Michigan interim AD Jim Hackett's first 11 months on the job have "been a noted success echoed by two thunderclaps -- hiring Jim Harbaugh as football coach and overseeing the agreement" of a record 15-year, $169M contract with Nike, according to Brendan Quinn of MLIVE.com. But it has also been a tenure "paper clipped with that interim tag," and the original plan "called for Hackett to organize the athletic department's priorities and assist" UM President Mark Schlissel. Hackett, whose one-year anniversary on the job is Oct. 31, said, "At one year, the shelf life of interim is hard to continue, so that's why the president and I are addressing that question right now." Quinn wrote Hackett, a "self-described 'very abstract kind of guy,'" is running the department "his way." It is a model "based on distributing responsibilities to 'empowered leaders,' modern business principles and achieving stability, both financially and competitively." Hackett has "introduced lessons in critical thinking and design thinking to athletic department staff." Hackett: "The best thing that I can do in serving the organization is by helping the vitality of it. You can argue, would another person do something differently? Well, maybe, but they're not here. An organization shifts in momentum." Quinn noted Hackett's top priorities for the department include dealing with "schematics and outfitting of Michigan's shift to Nike" and finding ways to "advance fan experiences at Michigan sporting events." He is also seeking to "improve transactions in the ticketing process" (MLIVE.com, 10/2).
HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF: Raleigh-based WALTER magazine's Andrew Kenney wrote N.C. State AD Debbie Yow, in her sixth year at the school, "seems to have won the Wolfpack’s trust." Yow's coaches are "winning games," and the online bulletin-board critics "are favorable." At N.C. State, where cheering "often comes with lament, people seem awfully contented." But while Yow’s influence is "tangible, her work isn’t done." Her master plan for the "renovation of her school’s athletics extends already" through '17. Before she retires in '19, she would like to "obliterate the chip on N.C. State’s shoulder, once and for all." N.C. State's ranking in the NACDA's Directors' Cup has "improved in four of Yow’s five years." Yow: "The people are the key. Hiring the right coaches is probably the single most important thing I do. Hire the wrong coach, and now you’re in a quagmire." Kenney reported department revenues have "grown from roughly" $50M to $70M "under Yow's leadership." She said, "Everyone’s budget here is considerably better than it was five years ago. They were starving" (WALTER, 10/ '15 issue).
