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Michigan State started the month of May making a major splash in the college athletics world. The Spartans made the decision to fire athletic director Alan Haller, choosing to move the Michigan State athletic department in a new direction.
As MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz said in a release about his decision, the Spartans are looking to move into a focus centered around fundraising and making tangible progress to stay ahead of the curve in the ever changing landscape of collegiate athletics.
This next hire for the Spartans is going to be massively important, as the level of change that the athletics landscape has seen is so large, the Spartans need to make sure their athletic department is at the top of their game. In their search, the Spartans will use the search firm TurnkeyZRG, as well as creating an advisory committee to look for their next man.
With MSU's Guskiewicz looking for the next leader of Spartan athletics, we compiled a list of some of the options that he could be sifting through.
Arguably the most obvious choice on the list for Guskiewicz and MSU, North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham has a ton of connections that link him to the Spartans.
For starters, Cunningham and Guskiewicz have a strong relationship from the MSU President's time in Chapel Hill. But furthermore, Cunningham is a native of Flint and went to college at Notre Dame, giving him regional ties to the Spartans.
FSU AD Michael Alford has ties to the region, previously serving as the athletic director for Central Michigan, before going on to work for the Seminoles. Starting as the CEO of the Seminoles Boosters, he moved over to be the AD for the Seminoles, helping lead FSU through the school's problems with the ACC.
A man who has done a masterful job leading the Noles through NIL and gaining donations, paired with leading the charge for changes within the Atlantic Coast Conference, Alford checks all of the boxes for a school like MSU.
A finalist for the job four years ago when it was given to Haller, Greene could potentially make his way back into the mix with the Spartans.
A former AD for both Buffalo and Auburn, Greene is now tasked with undoing the financial disaster that is within the Pittsburgh athletic department. Also holding roles as a Senior Deputy AD for Ole Miss and Tennessee, Greene possesses a ton of strong qualities for MSU's void, and should have interest once again.
Despite not coming from a major university, Konya is a candidate that checks all of MSU's boxes and could be a dark horse for the position. A native of West Bloomfield (MI), Konya previously spent time at nearby Oakland University as the school's AD from 2014-to-2018. He also spent time as the athletic director of both Cal State Bakersfield and Northeastern University before planting his roots in San Jose in 2021.
At SJSU, Konya led the charge in building a $70M athletic center funded by donors, boosters and alumni, showing his fundraising acumen.
Another California athletic director, Jarmond has Michigan State ties, starting his administrative career in East Lansing as an assistant AD from 2003-09. He was in the mix for the job four years ago, but received a contract extension from UCLA to stay in Los Angeles.
The athletic director at Eastern Michigan, Wetherbee has succeeded in one of the toughest athletic departments in division one college athletics. Being in the role since 2017, he came to Ypsilanti from Mississippi State, where he led a marketing department that became the first back-to-back winner of the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) Marketing Team of the Year.
At EMU, he secured more than $20 million in cash and pledges to help upgrade athletic facilities. EMU has generated six gifts of $1 million or more, including the first seven-figure gift in Eastern Athletics history, while also securing naming rights for several stadiums on campus.
Another in-state athletic director, Bartholomae has led Western Michigan for the past four years, where he has drastically improved the Broncos athletic fundraising efforts, while overseeing the hockey program win the national championship. Prior to WMU, Bartholomae was the Executive Deputy Athletic Director at Oregon State, where he helped secure the funding for massive stadium upgrades.
Bartholomae and head football coach Jonathan Smith also have a strong relationship with one another.
Michigan State needs a fundraiser and a face of the athletic department, so why not tab one of the two guys that have been the most prominent faces of Spartan athletics over the last three decades. While this would make more sense for Dantonio over Izzo, Izzo is getting the interim co-AD tag could provoke him wanting to do more in the athletic department.
Guskiewicz could use one of his most prominent faces in a headliner role, being the main fundraiser, while naming another internal candidate that could serve as a co-AD in more of a technical nature.
The lone candidate on the list that does not have athletic directing experience, Balk is a longtime personal friend of Guskiewicz, with the two spending their childhood together.
Balk went on to get his law degree and spent 11 years as the chief development officer at Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott. He would leave his legal career behind in 2024, though, to follow Guskiewicz to become MSU’s senior advisor to the president on strategy and operational excellence.
Now, with MSU in a time of need, Guskiewicz could turn to one of his most trusted companions.
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on X @Cory_Linsner
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Nine candidates for Michigan State to potentially look at for AD
Continue reading...
As MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz said in a release about his decision, the Spartans are looking to move into a focus centered around fundraising and making tangible progress to stay ahead of the curve in the ever changing landscape of collegiate athletics.
