5 Reasons NOT to Ask Me if I Work in the Summer

I am sure EVERY athletic administrator deals with this question each time they tell someone what they do for a living:

Wow!  Cool!  You work at a school!  Do you have your summers off?

There are exceptions to this (jobs such as athletic training and administrative assistants may have summers off) but the vast majority of folks in college athletics are on campus or performing work duties off campus all summer long.

These are one Athletic Business Manager’s top five reasons NOT to ask me if I work during the summer:

1.       Everyone gets a new budget: that means there is money again.  A huge number of purchase requisitions are processed during the summer.  Recruiting services, memberships and software licenses are paid in the summer.

2.      If it’s the new year we must be closing last year: the first two weeks of June are among the busiest of the year.  Closing while you are opening is challenging and doing it well takes experience.

3.      I work in the mines – the data mines: Every journal entry, each index assignment on a purchase requisition and every cash receipt are assigned a code so that when we summarize the year during the audit we can find and collate transactions.  Data mining takes time!

4.      Our audit is in the summer: all roads lead to the audit.  Our NCAA Audit of Agreed-Upon Procedures takes place sometime between mid July through the first week of August.  Being “engaged in the engagement” is essential!

5.      Student Athletes go to summer school: we need to be sure scholarship student athletes who must attend summer sessions have lodging and food.

6.      Bonus reason! Summer Camps: there are deposits to be made, bills to pay and workers to process.

Never a dull moment in college athletics!

Until next time!

Jude Russo Caserta

AthleticBudgetCoach.com/blog

Twitter: JudeCaserta

Linkedin: Jude Russo Caserta

E-mail: judi_caserta@athleticbudgetcoach.com

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Smelly Smoke Stacks and Summer Sport Camps

I was born in Niagara Falls, NY in the middle of the last century and grew up in a suburb directly to the north.  The depressed rust belt city of today used to be a vibrant city with twice the population of today.  The city boasted many international chemical companies along the upper Niagara River where they had access to plentiful hydroelectric power generated by the mighty Niagara Falls.  I remember driving in the car with my mom (seated in the front without a seatbelt, I might add) and complaining about the smell.  Mom would chide me and say that was the smell of progress.  When I asked her, of all of the places in the United States my grandparents could have emigrated from Italy to, why did they chose Niagara Falls rather than some warm climate, she simply said – land of opportunity

So I grew up smelling progress and shoveling opportunity.

Then, in 1978 the Love Canal landfill environmental disaster garnered international attention and brought the demise of the industry.  Decades of disposing toxic waste came to roost and death and illness filled the local headlines for years.  You still cannot convince me the land is safe but that is a discussion for others in a different place.  Not so gradually, factories boarded up leaving land so toxic that nothing will ever be built again.  The population fled like people jumping into lifeboats after a shipwreck!

What does this have to do with summer camp?

My office is directly next to the main gymnasium.  Boys Basketball Camp is in progress today along with Softball and Swimming.  There are kids everywhere.  And they are loud.  Basketballs are loud.  Sneakers on newly sealed floors are loud.  The door of the gym bangs against my glass wall sounding like a gunshot every time.  Coaches yelling with a microphone are loud.  Whistles are loud.  Screaming children are loud.  Hungry children are loud.  The rest rooms are cluttered.  Parents take all the good parking spaces during drop-off.  But, I know if I were driving in my mother’s car today (securely buckled in the front seat surrounded by state of the art air bags) she would say that is it the sound of progress.  She would remind me that it wasn’t just a great opportunity for the coaches but for the children and parents, as well.  She would say that the ability to provide a safe and secure learning environment for many children and the convenience of childcare for many working parents really makes us the land of opportunity.

So I will spend my summer listening to the sound of progress parking in the land of opportunity!

Until next time!

