Univ. of Missouri AD Mike Alden "will step down from his position, effective Aug. 31," according to Aaron Reiss of the Columbia MISSOURIAN. Alden in a statement said that he will "become an instructor at MU in the College of Education where he will participate in the Positive Coaching Program and higher education leadership courses." MU Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin in a statement said, "We have already begun a national search for Mike’s successor." UM System President Tim Wolfe's office on Thursday said the move was a "campus decision." Reiss notes Alden "received a two-year contract extension" in August '12, "which extended his deal" to June '19. He took over as Missouri AD in '98, and in '00 hired Gary Pinkel as football coach. The football program "is riding an unprecedented wave of success." Alden "was also responsible for steering Missouri from the Big 12 Conference" to the SEC. Alden is "the second-longest tenured director of athletics in school history." The school's annual athletics budget "when Alden arrived" was $13.7M, compared with the $85M "the budget grew to" during his tenure. However, his tenure "wasn't without controversy." A March '14 ESPN report "criticized MU's actions following former swimmer Sasha Menu Courey's suicide," indicating that MU "failed to properly investigate a rape allegation made by Menu Courey" (Columbia MISSOURIAN, 1/30). MU Deputy AD Doug Gillin said that the staff "was surprised by the timing of Alden’s announcement, but not stunned by its substance." In K.C., Tod Palmer writes Alden's legacy "will be a predominantly positive one," and he is "well-liked and highly regarded" within the athletic department (K.C. STAR, 1/30). Alden served as NACDA President for '13-14 (THE DAILY).
HIS TIME IN TIGER TOWN: In K.C., Blair Kerkhoff writes Alden's tenure "will be largely remembered favorably." The university’s "monumental change in athletic direction, resigning from the Big 12 and joining the Southeastern Conference, doesn’t happen without the football program’s strength and stability." That is the result of "the workmanship of Pinkel, hired by Alden." Alden "will be remembered as an effective leader who ensured a secure future for Missouri athletics" (K.C. STAR, 1/30). In Missouri, Mitchell Ferman writes Alden and his wife Rockie "were absent from the season-high crowd of 13,034" at Thursday night's Kentucky-Missouri basketball game. Alden's departure "seemingly came out of nowhere" (Columbia MISSOURIAN, 1/30).
MOVING FORWARD: In St. Louis, Dave Matter looks at possible successors to Alden, noting Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock "served as Alden’s second-in-command for several years," while Ole Miss AD Ross Bjork "climbed the ranks at Mizzou under Alden, as did Southeast Missouri State AD Mark Alnutt." All three "could emerge as natural candidates" to fill the MU AD vacancy. Gillin "could be considered as an internal candidate" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/30). Meanwhile, the K.C. STAR's Palmer reports the MU athletic department's annual operating revenue "grew nearly" 10% to $83.7M during FY '14, but "outstanding debt climbed by nearly" $60M and expenses also increased. MU athletics reported revenue close to $3.5M "more than expenses in its second season" in the SEC. That "marks a decline" from FY '13, when Missouri reported an operating profit of more than $6M, but "continues a positive trend" since the school left the Big 12. The positive balance sheet for FY '14 "allowed MU athletics to transfer $2,179,583" of the $3.5M profit "to the university for 'initiatives outside of athletics.'" MU "reported operating revenue of $83,718,587, an increase" of more than $7.4M from '13. Expenses in '14 "climbed nearly" $10M to $80,230,179. Most of the additional expense came from a 59.6% increase "for facilities, maintenance and debt service," a 40.9% increase "in the cost of team travel" and a 12.5% increase in coaches' salaries. MU's outstanding athletic debt increased 255% -- "from $22,839,576 to $81,268,862." An MU department spokesperson said that the spike "is attributed to new bonds that were issued for Memorial Stadium’s west-side renovation and east-side expansion, as well as the reconfiguration of the Rock M" (K.C. STAR, 1/30).
VACANCY IN AMHERST, TOO: In Boston, Jeff Wagenheim notes UMass AD John McCutcheon is leaving after 11 years at the school to take the same position at the Univ. of California-Santa Barbara. McCutcheon "will leave his position Feb. 20." UMass will "name an interim AD while a search committee finds a permanent replacement." Budget cuts "threatened several sports programs early in his tenure, and once the athletic department had navigated through those choppy waters, McCutcheon’s focus became moored in the physical plant." The legacy of McCutcheon "might be etched in bricks and mortar." Three athletic facilities opened within the past year, "including a football performance center and press box/skybox at McGuirk Alumni Stadium, enhancements created in tandem with the football program’s step up" to the FBS. A training facility for the men’s and women’s basketball teams "is scheduled to open in the spring" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/30). In Massachusetts, Matt Vautour writes the UMass administration "wasn’t caught off guard by Thursday’s announcement." His status as a finalist for the UCSB job "was announced in early December and the glacial pace of UCSB’s search gave the school almost two months to prepare and have a search ready." Vautour: "Needless to say this is an important hire." UMass, "which will be without a football conference in less than a year, faces its own uncertainty." Whoever is picked to lead the department into the future "could have a huge influence on how UMass athletics is positioned for decades." It will "be interesting to see if UMass hires a search firm." The school used CarrSports Consulting to examine the department and "head a search that led to Mark Whipple being hired as the new football coach last year." But Carr’s role "in the disputed elimination of football" at UAB has made CarrSports President Bill Carr "a controversial figure himself" (DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE, 1/30).