This next hire for the Spartans is going to be massively important, as the level of change that the athletics landscape has seen is so large, the Spartans need to make sure their athletic department is at the top of their game. In their search, the Spartans will use the search firm TurnkeyZRG, as well as creating an advisory committee to look for their next man.
With MSU's Guskiewicz looking for the next leader of Spartan athletics, we compiled a list of some of the options that he could be sifting through.
Bubba Cunningham (North Carolina)
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Arguably the most obvious choice on the list for Guskiewicz and MSU, North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham has a ton of connections that link him to the Spartans.
For starters, Cunningham and Guskiewicz have a strong relationship from the MSU President's time in Chapel Hill. But furthermore, Cunningham is a native of Flint and went to college at Notre Dame, giving him regional ties to the Spartans.
Michael Alford (Florida State)
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FSU AD Michael Alford has ties to the region, previously serving as the athletic director for Central Michigan, before going on to work for the Seminoles. Starting as the CEO of the Seminoles Boosters, he moved over to be the AD for the Seminoles, helping lead FSU through the school's problems with the ACC.
A man who has done a masterful job leading the Noles through NIL and gaining donations, paired with leading the charge for changes within the Atlantic Coast Conference, Alford checks all of the boxes for a school like MSU.
Allen Greene (Pitt)
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A finalist for the job four years ago when it was given to Haller, Greene could potentially make his way back into the mix with the Spartans.
A former AD for both Buffalo and Auburn, Greene is now tasked with undoing the financial disaster that is within the Pittsburgh athletic department. Also holding roles as a Senior Deputy AD for Ole Miss and Tennessee, Greene possesses a ton of strong qualities for MSU's void, and should have interest once again.
Jeff Konya (San Jose State)
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Despite not coming from a major university, Konya is a candidate that checks all of MSU's boxes and could be a dark horse for the position. A native of West Bloomfield (MI), Konya previously spent time at nearby Oakland University as the school's AD from 2014-to-2018. He also spent time as the athletic director of both Cal State Bakersfield and Northeastern University before planting his roots in San Jose in 2021.
At SJSU, Konya led the charge in building a $70M athletic center funded by donors, boosters and alumni, showing his fundraising acumen.
Martin Jarmond (UCLA)
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Another California athletic director, Jarmond has Michigan State ties, starting his administrative career in East Lansing as an assistant AD from 2003-09. He was in the mix for the job four years ago, but received a contract extension from UCLA to stay in Los Angeles.
Scott Wetherbee (Eastern Michigan)
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The athletic director at Eastern Michigan, Wetherbee has succeeded in one of the toughest athletic departments in division one college athletics. Being in the role since 2017, he came to Ypsilanti from Mississippi State, where he led a marketing department that became the first back-to-back winner of the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) Marketing Team of the Year.
At EMU, he secured more than $20 million in cash and pledges to help upgrade athletic facilities. EMU has generated six gifts of $1 million or more, including the first seven-figure gift in Eastern Athletics history, while also securing naming rights for several stadiums on campus.
Dan Bartholomae (Western Michigan)
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Another in-state athletic director, Bartholomae has led Western Michigan for the past four years, where he has drastically improved the Broncos athletic fundraising efforts, while overseeing the hockey program win the national championship. Prior to WMU, Bartholomae was the Executive Deputy Athletic Director at Oregon State, where he helped secure the funding for massive stadium upgrades.
Bartholomae and head football coach Jonathan Smith also have a strong relationship with one another.
Mark Dantonio or Tom Izzo
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Michigan State needs a fundraiser and a face of the athletic department, so why not tab one of the two guys that have been the most prominent faces of Spartan athletics over the last three decades. While this would make more sense for Dantonio over Izzo, Izzo is getting the interim co-AD tag could provoke him wanting to do more in the athletic department.
Guskiewicz could use one of his most prominent faces in a headliner role, being the main fundraiser, while naming another internal candidate that could serve as a co-AD in more of a technical nature.
Harold Balk (MSU senior advisor)
You must be registered for see images attach
The lone candidate on the list that does not have athletic directing experience, Balk is a longtime personal friend of Guskiewicz, with the two spending their childhood together.
Balk went on to get his law degree and spent 11 years as the chief development officer at Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott. He would leave his legal career behind in 2024, though, to follow Guskiewicz to become MSU’s senior advisor to the president on strategy and operational excellence.
Now, with MSU in a time of need, Guskiewicz could turn to one of his most trusted companions.
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on X @Cory_Linsner
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Nine candidates for Michigan State to potentially look at for AD
Continue reading...
