March 2021

Movement, Movement and More Movement

Currently, we have 23 projects underway, with a potential 18 coming down the pipeline. This is the busiest we have been in our more than 15-year history.

Of our currently projects, 13 have to do with the significant amount of movement we have seen in college athletics. Whether it is a Conference Membership Study or Feasibility Study, institutions are still looking to align themselves with similar athletic programs. We believe that this season of movement has been driven by geographic location, as well as competitive fitness within conferences. Several of the institutions we are working with no longer look like the bottom- third of their current conferences and seek to move up with institutions and conferences that match their resources and team success.

Along with these transitions, we are also working on a few sport-specific Feasibility Studies. Although we have seen several institutions, like Stanford, cutting sports, we have also heard from others who are looking to add sports. All of the movement has opened doors for institutions to start new sports programs within their location-based footprint and get ahead of the curve.

At this time last year, our specialty was Strategic Planning, although we currently have three of these projects in progress, we have fine-tuned our focus on getting our clients into the best conference positions.

Mississippi College – End of an Era

In 2013, Mississippi College engaged Collegiate Consulting to assist in its transition from Division III to Division II. Over the three-year process, Mississippi State’s athletic department showed its dedication to the ongoing Division II process – a testament to the institution, its student-athletes and its leadership: specifically, Director of Athletics Mike Jones, who announced his retirement after a 33-year tenure at MC.

Mississippi College was voted into active Division II membership effective the 2016-17 athletic year. The Choctaws went on to hold the top spot in the both the men’s and women’s Gulf South Conference All-Sports Trophy standings in 2019 and the MC men’s indoor track and field team won the GSC championship for 2021.

Upon entry into the new NCAA Division, Jones said “This is a great day for Mississippi College athletics and our university as a whole. We have completed the reclassification process and will be the newest members of NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference.”

Jones’ fundraising efforts led to enhanced facilities for virtually all of MC’s sports programs. The basketball court floor at A. E. Wood Coliseum is named after Jones, an honor he considers a career highlight.

“Every time I walk on that court…I won’t say it gives me chills, but it’s definitely a different feeling,” Jones said.

Coach Jones is looking forward to spending more time with his wife of 46 years, Jane, and their two children and six grandchildren. The Collegiate Consulting staff values its partnership with Mississippi College and wishes Jones a fond farewell

Quick Bytes

After cutting 11 sports, Stanford stakeholders are fighting to get the sports reinstated through fundraising or possible legal action.
After conducting a survey with nearly 25,000 student-athletes, the NCAA found that athletes continue to face mental health concerns, including career planning and graduation timing.
The ASUN SAAC members created a proposal that looks to cut the postseason qualification waiting period from four to two years. This would apply to schools with new Division I membership.
Iowa announced the decision to reinstate women’s swimming and diving. This decision comes after a lawsuit was filed challenging the sport being cut.
NCAA survey shows that 75% of student-athletes hold being an engaged citizen in high regard. This includes aspects such as voting and taking a public stance on social issues.
Students at LSU protested the Husch Blackwell report on March 8th outside the football ops building.

What's The Word?

Since the beginning of the year, our office has been extremely busy. We have been saying for months that the constantly changing environment of college athletics has caused many institutions to plan and prepare for the next phase, after COVID-19 and NIL rulings.

It is officially March Madness time, and we are looking forward to having different games on all three of our office televisions. With all the focus being on college basketball, we anticipate an opportunity to pay particular attention to our current projects. We will be using this time to work with our partners and provide our elevated brand of service.

Collegiate Consulting Twitter Growth

In our last newsletter, we mentioned our Twitter account got hacked. After working with Twitter, we are happy to announce we got our account back. Click the icon below to follow us for updates on our projects and to join the conversation on college athletics!

Managing Director

Russell Wright

Collegiate Consulting

1040 Grant St SE, Atlanta

GA 30315 United States