Jude Russo Caserta

AthleticBudgetCoach.com/blog

Twitter: JudeCaserta

Linkedin: Jude Russo Caserta

E-mail: judi_caserta@athleticbudgetcoach.com

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Cutting Professional Development is Like Cutting Sports in High School

As you prepare your budget it seems logical…there are only so many resources to go around and when times are tight you have to cut something so cut professional development. When high school administrators have a budget crunch or their budget is voted down they go to austerity budgets which often cut things like sports, art and music.  Strictly by the numbers, it makes a whole lot of sense but if you dig deeper you can see that solving one problem creates a whole new set of problems.  High schools often find out by cutting the very things that make the educational process relevant and exciting they turn off students who have no other outlets for their energy and time.  Behavioral problems often follow cuts.

The same can be said of professional development.  Certainly we can live without travel to conventions, seminars and workshops but at what cost?  Employers are only obligated to provide a safe working environment free from harassment of any kind.  They should pay a fair wage and give everyone an equal opportunity for advancement.  Unless contractually stated, employers do not need to provide their staff professional development.

But, cutting professional development can hurt morale, decrease learning opportunities and contribute to turnover.

But, what does professional development provide?

It provides many positive things including:

Continuing Education – a way to hone skills and learn new methods

Leadership opportunities – within the organization

Networking – someone to call when you have a question or to learn from when you don’t want to recreate the wheel

Mentoring – a way to share expertise with someone who needs guidance and has less experience

Relief – from the usual routine

Fun – reward for hard work and dedication throughout the year

“Start with good people, lay out the rules, communicate with your employees, motivate them and reward them. If you do all those things effectively, you can’t miss.”
Lee Iacocca

Way to go, Lee!

Until next time!

Jude Russo Caserta

AthleticBudgetCoach.com/blog

Twitter: JudeCaserta

Linkedin: Jude Russo Caserta

E-mail: judi_caserta@athleticbudgetcoach.com

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#CABMA 2010 Take Away Thoughts

It’s hard for me to believe that I am already home and CABMA is just a memory.   I had a wonderful time seeing friends and meeting new ones.  I have a bunch of business cards which I look forward to using to reach out and keep in touch. 

I enjoyed the social events a lot but the time difference really curtailed the fun I usually have.  I really look forward to Orlando next year…only 51 weeks until live Karaoke!

Following is a summary of my take away thoughts for each speaker.  I could not conclude the round tables.  On a round table note, I have heard suggestions that there should be more discussion and less presentation.  I thought it was a fair criticism.  I suppose there should be a happy medium between presentations and free for all.  I would love to hear any suggestions.

Here goes:

Side Note:  I did not have a take away line from the opening speaker.  I went to Sunday Mass.  I think it was horrible CABMA was scheduled on a Sunday without any time for worship.  I know it is not CABMA’s fault and that we are at the mercy of NACDA and the dates we get from them.

Managing Consumer Fees to Impact Bottom Line Results: Folks from Paciolan, Derrick Magee, Assoc. AD – Business Operations, Cincinnati

Take Away Line: Jane: At the end of the day ticketing is an accounting sub-system!

Raising the Profile of a Growing Athletics Department: Lynn Hickey Assistant VP/Director of Athletics at University of Texas at San Antonio

Take away thought:  The role of Collegiate Athletics is determined to build equity in UTSA degrees.  I think the entire thought process is fundamental in any athletic department mission.  It is more than value added; it is a change in the culture.

Compliance & the Athletics Business Office: Judy Van Horn, Associate Athletics Director Compliance/SWA at University of Michigan

Take away thought: Business and Compliance are intricately connected.  It is our responsibility to be sure we communicate with Compliance and establish checks and balances.  It’s not good enough to say you don’t know what you don’t know!

Identifying Fraud: Kevin Robinson, Executive Director, Department of Internal Auditing, Auburn University

Take away thought: Pay attention! Perception of detection is the best deterrent to fraud. And, NEVER leave your P-card purchased margherita machine on top of the refrigerator so the investigative reporters can record it!

Taking a Critical Look at our Radar Screen: Dutch Baughman, division IA Athletic Directors Association

Take away thought: You are what you think.  Don’t say what you think, say what you know.

