Edition #907
October 13, 2026
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Dordt AD Darin Keizer joined Friends VP of Athletics and Strategic Expansion Rob Ramseyer on the Impactful Coaching Project to discuss coach development, mission alignment and more. Key takeaways…
➤ The evaluation process for coaches: “I really like the phrase, 'We can't be the ceiling; we need to be the cultivator.' So I can't be the ceiling of my athletic department. I have to let other people be able to go above and beyond skill sets, training, all of the above. So my job as athletic director needs to cultivate areas of growth in all of my coaches. When I evaluate, I'm not trying to tell coaches what they are doing wrong. I'm trying to tell them areas that they can grow in. … So we evaluate on our core values and then we assess to be able to be a cultivator in those areas of growth. … My assessment's never to punch a coach down. My assessment is to say, ‘Here's what I am seeing. Are you seeing some of the same things or are we seeing a way different piece?’ And then we also add in our student's voice as well.”
➤ Importance of mission focus: “It starts from the top. Some people might be shocked, but our president still has his hand in the interviews of our head coaches and our assistant coaches, and at some point in time, he will have lunch or a meeting with our GAs individually. … I think mission alignment is hypercritical and we do a really nice job with that. Even though it might drive the athletic director nuts at times with how long it takes and how thorough we want to be, that is a hypercritical piece to us. … We talk about the Defender Way, as that's our product. Our byproduct might be winning and our byproduct might be X, Y, and Z, but our product is to develop young men and women towards Christ. We're sticking true to who we are. We've seen over the last five years more of that byproduct come out because our retention is so high and we're keeping kids longer and we're developing kids more, whereas some institutions have seen turnover like crazy in their athletes and that probably has an impact on their success as well.” (link)
McPherson AD Josh Daume sat down with KCAC Asst. Commissioner Mark Hoffhines on This Week in the KCAC to dive into the growth of the Bulldogs’ department. Here are some of his most notable comments…
➤ On finishing sixth in the KCAC Commissioner's Cup, tied for its best finish this decade: “I think it says that we’re growing and maturing as a department overall. Two years ago, we had a lot of coaching turnover. Now we’ve got some teams that are in their second or third year under their leadership and we’re starting to see some of the rewards of the hard work they’ve put in. We don’t want to be sixth. We want to be at the top, but it’s a process. You’re not going to do that overnight and these new coaches we’ve brought in, and the ones that have been here for a while, they’re doing an outstanding job winning championships, but our newer coaches, they’re getting their squads where they want them to be. They have their student-athletes here now and we’re starting to see some of that pay off. We want to be top three this year. We want to win it someday. It’s important to us, but it’s not all we are. We’re going to be good people first of all, and if you’re doing all the little things right, the competitive side is going to take care of itself.”
➤ Daume says the growth of McPherson was a draw for him to take the position three-plus years ago. On upcoming athletic facility projects, the Bulldogs are putting up lights at their baseball and softball fields and going to turf the soccer practice field. Looking ahead, the department is working on preliminary plans for a new annex building that would include indoor turf, an auxiliary weight room and more. (link)
The GSAC will expand its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments from four to six teams this year, with the highest seeds set to host. (link, link)
The NAIA signs a three-year deal with AnovaSports to be the association’s Trusted Service Provider of AI Basketball Scouting. (link)
Grand View inks a four-year MOU with pro esports organization Team Liquid to support camps, merchandise, apparel and more. (link)
From yesterday’s CFO.ticker: How are leaders implementing AI?
➤ Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds says his league is deploying narrow, highly specific agents into existing workflows: “The companies that get this right over the next three years won’t be the ones with the largest AI budgets. They’ll be the ones that treat each deployment the way a race team treats a new component: tested under pressure, judged on whether it makes the car faster and ripped out if it doesn’t.”
➤ Financial performance platform Prophix CEO Alok Ajmera expects AI to drive increased capacity, as opposed to decreased headcount, with the company seeing 3.5 times higher engineering output over two yers with the help of AI tools. Further, Ajmera estimates current AI tools save employees four to eight hours a week—yielding a 10% to 20% productivity improvement—though adoption remains limited to low-risk tasks.
➤ While Boston Consulting Group projects staff could be cut in half with the adoption of AI-first finance functions, executives still are hesitant, pointing to a lack of auditability and accuracy concerns. Finance software company Esker CFO Scott McDermott explained that while tools like Anthropic's Claude can assist with straightforward data modeling, complex financial choices still require human oversight: “Those decisions often require context, judgment, and a deep understanding of company strategy, competitive dynamics, and management priorities that do not fully reside in enterprise systems.” More. (link)
People & Places…
➤ Life selects former Life Chiropractic College West/New Zealand College of Chiropractic President Brian Kelly as its next president. (link)
➤ Lindsey Wilson Women’s Wrestling HC Devane Dodgens resigns after two-plus years in the role. (link)
➤ Louisiana Christian names former Missouri Valley/Seward (NJCAA) HC Brett Bridel as its new Women’s Tennis HC. (link)
The National College Attainment Network’s annual Affordability Gap survey found that just 32% of 542 public bachelor’s-granting institutions were affordable in 2023-24, the most recent year with complete data, with the average affordability gap totaling $1,801. The gap grew larger than previous years, despite FY24 including a $500 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award. Notable: “In 2023-24, food prices remained high following a spike in 2022, and housing prices, especially rent, also continued to rise. During that academic year, living expenses made up a larger share of the cost of attendance than tuition and fees, on average. Because NCAN’s model accounts for the full cost of attendance, these trends are accounted for in the analysis. … NCAN’s analysis of Pell funding suggests that if the maximum award had been indexed to inflation since the 2023-24 academic year, it would be about $8,100 today.” Across the country, 12 states did not have a single public B.A.-granting school where aid, family contribution and earnings covered the cost of attendance and in just 10 states, the average school was financially within reach for students. Full report. (link)
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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)
(NEW!) Men's Assistant Coach (Swarthmore College / Swarthmore, PA): Swarthmore College Men's Lacrosse is hiring an assistant coach. Duties include recruiting, logistics and on field coaching. Send resume to [email protected] (DIII) More details HERE.
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.
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.