Mary Ellen Gillespie interviews for UNK AD job
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 10:48 pm
http://tinyurl.com/mgab5nh
By BUCK MAHONEY Hub Sports Editor | 0 comments
KEARNEY — Under Mary Ellen Gillespie, Bowling Green’s financial support grew.
Those skills are top of the list in what many desire for a new athletics director at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Gillespie visited the UNK campus Wednesday. She was the fourth finalist to come to Kearney to interview to replace Jon McBride, UNK’s athletics director the past 11 years. McBride announced in May that he was stepping down for health reasons.
Gillespie, the associate athletics director for external relations at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, has been heavily involved in athletics department fund raising since 2006. During her tenure, Bowling Green raised $28 million. She also led the campaign for the new $36 million Stroh Center, which was the university’s largest facility fundraising effort.
“Fundraising is not rocket science, but it’s a little bit of an art,” Gillespie told faculty and staff at a meet-and-greet Wednesday morning. “It’s the art of relationships, then it’s the discipline to actually be able to ask people for money. ... People will give to causes they believe in.”
A good story, one of athletic and academic success, is necessary to seal the deal, and she said UNK has a good story.
“Nothing’s broken here at Kearney, which is extremely attractive for anyone who wants to be an athletic director and lead a team,” Gillespie said. “The amount of community support, the amount of campus support, those are all great things to have in an athletic department.”
Gillespie sits on the five-person executive committee at Bowling Green, overseeing the operations of all the school’s sports. Her role as associate athletics director for external relations gives her the responsibility for “anything that generates revenue,” including ticketing, merchandising, concessions and fund-raising. She’s also responsible for anything that’s visibility and imagely attractive for anyone who wants to be an athletic director and lead a team,” Gillespie said. “The amount of community support, the amount of campus support, those are all great things to have in an athletic department.”
Gillespie sits on the five-person executive committee at Bowling Green, overseeing the operations of all the school’s sports. Her role as associate athletics director for external relations gives her the responsibility for “anything that generates revenue,” including ticketing, merchandising, concessions and fundraising. She’s also responsible for anything that’s visibility and image related: marketing, promotions, communications and “anything people see us do,” she said.
Prior to Bowling Green, she held administrative posts at Purdue and the University of Iowa. At Purdue she helped raise more than $5 million in 14 months.
Bowling Green, located in the northwest corner of Ohio, 20 minutes from Toledo and just over an hour from Detroit, is a member of the Division I Mid-America Conference for all sports except hockey. The school has an enrollment of 16,000 students but, like UNK, exists in the shadow of a Big Ten behemoth.
“In Ohio everybody, no matter where you go to school, is a Buckeye. So everywhere in the state everyone sees scarlet and gray,” she said.
Her success, she said, is because, “I’m a relationship builder.”
As an athletics director, Gillespie promised to pursue gender equity, comply with conference and NCAA rules, be fiscally responsible and be competitive.
Now that the interview process has ended, UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen will consult with the search firm and committee as well as community and faculty leaders before making a final decision. While it’s unclear how long that process will take, a new athletics director could be named as early as next week.
By BUCK MAHONEY Hub Sports Editor | 0 comments
KEARNEY — Under Mary Ellen Gillespie, Bowling Green’s financial support grew.
Those skills are top of the list in what many desire for a new athletics director at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Gillespie visited the UNK campus Wednesday. She was the fourth finalist to come to Kearney to interview to replace Jon McBride, UNK’s athletics director the past 11 years. McBride announced in May that he was stepping down for health reasons.
Gillespie, the associate athletics director for external relations at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, has been heavily involved in athletics department fund raising since 2006. During her tenure, Bowling Green raised $28 million. She also led the campaign for the new $36 million Stroh Center, which was the university’s largest facility fundraising effort.
“Fundraising is not rocket science, but it’s a little bit of an art,” Gillespie told faculty and staff at a meet-and-greet Wednesday morning. “It’s the art of relationships, then it’s the discipline to actually be able to ask people for money. ... People will give to causes they believe in.”
A good story, one of athletic and academic success, is necessary to seal the deal, and she said UNK has a good story.
“Nothing’s broken here at Kearney, which is extremely attractive for anyone who wants to be an athletic director and lead a team,” Gillespie said. “The amount of community support, the amount of campus support, those are all great things to have in an athletic department.”
Gillespie sits on the five-person executive committee at Bowling Green, overseeing the operations of all the school’s sports. Her role as associate athletics director for external relations gives her the responsibility for “anything that generates revenue,” including ticketing, merchandising, concessions and fund-raising. She’s also responsible for anything that’s visibility and imagely attractive for anyone who wants to be an athletic director and lead a team,” Gillespie said. “The amount of community support, the amount of campus support, those are all great things to have in an athletic department.”
Gillespie sits on the five-person executive committee at Bowling Green, overseeing the operations of all the school’s sports. Her role as associate athletics director for external relations gives her the responsibility for “anything that generates revenue,” including ticketing, merchandising, concessions and fundraising. She’s also responsible for anything that’s visibility and image related: marketing, promotions, communications and “anything people see us do,” she said.
Prior to Bowling Green, she held administrative posts at Purdue and the University of Iowa. At Purdue she helped raise more than $5 million in 14 months.
Bowling Green, located in the northwest corner of Ohio, 20 minutes from Toledo and just over an hour from Detroit, is a member of the Division I Mid-America Conference for all sports except hockey. The school has an enrollment of 16,000 students but, like UNK, exists in the shadow of a Big Ten behemoth.
“In Ohio everybody, no matter where you go to school, is a Buckeye. So everywhere in the state everyone sees scarlet and gray,” she said.
Her success, she said, is because, “I’m a relationship builder.”
As an athletics director, Gillespie promised to pursue gender equity, comply with conference and NCAA rules, be fiscally responsible and be competitive.
Now that the interview process has ended, UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen will consult with the search firm and committee as well as community and faculty leaders before making a final decision. While it’s unclear how long that process will take, a new athletics director could be named as early as next week.