Creative Facility Financing: Tom Stultz, Senior VP & Managing Director, and Steve Moore, IMG

Take away thought: Use of funds becomes a question of stewardship

Preparing Effective Financial Presentations: Craig Angelos, Director of Athletics at Florida Atlantic University

Take away thought: It’s important to educate people along the way about the financial condition of your school with transparency to add to credibility.

Keynote Speaker: Sandy Barbour, Director of Athletics at University of California

Take away thought: everything comes back to financial sustainability

NCAA/EADA Benchmark Reporting and Fundamentals of Sports Travel: Keith Martin, Interim VP for Administrative Services/CFP and Nikki Watson, Assistant Director of Business Intelligence and Project Management, NCAA

Take away thought: they change and adjust the data submission process each year and welcome any suggestions and comments.

Take away thought: it’s key to have someone in your organization who can act as the go-to person regarding travel.  The online education tool can be accessed online via NBTA.org and will be available August 1, 2010 for a fee of $395.

Common theme: Stakeholder Identification

Common theme: Front Porch (portal to Academics)

Common theme: Knight Commission: June 17, 2010 http://www.knightcommission.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=584:june-17-2010-knight-commission-calls-for-college-sports-reform-recommends-public-transparency-of-finances-and-new-financial-incentives&catid=1:content&Itemid=11

College Sports 101: A Primer on Money, Athletics and Higher Education in the 21st Century

http://www.knightcommission.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=344&Itemid=84

We need to all pay attention to the above articles.  It’s critical to our jobs and vital to our institutions.

I still believe we are responsible for creating a culture of fiscal integrity!

Until next time!

Jude Russo Caserta

AthleticBudgetCoach.com/blog

Twitter: JudeCaserta

Linkedin: Jude Russo Caserta

E-mail: judi_caserta@athleticbudgetcoach.com

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#CABMA 6/22/10 Conclusion

Last night:  the power of vendors.  It’s good to get to know the vendors.  This way you don’t have to order a sandwich and eat in your room in front of your computer.  It was like being at work!  Met some friends and we decided to head up to my gynormous room (this is where I list them and put them in the blog, ok so here goes (several nicknames courtesy of Zags) Jersey Boy, Monmouth Rules, Chick with a Dude’s name, Zags, Vermont, Columbia, Scotty Don’t, Luther/Calvin, Wants my job, Pitt-rookie.  Forgive me for forgetting anyone. 

More of last night:  Calvin from The Bus Bank was in the lobby and suggested I charge my drink to his room, 633.  So I did, at least I tried.  I order and tell Michael the bartender (good pour) 633 please.  He asks me what the name is.  I say The Bus Bank.  He asks me if I have a name.  I say Luther…no no…Calvin.  Michael: does Calvin have a last name?  I say, I’m sure he does but I don’t know it, after all, I just called him Luther.  I charge it to my room.  When I go back to where Luther/Calvin is sitting he asks me if I charged the drink to his room.  I tell him I tried but the guy didn’t recognize the name.  That’s when Luther/Calvin told me he is staying at the Hilton. NICE!

Lottery Breakfast:  I actually showed up on time this year!  How ‘bout that bacon with an attitude?  You could tell when someone ate it at the table; Ben Jay, The Ohio State University,  went for his water with eyes watering!  I always love the folks who show up with their exchange gift in a laundry bag, or this year, the CABMA packet bag!  Love it!  I still think this is one of the most charming things we do each year – great bonding!

Exhibitor Awards Presentation:  Someday I will win those plane tickets!  It always amazes me how the same folks names are drawn throughout the drawings – they should play the lottery, legit!

Branding: I like the increase in branding this year.  The podiums have had the CABMA logo and the exhibitor card boxes were custom this year.  Nice touch.  I think it would be interesting to carry this even further by having all of the presentation slides prepared with a CABMA logoed template.

Background noise: What the heck are they are doing behind those funky garage doors?

