Today marks Jim Knowlton's three-month anniversary as Cal AD, and during the span he has "traveled to the East Coast and throughout California to meet with some 600-700 alumni" and had sit-downs with the "leadership of all 30 teams," according to Rusty Simmons of the S.F. CHRONICLE. He also "made a point of scheduling one-on-one sessions with a variety of faculty members to come up with a list of topics that need to be addressed." The next few weeks will be "spent using the data to develop a vision statement for Cal athletics and then, within 18 months of his start date, a long-term strategic plan." Some of the priorities for the department already have "started working to the top of Knowlton’s to-do list." During the past month, it has been "nearly impossible to walk three blocks in Berkeley without running into a booth set up to sell tickets to games and help overcome the disconnect that sometimes exists between the athletic department and the campus." Knowlton said, "When you kind of let yourself drift away from the university a little bit, it can become a 'me and them' instead of a 'we.' That’s been part of the feedback, and everyone has given me good feedback. I’m not going to solve all the problems." Simmons noted there have been "requests for better branding, more connection with the community and more fans at games" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 8/20).
