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#10: The House & Senate continued to hammer out the new potential federal tax plan & Wednesday it looks like both chambers agreed to drop "interest-free private activity bonds, an alarming prospect for the many private colleges that use the bonds to save on construction of new campus facilities." More details on the impact to higher ed in this IHE piece as graduate student tuition benefits will not be taxable. Still trying to track down any info on if there were changes to key elements of the code connected to college athletics. (link)
#9: Cave Social Co-founder Scheltgen pens for Inc., "Waking Up at 5 A.M. Doesn't Make Your Morning Routine Great. But These 5 Things Do." First and foremost, acknowledge burnout and "avoid it like the plague." To do so: 1. Find a routine that works for you and write it out; 2. Work on a non-work-related goal; 3. Move (hit the gym); 4. Use a smart alarm (waking when you're at optimal part of sleep cycle helps avoid grogginess); and 5. Realize your routine starts the night before (you have to get at least six hours of sleep). "Your morning productivity and mindset is the runway for the rest of your day -- make sure it's clear, clean, and ready for your day to take off." (link)
#8: Federal Tax Changes: If the current version of the new tax package passes, Texas A&M could have an additional $15M to pay in connection to new FB HC Fisher's 10-year, $75M deal due to a new 20% excise hit on salaries of $1M or more at universities. LEAD1 CEO McMillen: "Certainly our schools, if they have to choose between a great football team and getting a coach that’s going to deliver that and making cuts elsewhere, they’re probably going to make cuts elsewhere." New York-based attorney Hutcher expects schools to restructure HC deals to mitigate the tax burden. Washington AD Cohen: "This is happening really quickly. I’m not sure any of us are well prepared to figure out how to manage." (link); Florida's Gator Boosters Executive Director Pharr delivered a letter to donors promoting the option of prepaying for the 2018 FB season before the 2017 calendar year ends or to "make a 'lump-sum prepayment' that would serve as credit for future years." (link); More notes from Inside Higher Ed on the machinations of the bill in the House & its impact on higher ed, of note, "Another amendment would have made Pell Grant funding mandatory -- meaning it would be authorized in law permanently -- and boosted the maximum grant by $500 while indexing the value of the grant to inflation, an aim of many Democrats and student aid advocates." More. (link)
#7: A busy week on the AD transaction wire included Houston turning to alum, former letter winner & Cal Senior Assoc. AD/COO Pezman as its new boss. Prez Khator: "Chris has achieved success operationally, he understands the student athlete experience and he is a familiar name and face to our supporters." Pezman: "Houston has always been home and will always be home. We had always hoped to return to Houston, and when the opportunity presented itself, we couldn't be more excited. The University of Houston has continued its resurgence on a national level, and I am delighted to help continue our upward mobility in the future." (link)
#6: Arizona State AD Anderson reportedly called new Tennessee boss Fulmer "a pariah" in an interview with CBSSports.com's Dodd on the topic of this year's HC carousel. Full quote: "The athletic department there is perceived there as a cluster. Their athletic director, now Phil Fulmer, in the athletic director's world is a pariah. It is not a good situation." Anderson's comments were in reaction to those around the landscape questioning his hire of new Sun Devils FB HC Edwards, "The local reaction -- was the consensus opinion that I made a good decision? Absolutely not. Was it nationally? No. […] I knew I had to change the model or I was wasting my time at Arizona State." (link)
#5: From Indianapolis to San Bruno & back again. West Coast Conference Commish Holzman is headed east to rejoin the leadership ranks at the NCAA as VP of Women's Basketball. NCAA SVP of Basketball Gavitt: "Lynn Holzman brings the requisite balance of skill and experience in both managing championships and coordinating the administration of the committees governing the sport. Her excellent work as commissioner of the West Coast Conference and previously as a director at the NCAA has prepared Lynn well for the various responsibilities of the job, and as a former scholarship basketball student‐athlete, she will be an inspiring leader for NCAA women’s basketball." Holzman point to her time as a WBB student-athlete as transformational, looking forward to giving back to the game, "Women’s basketball is thriving and positioned to continue its growth and advance as a premier NCAA sport." Holzman to begin her new role on February 1. (link)
#4: Another change as Jackson State AD Brown was relieved of his duties late last week, though the university still isn't commenting. Per the Clarion-Ledger's Cleveland, "According to multiple sources, Brown was offered an alternative job inside the athletic department that would have paid him less money and made him an at-will employee instead of him having a contract. He declined." Brown has a year remaining on this contract. (link)
#3: Texas-Del Conte: The Austin-American Statesman's Bohls gets credit for breaking the news of Texas brass tabbing TCU AD Del Conte as the new leader for the Longhorns. Interestingly, Del Conte begins his tenure in Austin tomorrow & UT Women's AD Plonsky will now report to Del Conte. Former Horns AD Dodds: "It’s been on a lot of people’s minds since they had said Mike’s terms run out (in August 2018). Everybody’s been thinking about it, and Chris has always been somebody that’s been talked about." (link); Del Conte, in a letter to Horned Frogs faithful, "I firmly believe that TCU's athletics program is positioned for continued future growth & success, especially given Chancellor Boschini's vision & leadership. The work we accomplished together, in which all of you played a major role in through your unbelievable passion for your university, has made TCU one of the very best athletics programs in the country." (link); Del Conte gets a seven-year agreement worth $1.3M annually, not too much more than he was making in Ft. Worth, but there are still a number of deal details to better understand. Dallas Morning News' Carlton points to sources who told him UT Prez Fenves targeted Del Conte as his prime option. More from Dodds on how to have success in Austin, "Don't be the show. Just make the show work. And take care of the kids." (link)Former TCU AD & new Texas boss Del Conte took out a full page ad in the Star-Telegram to thank the Horned Frogs family. (link)
#2: Western Kentucky AD Stewart reportedly called the MBB team’s defeat at Wisconsin on Wednesday a "disgrace" because of the foul call that was made at the end of the game & led to the Badgers winning on the free throw line. Stewart: "You want the game to be settled on the court. I think to have a foul called 90 feet from the basket with two seconds left? That’d be the equivalent to me of calling pass interference on a Hail Mary, but calling it on a receiver that the ball wasn’t even thrown to." Hilltoppers HC Stansbury also weighed in: "I’m gonna say this as nice as I can: I’m not gonna put the blame on one play. But as it turned out, it was an important play. It’s really an obvious play. If he's out of bounds, he’s an illegal screener. ... We’re supposed to go the monitor the last two minutes to look at things? To me, that’s an important thing to go to the monitor for. They said you couldn’t go. What else is more important to go to the monitor for late in the game?" (link); Here's a pic of the call. (link)
#1: TCU: News hit Sunday night that Chancellor Boschini will turn to Deputy AD for External Affairs Donati to lead the Horned Frogs with former AD Del Conte off to Texas. Donati has been a mainstay in Ft. Worth since 2011, steadily climbing the ladder thanks to stellar fundraising results. (link); Dallas/Ft. Worth sports TV personality Scruggs reports the exit of Del Conte means buyouts for FB HC Patterson & Baseball HC Schlossnagle are now "null and void." (link); Donati comments on a piece for the university's student newspaper on how the potential federal tax changes could impact another big renovation for Amon G. Carter Stadium. "We do think there may be an effect on capital giving which is what we are talking about with the stadium renovation. […] Donors want to support things they believe in. We, TCU, the football program, coach [Gary] Patterson have made TCU football an easy thing to give towards. People like success. They want to be a part of things that are successful, so it’s our job just to help facilitate that. […] We still think that demand will still be there regardless of the tax implications, but we are kind of in a wait and see approach until we hear more." (link)