Keynote Speaker: Sandy Barbour, Director of Athletics at University of California

Two people on the line – Directors of Athletics and Financial folks

It’s all about value

Technology has changed everything

Common theme: Stakeholder Identification

What is the value added of intercollegiate athletics? Individually – teamwork, discipline, self confidence; Student Body – sense of community, point of connection to alumni and community; To Campus – public relations, brand building philanthropy vehicle

Common theme: Front Porch (portal to Academics)

College football is meant to be played in stadiums on college campuses

What the hell are they doing back there, geesh? Maybe there is a hockey game going on and those are the dasher boards! Sorry…

Monetize the loss to academic philanthropy if something bad happened to Intercollegiate Athletics - the risk to the university is substantial

Power of language: not deficit, not subsidy it is Institutional Support.  All staff and coaches must be “on message.” 

Maximize perceived value: Academic achievement, fiscal responsibility, student athletes must be true students.  Don’t even think about cheating!

Financial sustainability: Arms Race, what do we do about industry practices that don’t fit EDUCATIONAL objectives?

Common theme: Knight Commission Report

Value to campus – PRICELESS!

Take away thought: everything comes back to financial sustainability

NCAA/EADA Benchmark Reporting and Fundamentals of Sports Travel: Keith Martin, Interim VP for Administrative Services/CFP and Nikki Watson, Assistant Director of Business Intelligence and Project Management, NCAA

NCAA and EADA differ:  compensation, capital expenditures, and overall institutional expenses

NCAA scrubbed data for follow-up this year

Six year trends in Division I Athletics finances:  FBS is increasing more quickly on both revenue and expenses.  Revenues increased by 41% t total expenses grew by 58%.  YIKES!

Only 14 institutions that fully fund athletics without institutional support

Top revenue category: Ticket sales then Institutional Support

I’m not a fan of people who keep talking during a presentation. Scram! Just sayin’ (sorry I’m getting tired and crabby)

Take away thought: they change and adjust the data submission process each year and welcome any suggestions and comments.

Sport Travel Task Force:  National Business Travel Association (NBTA) and the NCAA

Different: short window for planning; charters; hotel blocking; late check-out; role of superstition; high profile travelers

Travel: tends to be done by folks who have never done travel before and may just be another “hat” they wear.

Initiatives of task force: baggage fees and improved group check-in process at airports, communicate with vendors to help them help us, fundamentals of sports travel online program

Online Sports Travel:  this is a program meant to qualify folks to be qualified to be a sport travel professional

That train just went by again…the room is not prime…

Nikki will generously share her Power Point slides which are full of great information and data

Take away thought: it’s key to have someone in your organization who can act as the go-to person regarding travel.  The online education tool can be accessed online via NBTA.org and will be available August 1, 2010 for a fee of $395.

Closing Remarks:   Frank Hardyman – congratulations Frank! Sleep well!

Stay tuned: CABMA social media is on its way.  The CABMA group in Linkedin will be online very shortly.

My next blog: I will summarize all of my take away thoughts.  I would love to hear if you have different ones and hope you will jump in and let me know!

Until next time!

Jude Russo Caserta

AthleticBudgetCoach.com/blog

Twitter: JudeCaserta

Linkedin: Jude Russo Caserta

E-mail: judi_caserta@athleticbudgetcoach.com

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#CABMA 6/21/10 All Darn Day!

Last night: the dinner cruise was beautiful but got a little rocky when Colleen Garrity, Business Manager at Purdue University drove the boat into the rocky Pacific.  Nice job!!!  The time zone thing finally got me last night.  As much as I would have loved to hang out with everyone after the cruise I could only envision getting upstairs into my bed.  Glad I did!  Maybe karaoke tonight?

Alarm clock: note to self – be sure the sound is ON before going to bed.  That’s the only way you are going to hear the alarm.  So much for breakfast on the concierge floor!

