Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics

https://www.cmich.edu

Central Michigan University has a more than 125-year legacy of preparing students to become leaders and changemakers in their communities and in their personal and professional lives. We serve nearly 19,500 students on our Mount Pleasant campus, in satellite locations around the state, throughout the country, and through flexible online programs. Many of our approximately 300 undergraduate, master’s, specialist and doctoral programs in the arts, media, business, education, human services, health professions, liberal arts, social sciences, medicine, science and engineering are nationally ranked for excellence. CMU leads the nation in leadership development programming through our Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, and we are proud to be among only 5% of U.S. universities in the top two Carnegie research classifications. Our faculty work with graduate and undergraduate students in areas such as Great Lakes research, medical innovation, engineering technology and more. Central is home to 17 men’s and women’s Division 1 sports including football, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, wrestling and more. Our student-athletes achieve great success in competition and in the classroom, capturing Mid-American Conference championships and maintaining an average cumulative GPA of 3.17. CMU is located in Mount Pleasant, a community that blends the best of small-town living with big-city amenities. It’s part of the culturally varied and vibrant Great Lakes Bay Region that also includes Saginaw, Bay City, Midland and the state’s largest Native American community, centered on the Saginaw Chippewa Isabella Reservation in Mount Pleasant. Area residents enjoy the mix of outdoor activities, cultural events, shopping and dining options, and family attractions. Other major Michigan destinations and attractions — Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Traverse City, wineries, beaches, golf and ski resorts, and many more — are within easy reach of the city’s central location in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. CMU employees enjoy access to a nationally recognized wellness program along with health care and benefits that exceed regional, state and national norms.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES The Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics reports directly to the university president and is responsible for providing strong leadership, administration, and overall coordination of a comprehensive Division I intercollegiate athletic program that includes six men’s teams (current and planned) and eleven women’s teams at a university growing in its academic and national reputation. The university is a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

SUPERVISION EXERCISED Supervisors are expected to support the Leadership Standards of Central Michigan University that foster a culture inspiring excellence. The Leadership Standards define how we lead and treat others on our team. As leaders, it is our responsibility to seek input from our teams to continuously improve our leadership abilities and our demonstration of the standards. Additionally, it is our responsibility to encourage and support the growth and development of those whom we lead. At CMU, we encourage employees to grow both personally and professionally, and thus advance CMU’s culture of excellence.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Recruits, hires, leads, and evaluates coaches and administrative staff. Oversees student-athlete recruitment. Maintains a close, open, communicative, nurturing and supportive relationship, simultaneously establishing a firm culture of accountability for the university’s mission, values and policies.
• Coordinates and administers MAC and NCAA membership requirements; ensures compliance with MAC, NCAA and Title IX guidelines, rules and regulations; serves as institutional representative to the NCAA and MAC.
• Instills and maintains a culture and environment of learning, including programs for academic advising, priority of class attendance, grade point averages, NCAA academic progress rates (APR) along with the NCAA and federal graduation rates.
• Dedicated to advancing the university's commitment to diversity and inclusion.
• Oversees academic services to student-athletes. Creates a focused, purposeful culture of athletic and academic excellence. Ensures the highest academic achievement for all student-athletes.
• Provides leadership for the interaction among athletics, administration, and the university community regarding athletics issues and the relationship between athletics and academics.
• Responsible for overall game administration activities, facilities, ticket operations, and the scheduling of athletics events; monitors camps, clinics and high school sporting events on campus.
• Develops and supervises athletics budgets and provides uncompromised fiscal accountability for the intercollegiate athletics department.
• Provides leadership for athletics fundraising. Works in partnership with the VP for Advancement to raise major and transformational gifts to provide our student-athletes with the finest facilities, equipment and coaches.
• Provides leadership for athletics marketing and public relations activities. Works in partnership with University Communications on athletic related public announcements and information requests and represents athletics in communications.
• Represents the university and athletics at select alumni and donor events.
• Works with sports medicine and team physicians on issues involving training, health, and safety of student-athletes.
• Other duties as assigned and as the president determines are necessary.