Marshall interview

[ShockTalk]

No doubt an inexperienced ES, following in the footsteps of JS, is going to get put under a microscope by many of us. JS didn't have successes every time, but there's no doubt of his overall contribution.

Maybe it's unfair of us to judge or ask certain things of ADES at this time. Maybe we should wait for one of those "defining moments". Did I just say that?!?! A little scary, huh.

Perhaps TMH is right about not using the lack of ADES's personal visibility as a measure of whether he's being successful. However, I'll admit that most everytime a controversy comes along, I've looked at ADES in hopes of going "yes, that's what I've been waiting to see", but have mostly gone wanting.

[shocker3]

Let's cut Eric Sexton some slack. He has not been AD that long.

During his tenure he as overseen the completion of the indoor practice facility and has given us the best mens basketball TV package since the early 1980s.

Those aren't bad accomplishments. Let's give him a little more time and see what else he can do. :wsu_posters:

[Txlen]

Even if Sexton came out and gave a state of the athletic department address, many people would still find fault with what he said, regardless.

I am not an Eric Sexton supporter or detractor and I have never met the man, in that I no longer live in Wichita. I just find this whole exercise to be somewhat amusing for the demands being made by several people. They are like like a kid throwing a temper tantrum, who is stomping his/her feet, demanding attention from a parent -- "I want it and I want it now!"

Further, can anyone point out when Schaus specifically came out and did what is being requested of Sexton?

If issuing a state of the athletic department address is the measure of an AD, and because Schaus was held in such high esteem, surely someone can point out the numerous times that he made such an address during his tenure at Wichita State. Please direct us to those discussions.

Before you stomp on me, I will say that I hated to see Schaus go. I thought he was one of the best ADs ever at WSU. Unfortunately, times change and people move on in their careers.

Now, back to the matter at hand, I would like to see when Schaus made his athletic department status addresses.

[SubGod22]

It's not about a state of the AD address although I know some have used that in the past. JS would from time to time though be interviewed and give thoughts and his vision about certain things.

Again, I haven't heard ANYTHING from ES since the day he was hired. It's just not the least bit comforting not knowing anything about him or his vision or where he stands on anything at all. He's an enigma.

I was cautiously optimistic with his hire because he was a WSU guy and had been involved. But his lack of experience has and will always be a concern until he proves otherwise. I can't blame others for feeling so negatively about what's going on. I'm no longer cautiously optimistic. Just causious.

We only recently got the department on stable ground with multiple sports competing well. That still puts us in a bit of a fragile position and I'm not sure if we're built to survive much at this point.

[im4wsu]

I thought Mike Kennedy had ADES on Shocker Sports Report, but then, again, I am progressing from CRS to ALZ, so....

[SubGod22]

If he has I've missed it.

[NCAABound]

This is rather long...but it is an example of what I'd like to see more of from ES. Something to communicate to the fans/donors. He might already do this, but I haven't seen one. K-State's AD provides monthly (or more often) letters via email and I've also heard him on numerous sports talk shows. Granted, he is trying to be more transparent after the fiasco of the previous AD...but at least he is visible.

A Letter From John Currie - June 30
6/30/2010

Dear Wildcat Nation,

Good afternoon!

Today we are trying out a slightly different format for my letter - here is your personal update from inside K-State Athletics in a format you may find more convenient to read. Let me know what you think.

Big 12 Conference Update
Obviously we are pleased and encouraged with the strong and positive steps forward by the "new" Big 12. Many K-Staters have asked about how the conference alignment issues affect K-State's academic standing and vice-versa. President Schulz's most recent letter to the campus community is terrific and provides great perspective on this subject.

President Schulz continues to provide outstanding leadership for K-State and the Big 12. Simply put - this is a moment in time which provides tremendous opportunity for K-State to take a great leap forward - academically and athletically.

Football Scheduling
Among other issues, future scheduling is a predominant issue for the athletic directors of the 10 schools which will comprise the new Big 12. We visited in Dallas last week on this and other issues and will work diligently to finalize our new formats. You've read news stories recently focused on the anticipated nine-game football schedule and the 18-game round-robin slate for basketball and how that affects non-conference competition. We are close to finalizing our 2011 schedule, and I believe that we will be in position to announce it by summer's end.

One of our top priorities is to have seven home games in football as often as possible. This creates a real balancing act with our existing non-conference slate as we will have alternating years with five and four conference home games. I appreciate your patience as we manage the process in the right way to achieve a schedule that makes sense for K-State and our 200,000 friends and alumni nationwide.