Clutch: My computer restarted during Kevin Robinson’s presentation.  I thought it was lost forever but Timothy McCleary, CPA – Assurance & Advisory Services at Ernst & Young.  Tim has a great story – he is looking for a job in athletic business and came to CABMA to network!  Brilliant!  Hire him!  

Identifying Fraud: Kevin Robinson, Executive Director, Department of Internal Auditing, Auburn University

Occupational Fraud: where a person commits fraud on the organization.  Today we are talking about employees who had no intention of committing fraud.

The Ultimate Ponzi scheme: Social Security!

Kevin’s stand-up routine is very engaging.

Fraud Triangle: Pressure (non-sharable) – Rationalization – Opportunity

Slides – he has great slides with big pictures.  He must have read “The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs” because his words tall his story and he uses his slides to support it.  They are well laid out and clearly written!

Higher Ed: out of 22 industries higher education is 7th in frequency of fraud

Red flags: Individual: high debt, in early out late, lifestyle Organizational: lack of internal control, low employee morale, turnover, and lack of ethical tone at the top.

Most common sources of theft: P-cards, Cash, Expense Vouchers

Take away thought: Pay attention! Perception of detection is the best deterrent to fraud. And, NEVER leave your P-card purchased margherita machine on top of the refrigerator so the investigative reporters can record it!

Taking a Critical Look at our Radar Screen: Dutch Baughman, division IA Athletic Directors Association

            Talk about what we know, not what we think

Knight Commission www.knightcommission.com : economic impact study

To create more transparency – comparison of athlete costs and academic costs

Create a reward system where schools are rewarded by academic success

Time to consider Student Athletes as STUDENTS, not as PROFESSIONALS

Leadership: humility (from “Good to Great” by Jim Collins) regarding Level 5 Leadership

Filter reality in your head. 

Coordinator salaries are increasing even faster than head coaches.  Unsustainable.  It is like playing mom against dad.

Compensation: he does not see anything self-correcting about this.  The concept of level playing field will never occur.

Criteria: who will come up with the comparison between academic costs and athletic costs?  How will we gather data to actually compare apples with apples or as Dutch says it, what we know, not just what we think.

Search: Right fit; best qualified for the job; Interview – chemistry test.  Can this person come into our institution and speak?  If you are selected is simply because they liked you better.  They can trust this person.  Understand the elevator speech where you have 90 seconds to make your pitch.  Understand the conclusive statement and the impact it has on your audience.

Take away thought: You are what you think.  Don’t say what you think, say what you know.

Vendors: I love visiting with the vendors.  It’s like Christmas in June. That’s the upside.  The downside is that it’s like shopping at Tiffany’s with a $100 budget.  We make less in ticket revenue than it costs to invest in real interactive streamlined customized ticketing software.

Creative Facility Financing: Tom Stultz, Senior VP & Managing Director, and Steve Moore, IMG

Currently: demand for facilities up, political pressures and academic funding is significantly reduced

Mindset in college athletics: Old: pricing and operating to meet current budgets.  New: pricing and operating to maximize future revenues. 

Partners: it is imperative to have several national partners with like minds to work together to achieve any large project

Current climate: now is the time to build.

Funding models: bonds, operating lease vs. capital lease, donors, public financing, tax increment funding – any combination of these to maximize new and existing revenue opportunities

Zags: there is Jared Hertz, Gonzaga again! Just noticed there is a Zags picture (and others) on the bottom of the slides!

Assisting the Business Office: IMG would work with the business office staff to prepare the financial research.  Bond application is very time consuming.  IMG would take more of the burden on themselves to take charge of that process.

Take away thought: Use of funds becomes a question of stewardship

Awards Luncheon:

And the winner is:

George Eldridge Distinguished Service Award: Jim Kotch from Texas A & M

CABMA Manager of the Year: David Steele, Associate AD/Finance at Marshall University

Preparing Effective Financial Presentations: Craig Angelos, Director of Athletics at Florida Atlantic University

Speak to the stakeholders

Educate the population – use terms people will understand; reach out to all learning styles

Head Coaches: how much money is left? When do I get reimbursements?

