Full Video Podcasts

This podcast takes a deep dive into how Universities' Chief Financial Officers are handling this new era. As table top exercises are discussed, and the short, medium and long term financial impacts are implemented, Susan Whealler Johnston, PhD (https://www.nacubo.org/Press-Releases/2018/NACUBO%20Names%20New%20President%20and%20CEO) , President and CEO of the National Association of College and…

This week, I interviewed Lucas DaPrile (https://twitter.com/LucasDaprile) , reporter for The State newspaper in South Carolina. DaPrile has been covering the story for some time, and has provided his readers insight (https://www.thestate.com/news/local/education/article239577523.html) into the reasons that the Board invited a consulting firm to assess the culture and competence of their…

Dr. Mike Williams, President of Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama discusses the challenges for becoming compliant with Title IX in athletics in an environment where you need to increase the number of males on your campus. He says that he was surprised after assuming the role as President as to…

This week, my conversation is with Phil Schubert, the President at Abilene Christian University (https://www.acu.edu) in Abilene, Texas. When Phil became President in 2010, he and his Board had deliberate plans for growing the institution's profile and retention, and athletics played an integral part in that effort. Today, they are…

This week's podcast will look at two areas important to students and their families--the cost of a degree, and the experience they can expect on campus when they arrive. For the athletics department, there is a key individual outside of the athletic department whose job it is to ensure the…

Val Ackerman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-orleans-12149a7/) has been around college, professional and international basketball for most of her life. From being former collegiate athlete at the University of Virginia, to becoming the Commissioner of the Big East Conference and one of Sports Business Journal's 50 most influential people in sports, Val has a…

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column (https://www.forbes.com/sites/karenweaver/2020/04/13/will-furloughs-and-pay-cuts-be-enough-to-save-athletics/#3fd4bceb388d) for Forbes about what lies ahead for athletics beyond the inevitable furloughs and layoffs. Today, I'll outline some of the strategies organizations should take to embrace the new normal, and not just fall victim to it. I'm also joined by Dr.…

This week has been stunning (https://www.startribune.com/walz-we-re-under-assault-from-outside-agitators/570892512/) . With the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd at the hands of a police officer, the city is in the national spotlight. Two days after he dies, University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel, with only an hour's notice to her Board of Regents…

Jordan Acker (https://regents.umich.edu/regents/jordan-b-acker/) , the first University of Michigan Regent who graduated from the University in the 21st century, is a ball of fire. Part of the Obama White House, and a part of former Homeland Security Director (https://www.dhs.gov/archive/person/janet-napolitano) and current University of California System President (https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/university-california-president-janet-napolitano-announces-decision-step-down-next-year) Janet Napolitano's homeland…

We talk a lot about healthcare these days, and how much we admire those who are on the frontlines in our hospitals and in nursing homes. But stop and think for a second about nurses—where do they get their training? What is happening to those institutions in the middle of…

TIME magazine named Cowen one of the nation’s Top 10 Best College Presidents and he was one of only four university leaders nationwide to receive the 2009 Carnegie Corporation Academic Leadership Award. In 2010 Cowen was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the world’s most…

This week, we'll focus on two things: why college athletics should NOT start in Fall 2020 and a conversation with Henry Stoever (https://agb.org/news/press-releases/stoever/) , the President and CEO of the Association of Governing Boards in Washington, DC. Secondly, I wrote an article (https://www.forbes.com/sites/karenweaver/2020/05/06/without-a-vaccine-there-is-no-way-college-athletes-can-play-this-fall/#5716d9645e5c) titled "Without A Vaccine, There Is No…

I so pleased to welcome back to the podcast Scott Pattison (https://www.nga.org/news/scott-pattison-named-cq-rollcall-influencer/) , Senior Fellow at the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa and the former CEO of the National Governors Association, Scott and his colleagues have been actively engaged in understanding the difficulties that…

The last time Dr. Keith Hamilton (https://www.pennmedicine.org/providers/profile/keith-hamilton) and I saw each other, we went to an NBA basketball game a week before Christmas. The arena was sold out with fans excited to see Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia Sixers play the Washington Wizards. We are both sports fans, both former…

Everything you wanted to know about the latest NCAA updates on Names, Images and Likenesses from two perspectives--from a member of the NCAA working group, Jill Bodensteiner, Athletics Director at Saint Joseph's University, and a sobering letter sent days later to NCAA President Mark Emmert from United States Senators Chris…

This week, you'll hear my interview with KYW News Radio in Philadelphia, talking about a recent article (https://www.forbes.com/sites/karenweaver/2020/05/09/return-to-play-guidance-emerges-for-college-sports-colleges/#6ad76a9b1e9a) in Forbes.com. The American College Health Association published return to campus guidelines (https://www.acha.org/documents/resources/guidelines/ACHA_Considerations_for_Reopening_IHEs_in_the_COVID-19_Era_May2020.pdf) in May, including athletics. If you are a college president, trustee or athletics director, I encourage you to listen…

This week's podcast leads with a personal conversation with Charles Hallman, a Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder journalist. Having this conversation with Charles has been on my mind since the horrific video of George Floyd's death consumed the nation three weeks ago, Floyd's death has led to the #BlackLivesMatter movement, discussions about police…

Today we’re going to examine the fate of regional public institutions, particularly in the Upper Midwest and the Mid Atlantic regions. An overwhelming number of these institutions have robust athletics programs on their campuses in all NCAA divisions. The Brookings Institute recently assessed (https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20200617_BrookingsMetro_Great-Lakes-RPUs_FULL-final.pdf) the economic, educational effects and overall…

This week is a time like no other-the Ivy League announced (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/08/sports/ncaafootball/ivy-league-fall-sports-football-coronavirus.html) the cancellation of Fall 2020 sports, Vanderbilt University, part of the powerful SEC football conference, announced (https://www.nashvillepost.com/sports/vanderbilt-athletics/article/21139459/vanderbilt-purging-athletic-communications-dept) the near elimination of their athletic communications department, and Stanford University announced (https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/07/08/stanford-eliminates-11-varsity-sports/) the discontinuation of 11 Olympic sports. Prior to…

All anyone can think about right now is if/when college sports will be back. Will it be in the fall? Will football be back?. How about DIII schools? Presidents are overwhelmed with all of the what if scenarios, but Richard Giller (https://www.pillsburylaw.com/en/lawyers/richard-giller.html) , Partner and Insurance Recovery Lawyer in the…

In July 2020, the Senate Judiciary Committee convened (https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/protecting-the-integrity-of-college-athletics) a hearing called "Protecting the Integrity of College Athletics". Led by Senators Blumenthal, Graham and Booker, the Committee announced their intent to create a "College Athletes Bill of Rights" tied to a reform agenda with Names, Images and Likenesses legislation. The…

The number of college conferences that have suspended, modified or cancelled (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1C9Dq-M4gzed298NitTWxuKUObQQFY8G9nxJ8d4xE5NU/edit#gid=0) Fall sports in mind numbing. Presidents and Commissioners have had to make tremendously difficult decisions--the cancelling of a fall season could mean those athletes don't return to campus. The Northeastern, MidAtlantic and Midwestern portions of the country are…

It's important to understand who is sitting at the table when it comes to critical institutional decisions. It's even more telling who is NOT sitting at the table. Today's conversation is focused on both the HOW and WHY of "return to campus" decisions that are made for Fall 2020. Presidents…

Division II and III athletic conferences have been discontinuing fall sports at a record pace this month. It is devastating for athletes, and for campus budgets. Many private colleges have built their enrollment strategies on having as many as 50% of the total student body comprised of athletes. In the…