Fill the Bill
Today is the final day to purchase $99 Four-Packs to the UCLA football game on September 4, and the athletic ticket office will have extended hours to take orders until 7 p.m. If you haven’t already secured your seat in Bill Snyder Family Stadium, we recommend you act quickly. We are expecting 50,000-plus for this nationally-televised contest. Call the ticket office at 1-800-221-CATS, visit k-statesports.com or stop by the ticket office in Bramlage Coliseum to purchase tickets to the season-opener or season tickets for all six exciting home contests. We need you there!

Budget Update
Today marks the final day of the fiscal year and I am proud to say that we fully expect to achieve a balanced budget for 2009-10 when the books are closed. We pledged that fiscal responsibility and integrity would be a top priority for us and through revenue growth, new measures promoting efficiency and cost containment, and the excitement generated by the performances of Wildcat student-athletes, we were able to fulfill that promise. It was a total team effort, from the budget consciousness of our staff and coaches to our fans buying tickets and contributing to the Ahearn Fund and trusting us to be good stewards of their gifts.

This past Monday the KSA Board approved an operating budget of $47 million for the 2010-11 fiscal year, the largest in school history and a 6 percent increase from FY10. Among other items, the budgeted operational increase for FY11 (approximately $3 million) accounts for expenses such as a 3.4 percent increase in tuition and fees (plus a $10 per credit hour fee), a $525,000 football game guarantee net differential, compensation increases for coaches, and various incremental facility upgrades and maintenance along with a previously announced reduction in state funding.

In addition to our ongoing focus on efficiency, we will target continued growth in football and basketball ticket sales, the revitalized Ahearn Fund, and contracted increases from our Learfield media-rights deal as the primary revenue offsets to again achieve a balanced budget in fiscal year 2011.

We will continue to work every day to reach our goal of providing our 420 student-athletes with a world-class experience while we also strive towards our goal of championship-level athletic performances. More than 55 percent of our budget comes from individual private support such as ticket purchases and contributions to the Ahearn Fund, and your participation and support is the winning edge for K-State.



Tell John: Click Here to share your thoughts with AD John Currie

Ahearn Fund Giving Reaches Record Heights
June 30 is also the final day in our 2009-10 Ahearn Fund year. We would like to personally thank each and every Ahearn Fund member for their participation and support as we launched the new and improved annual giving program late last fall. And, we are proud to announce that you stepped up and helped us surpass the 2010 goal and set a record for annual fund cash gifts, currently projected to approach $13 million, by more than 35-percent compared to last year's total.

Grass-roots support through the Ahearn Fund remains our largest single source of revenue at K-State and is critical to our ability of providing our student-athletes with a world-class experience. Thank you for your support.

Setting the Standard
I have said numerous times how proud I have been of our staff and how hard they have worked this year. And this month, several of our units received even more proof of the national standard we are trying to sustain here at K-State by bringing home national awards from their respective organizations. Led by Joni Smoller, the Fan Experience and Sales office earned four awards, three of which were first-place honors, at the annual NACMA convention. This included a gold medal in the single-day attendance promotion category for the “Family Reunion” concept for the return of Coach Snyder and season opener, and the top prize for best student promotion for the “Jacob Pullen Beard Night” for the Jan. 18 men’s basketball game against Texas. In addition, the department earned first place for its 2009 football season ticket radio promotion “Where Hometown Heroes Become Legends,” and third place for its Fort Riley Day newspaper advertisement.

At the annual CoSIDA convention, our Athletic Communications staff, led by Kenny Lannou, earned “Best in Nation” distinction for the men’s and women’s basketball posters and the women’s equestrian media guide, while the media guides for women’s basketball (fourth), men’s basketball (seventh) and women’s rowing (ninth) were all judged among the Top 10 nationally. Congratulations to these groups for their hard work and achievements!

Military Promotion Earns Grant for Women's Basketball
The Fan Experience and Sales office also was instrumental in helping K-State earn a women’s basketball grant from the NCAA to help increase awareness, exposure and attendance for the upcoming 2010-11 season. K-State was one of just 12 schools nationally, along with two conferences, to receive the grant. More information will be announced at a later date regarding the execution of this plan.

That’s it for now. Enjoy a safe July 4th holiday weekend and...

Go Cats!