Associate/Assistant AD’s: awareness of revenue if they are responsible for its generation; the sports that report to them if they are a supervisor; their cost center

Director of Athletics: good to meet regularly.  Are we going to balance? What are the variances?

VP Business Affairs/CFO: current budget review, variances and your plan for next year

President: 3-5 year projections, how we are in relation to our peers and simply if we are going to balance

Board of Regents/Trustees: the big picture only; the budget plan

Boosters:  impact of donations, capital projects

Athletic Board of Directors:  benchmarking

Be transparent – hide the ball

Credibility

Methods of delivery: charts, Excel spreadsheets

Craig:  has a fun presentation style

Take away thought: It’s important to educate people along the way about the financial condition of your school with transparency to add to credibility.

Round Tables: Today I had the opportunity to talk to folks about Strengthening the Business Office/Athletic Department Relationship.  I met with a lot of people who had some great ideas of how they build the relationship.  My favorite thing that happened, however, was when a woman sat next to me and asked me if I knew Tom Caserta.  I not only know one but I am married to him.  Maria Behm, Associate Director of Athletics at Loyola Marymount University graduated from Canisius College a few years before I did and knew my husband.  Small World!!!!

Until next time!

Jude Russo Caserta

AthleticBudgetCoach.com/blog

Twitter: JudeCaserta Linkedin: Jude Russo Caserta

E-mail: judi_caserta@athleticbudgetcoach.com

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#CABMA 6/20/10 Afternoon

Internet connection: This is kind of frustrating…sort of feels like the old saying “let no good deed go unpunished!”  I am having a hard time getting online in the convention hall.

Convention room:  I tell people I’m from Buffalo.  Next thing I hear is, “Wow – it must be so cold there!”  Um…gosh…no…anyway, I think there’s a wind chill in this room.

First day advantage: I wonder how full the room will be tomorrow after the cruise.  This is a first day full house.

The chatter among the vendors: can be very distracting 

Raising the Profile of a Growing Athletics Department: Lynn Hickey Assistant VP/Director of Athletics at University of Texas at San Antonio.

The most important team you put together in athletics is the administrative team. 

I loved hearing about her humble roots at UTSA.  She described a culture I am so familiar with at a mid-major school.

I also understand her struggle to let people know you are Division I.  My niece is coming to Canisius in the fall to swim and my own sister told me we were not Division I.  Really?

It is beneficial for both athletics and academics to establish a new peer affiliation while recognizing they are more than football.

They have raised academic standards twice and it has not hurt enrollment but actually helped it.

She is a very interesting woman who has been part of the emergence of women in college athletics.  She is the only female Director of Athletics in the state of Texas.  Pretty good for a girl!

Take away thought:  The role of Collegiate Athletics is determined to build equity in UTSA degrees.  I think the entire thought process is fundamental in any athletic department mission.  It is more than value added; it is a change in the culture.

Compliance & the Athletics Business Office: Judy Van Horn, Associate Athletics Director Compliance/SWA at University of Michigan.

Pay now or pay later!  Invest in compliance now or pay the price when you have an infraction. 

Finances are easy to audit: because of this infractions are easier to find this way.

Failure to monitor: You have to be aware of the compliance rules regarding finance. 

Lack of institutional control: if you have a concern you need to bring it up and be sure you have an audit trail and establish a “paper trail” – e-mail is easiest.  If it is not in writing it never happened. 

She is a smart woman who is passionate about compliance and helping business offices avoid compliance violations.

Basic NCAA Rules:

Academic Integrity: if you see something say something

Agents: no agreement from an agent and never take a benefit

Boosters: be aware of “high risk” boosters who can provide extra benefits

Gambling: you can never gamble on any sport that is offered by the NCAA.  It does not matter if your school does not sponsor the sport.  If it costs money it is a violation.

Tracking extra benefits

Personnel: make sure you are not exceeding coaching maximums including GA’s.  

