, to Angel Reese and LSU, to Dawn Staley's undefeated and national champion USC Gamecocks, it was a tour...

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April 10, 2024

If Private Equity Enters College Athletics, Should Athletes Be Financ…

Jim Cavale, founder and Chairman of Athletes.org, joins the podcast. Athletes.org, serves as a players association for college athletes. It is dedicated to maximizing their income, amplifying their voices, and providing on-de...

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March 31, 2024

The Business of College Athletes-A Conversation with Jason Belzer

Today we welcome back Jason Belzer, CEO of Student-Athlete NIL (SANIL), a company that is leading the field in athletes leveraging their NIL opportunities. Jason launched the Student Athlete NIL Summit in Atlanta in 2023 (att...

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March 24, 2024

College Athlete Healthcare: Standards, Challenges and the Path Forward

Joining me for the conversation today is the Big Ten Conference’s Chief Medical Officer, Jim Borchers. Jim is the former Ohio State team physician and current president of the US Council for Athlete Health. We discuss the gro...

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March 14, 2024

The Challenge of Navigating the Transfer Portal

Val Ackerman, Commissioner of the Big East Conference joins the podcast for a wide-ranging discussion on the substantial changes in college athletics, particularly as they impact schools that do not play big-time football. Ca...

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