Edition #906
October 9, 2026
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Spring Arbor removes the interim tag from AD/Baseball HC Ryan Marken. President Brent Ellis: “Athletics at Spring Arbor exists to form men and women in Christ, and Ryan understands that as well as anyone I know. He invests in our coaches so that they can invest in our student-athletes, and that dedication shows in the character of our teams. Removing 'interim' from his title recognizes the leader he has already proven to be.” (link)
Rocky Mountain promotes AD Kelly Perry to VP of Athletics. (link)
More from NAIA VP of Championships Austin Bennett’s Small College Conversation on selection committee changes and championship experience improvements. Here are some of his most notable comments…
➤ Removing coaches from national selection committees: “The human aspect of a selection committee can dilute the entire process. So having coaches in there, I'd say 85-90% of our coaches that are on selection committees followed the criteria, did the right thing, did what we asked and things like that. But there's always that group that doesn't. And year in and year out, we saw different issues with somebody couldn't be neutral, somebody couldn't put their NAIA hat on and take their school hat off and really just follow the criteria as listed. … Consistency was the key part of it across the board and creating just something that everybody trusts and understands moving forward while also keeping coaches involved at the ARC level.” In addition, the NAIA has trained selection committee chairs and members and ARC members to ensure consistency.
➤ The championships department has implemented lessons from the Disney model for event excellence over the last two years, which have helped championship customer satisfaction scores grow from the 60s to over 75 in 2025-26. As the NAIA implements those lessons at national sites and opening round hosts, Bennett is seeing members implement some of the same experiential benefits for their regular season contests. “We found that our schools are hungry for the opportunity to elevate the floor, if you will, for their host experience on campus. And so that's been a cool part of this as well is to see not only the experiences that they're having and seeing in our championships, but also how that started to adapt into our early rounds and even regular season competitions on our campuses as well.” (link)
KCAC Commissioner Brandon Buchanan joined Kansas Sports Chatter to discuss membership, growth and more. Here are some of his most notable comments…
➤ “I wouldn't say the book is closed on expansion by any means because there's always thoughts and always strategic growth meetings and task force and all those kind of things. We have interest from institutions and that just speaks to how highly the KCAC is regarded, which we're very thankful for at the same time, but it has to align with what our institutions, our board of presidents, our conference needs as a whole. Is it really adding value to the conference? That's one of our main questions and we don't just add to add. We're very committed to what we're doing and the kind of path we're on right now. … Is it the right time? We're working through a lot of things and obviously with leadership change this last year, you try to tackle some other pressing things first and foremost, getting you to a really good laying the groundwork for how do we go forward and how do we grow going forward? I think now that we're in the second year of me being the commissioner, I feel like we're a little bit better place to perhaps tackle some of these things going forward.
➤ On growth: “We are expanding in other ways also outside of just membership. Our viewership went up 400% this last year. We had over five million viewers alone on just streaming. We had 10 million impressions. We're expanding sports, obviously adding sports to the gamut of what we do. We're offering more and trying to tell that story more that we're so proud of.” Also, this year will be the league’s first sponsoring men’s volleyball with five full and two affiliate members. Buchanan expects two to four full-time KCAC members to add men’s volleyball in the next few years. (link)
Deal Corner…
➤ Arizona Christian and Indiana Tech have teamed up with Athletic Solutions to provide NIL online storefronts for student-athletes. (link, link)
➤ Huston-Tillotson partners with Influxer to offer NIL merchandise opportunities. (link)
Ottawa’s (AZ) win over Wayland Baptist in football earlier this season has been ruled a forfeit after the Spirit determined one of their student-athletes who competed in the game was ineligible. (link)
Walla Walla promotes Men’s Basketball AC/alum Tyreek Luckett to HC. (link)
From yesterday’s CFO.ticker: Small private institutions are slashing published tuition rates to boost enrollment and counteract rising skepticism over higher education costs, Bloomberg's Amanda Albright observes. Emory & Henry reduced tuition from near $40K to $19,990, while Concordia-St. Paul, which saw undergraduate enrollment climb over 70% after a 33% cut in 2013 and announced a further $5,500 reduction. Albright notes a NACUBO survey of over 250 private colleges revealed an average tuition discount rate of 57% for first-time students, and E&H President Lou Fincher says: “We just knew that we couldn’t be a school with a price tag of $40K and attract students, particularly those in the socioeconomic groups that are in our region. We couldn’t continue on that same path.” (link) Also of note, bond yields are pushing to historic highs, with the US 10-year Treasury hitting 5.34%, its highest mark since 2002, with Citigroup attributing the 60- to 100-basis-point surge to inflation pressures stemming from the Middle East, rising government debt that recently pushed the US national total to $40T, and corporate borrowing to fund AI investments that averaged $466B in the first half of the year. Full edition. (link)
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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)
(NEW!) Associate Athletic Director for Sports Analytics (William & Mary / Williamsburg, VA): The Associate AD for Sports Analytics leads the department's strategy for data, analytics, and artificial intelligence across all 23 varsity sports. (DI) More details HERE.
(NEW!) Director, Governance and Compliance (Mountain West Conference / Las Vegas, NV): The Director, Governance & Compliance will serve the Mountain West Conference and its member institutions supporting the day-to-day aspects of the Conference’s governance and compliance services. (DI) More details HERE.
Assistant Vice President, Licensing & Trademarks (University of Houston / Houston, TX): Lead the University of Houston System's licensing & trademarks strategy, protecting institutional brands and driving revenue through high-impact partnerships and innovative licensing programs. (DI) More details HERE.
Vice President and Director of Athletics (Rice University / Houston, TX): Rice seeks a strategic athletics leader to drive championship success, strengthen student-athlete experiences, grow revenue, elevate Rice nationally, and navigate college athletics’ evolving landscape. (DI) More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Houston? Click HERE. The D1.dossier for this position can be found HERE.
Senior Vice President - Men's Basketball (Atlantic Coast Conference / Charlotte, NC): Senior leader for ACC Men’s Basketball, driving competitive success, national profile, championship experience and commercial value while overseeing scheduling, officiating and key partnerships. (DI) More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Charlotte? Click HERE.
Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications (Lawrence University / Appleton, WI): This position plays a key role in elevating the visibility of Lawrence Athletics through strategic media relations, digital content creation, live streaming management, and statistical services. (DIII) More details HERE.
Commissioner (Southern Conference / Spartanburg, SC): Reporting to the Council of Presidents, the Commissioner serves as the Conference's chief executive officer, providing strategic, administrative, and external leadership for member institutions. (DI) More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Spartanburg? Click HERE.
Part-Time Assistant Track & Field/Cross Country Coach (University of Pikeville / Pikeville, KY): The University of Pikeville is seeking an innovative professional for the position of Part-time Assistant Track & Field/ Cross Country Coach within the Athletic Department. More details HERE.
Assistant Athletic Trainer (Lindsey Wilson University / Columbia, KY): Lindsey Wilson University is searching for an Assistant Athletic Trainer. More details HERE.
Associate Commissioner for Strategic Communications (Southeastern Conference / Birmingham, AL): The Associate Commissioner for Strategic Communications will provide strategic leadership for the Southeastern Conference’s communication efforts. (DI) More details HERE.
Head Archery & Shotgun Sports Coach (Missouri Valley College / Marshall, MO): Missouri Valley University seeks an energetic, visionary, and student-centered Head Coach to provide leadership for the Universities Men's and Women's Archery/Shotgun team. More details HERE. What would it cost to move to Marshall? Click HERE.