Volunteer Coaches: cannot pay for recruiting meal, no development, no bonuses, no scouting

She asked “who else cannot scout?” and Rob Rusnack, Associate AD/Budget at Columbia University replied “my Dad! He’s just not that good!”  Ouch!

Official Visit: booster meal cannot be paid for

Take away thought: Business and Compliance are intricately connected.  It is our responsibility to be sure we communicate with Compliance and establish checks and balances.  It’s not good enough to say you don’t know what you don’t know!

James Gibson: water boy – what a nice guy to get Judy water when she was choking to death.

Roundtables: If anyone would like to share their experiences on the comment area please feel free.  You must register first but after that you can comment on any entry quickly and easily.

Cruise: I don’t care if John Wayne didn’t own the boat – it’s a really cool idea!

I’m obsessed with Karaoke.  Just sayin’

Until next time!

Jude Russo Caserta

AthleticBudgetCoach.com/blog

Twitter: JudeCaserta Linkedin: Jude Russo Caserta

Facebook fan page: Athletic Budget Coach

E-mail: judi_caserta@athleticbudgetcoach.com

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#CABMA 6/20/10 Morning

Sunday morning: My day began with a 5:50am text from my son which included a picture of him and his Dad getting ready to tee off in the Father’s Day Scramble at our club.  It’s an awesome picture that is now the wallpaper on my phone. 

This is where I whine (and I know CABMA had nothing to do with it – we are at the mercy of NACDA and their dates).  Father’s Day? Really? Sunday? Really? I unfortunately missed a portion of the breakfast and inspirational talk by Chaplain Moore from GA Tech because I went to Mass.  A long time friend and Buffalo transplant to SoCal picked me up and brought me to Mass.  I am sorry I had to choose to miss one thing to do another.  Am I alone in this?

Welcome breakfast and opening speakerDerrick Moore – Georgia Tech Team Chaplain

Derrick is an inspiring speaker who doesn’t go to work to brick and mortar; he goes to work to flesh and blood

CABMA Annual Business Meeting: Frank Hardyman – Georgia Tech and President of CABMA

We have a surplus; 618 members; we would like to grow into DII and DIII and NAIA

I remember my first convention in Atlanta during the NCAA Convention.  The discussion was about wrapping into NACDA and having the convention in June, rather than January.  It was an interesting way to be introduced to the organization.  There were many concerns regarding timing issues because June is closing at most schools.  On the plus side, there is a support system with NACDA and they help with promotion, website and

It’s time to expand the Publicity committee and reach out through social media.

Introductions: It’s fun to hear where folks are from and what they do at their schools.  We have a lot of rookies and I hope they know they are the future of the organization.  I love seeing familiar faces who I usually only see once a year.  An exception would be during various championships where I had the pleasure to cheer for the Gonzaga Zags at the NCAA Men’s Basketball 1st and 2nd Rounds in Buffalo this past March.  I got to see Jared Hertz, Assistant AD/Business at a favored Jesuit institution, Gonzaga University there.  I love when the phone rings and it is a CABMA colleague. Lately I “see” folks on Linkedin or Twitter.  It is a great way for us to keep in touch and keep the relationships going.  Follow me on Twitter: JudeCaserta, join my network on Linkedin at Jude Russo Caserta. Kevin Cleary, Publisher of Collegiate Directories is buying the world beer tonight.  I think that is very nice of him.

Managing Consumer Fees to Impact Bottom Line Results: Folks from Paciolan, Derrick Magee, Assoc. AD – Business Operations, Cincinnati

Jane Kleinberger, founder of Paciolan is a dynamic speaker.  She also knows how to have fun! They have had a CABMA presence for as long as I can remember.  An important think I learned from Jane is that as long as you attend the sessions and participate in the program it is perfectly fine to have a good time!