John Currie

[ShockerGorilla]

Does anyone not remember this article in the eagle a few weeks ago where ADES had some quotes?

http://www.kansas.com/2010/06/20/1368641/missouri-valley-finds-power-in.html

"The conference talked about policies and procedures for entry and new membership. They will be pending and evolving and developing, but it was an important topic," WSU athletic director Eric Sexton said. "How do you respond to opportunities as they arise, when they arise, and how do you position yourself to be ready for those opportunities?"

Sexton takes the same philosophy when considering Wichita State's future. As an MVC member, WSU has enjoyed perhaps its most successful decade from an all-sports perspective.

" (The MVC) is a conference that has suited Wichita State well for many, many years," Sexton said.

WSU isn't sending out resumes or standing on a corner with a sign "Will add football for the right conference." It hasn't been approached by another conference. If an option pops up, Sexton wants to be prepared.

"You do not want to stand still, relative to paying attention to what might be the opportunities out there," he said. "You always want to be evaluating better opportunities as they come forward, in the context of being sure that they truly are better opportunities."

This doesn't sound like he is doing nothing for WSU. But there will be many people who won't be happy with anything he says.

[Wuzee]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kdPkSu_wL0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5N2a_YdTrM

[RoyalShock]

Does anyone not remember this article in the eagle a few weeks ago where ADES had some quotes?

http://www.kansas.com/2010/06/20/1368641/missouri-valley-finds-power-in.html

"The conference talked about policies and procedures for entry and new membership. They will be pending and evolving and developing, but it was an important topic," WSU athletic director Eric Sexton said. "How do you respond to opportunities as they arise, when they arise, and how do you position yourself to be ready for those opportunities?"

Sexton takes the same philosophy when considering Wichita State's future. As an MVC member, WSU has enjoyed perhaps its most successful decade from an all-sports perspective.

" (The MVC) is a conference that has suited Wichita State well for many, many years," Sexton said.

WSU isn't sending out resumes or standing on a corner with a sign "Will add football for the right conference." It hasn't been approached by another conference. If an option pops up, Sexton wants to be prepared.

"You do not want to stand still, relative to paying attention to what might be the opportunities out there," he said. "You always want to be evaluating better opportunities as they come forward, in the context of being sure that they truly are better opportunities."

This doesn't sound like he is doing nothing for WSU. But there will be many people who won't be happy with anything he says.

After reading that, now I know what he is not doing and what he says and AD wants to do (evaluate better opportunities and be prepared). Maybe it's just semantics, but I still have no idea what he is doing or what his vision is. I just see a lot of rhetoric.

As for a previous comment about giving ES some slack, I don't think so. Slack is for high school and small college AD's. Not NCAA D1 institutions looking to better itself.

[Veritas]

There is no doubt that ES comes from true Shocker blue blood lineage, and most of us want him to be successful.

There is some debate on how successful he has been thus far as AD in making decisions and retention of staff/coaches.
However...
IMO there is absolutely no doubt that he has absolutely failed in his ability to communicate to the fans and general supporters.

He seems like a bright and articulate guy. Some people are simply terrible at communication (BP & Tony Hayward as an example). Some of the causes could be hubris, or shyness, or in over their heads, or a plethora of frustratingly meaningless reasons.

Eric might best be served by hiring a non-paying public relations intern to formulate a strategy and methodology on effectively communicating to Shocker fans. Until he changes, or is faced with a critical decision making scenario, the confidence in him will continue to slowly deteriorate, which is not good for fund-raising, general support, and emotional group cohesiveness.

Come on Eric! As AD, you're in the spotlight. Grab the mic, turn on the lights, show some charisma and leadership - and communicate! You seem like a great guy. Let us get to know you and your ideas better.

[Ricardo del Rio]

My Daddy had a great slogan.

"Never ask a man to do what he can't do."

[pogo]

"Talk slow, talk low, and don't talk too much." John Wayne

[shox1989]

Let's cut Eric Sexton some slack. He has not been AD that long.

During his tenure he has overseen the completion of the indoor practice facility and has given us the best mens basketball TV package since the early 1980s.

Those aren't bad accomplishments. Let's give him a little more time and see what else he can do. :wsu_posters:

If he has a vision for bringing back football someday then I will cut him some slack.

[BOBB]

So, the main problem is he hasn't communicated a vision forward to the public and by connection we assume his direct and indirect reports? Those folks,then nervous about our direction are seeking greener pastures?

Plausible.

I've yet to hear from shizzle and doc on this, who seem to be the most exercised.