The strategic use of fees:  Gary StyveClient Partner Paciolan Any ticket manager at any institution should be at this conference.  The discussion here is to move past order charge fee only.  It seems that most folks are getting accustomed to paying extra fees but as long as the customer is getting the bottom line price during the transaction it is generally accepted.  Print at Home is an amazing way to reduce the window staff during games.  These folks could then be assigned to generating more ticket sales.

Cincinnati – reviewing consumer fees to increase revenue: Jane, Derrick and Deana Itow, Client Partner Paciolan Print at Home seems to be the future favored delivery system but I have to tell you, there is nothing like a real ticket!  So, do you frame a folded and ripped piece of paper? I guess I am old school!

Take Away Line: Jane: At the end of the day ticketing is an accounting sub-system!

Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pizza – good call!

Until next time!

Jude Russo Caserta

AthleticBudgetCoach.com/blog

Twitter: JudeCaserta Linkedin: Jude Russo Caserta

E-mail: judi_caserta@athleticbudgetcoach.com

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Countdown to CABMA – Only 7 more sleeps!

There are few trips I take each year (and my friends know how much I travel) that I look forward to more than my annual trek to the College Athletic Business Management Association conference.  This year will take us to Anaheim, California where the CABMA conference is annually held in conjunction with NACDA (National Association of College Directors of Athletics).

I heard someone say that networking is cliché!  Cliché?  Really?

Social media, video conferencing and e-mail can never replace face to face interaction.  I think aside from seeing my treasured colleagues from conferences past, I love meeting new folks and connecting names to faces.

Once again, I look forward to playing in the Doug Beard Memorial Golf Tournament on Saturday, June 19th.  The conference agenda is great and I look forward to leading a roundtable on Strengthening the Business Office/Athletic Department Relationship, a presentation I made at EACUBO in Boston in my speaking debut! http://athleticbudgetcoach.com/blog/?p=149

We will spend days in chilly conference rooms and nights laughing and sharing an occasional business card.

I leave for California on my birthday, June 18th!  Fortunately I have an understanding family who know how much I value my relationships with my colleagues and how this few days recharges my professional battery.

Only seven more sleeps!

Until next time!

Jude Russo Caserta

AthleticBudgetCoach.com/blog

Twitter: JudeCaserta Linkedin: Jude Russo Caserta

E-mail: judi_caserta@athleticbudgetcoach.com

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Are College Athletics Evil?

Have you heard these ones before?

  1. Intercollegiate athletics are not a part of the academic mission so why subsidize them with student fees?
  2. College athletics are just farm teams for professional sports so why shouldn’t they pay for them?
  3. Athletics revenue should be distributed among academic departments.

And, my personal favorite:

      4.   We should go from Division I to Division III

Really?

My arguments in rapid fire to the common opinions above:

  1. Most schools I know, including Canisius College (my employer and alma mater) actually include a competitive intercollegiate athletics program in their mission statement.
  2. I think the last time a Canisius men’s basketball player made it in the NBA my natural hair color was brown.  We may have a handful of student athletes play professionally each year but the “hold the jersey and thank your mother” moments only happen to the elite schools.
  3. OK. Deal. We will share our revenue when you share your grants.  And, if we’re talking big time sports here, why doesn’t the medical facility associated with your medical school share its revenues, too?  Just silly…
  4. Most midmajor schools run thin programs these days.  Five years ago, when the NCAA said that spending in intercollegiate athletics was unsustainable smaller programs already knew that.  The Great Recession sealed the deal for most of us.  We had to learn to run our programs more efficiently and with fewer administrative staff.  There are many Division III schools who actually have larger non-sport work forces than us.

Let’s face it; as long as professors work at colleges, someone will always want to cut intercollegiate athletics.

Let me know what you think – come on – let’s argue!

Here is the link to the article that inspired today’s blog:

The Athletics Tax – Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/czn96K via @addthis

Until next time!

Jude Russo Caserta

AthleticBudgetCoach.com/blog

Twitter: JudeCaserta Linkedin: Jude Russo Caserta

E-mail: judi_caserta@athleticbudgetcoach.com

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