Ring The Bell

not sure where this fits but want to memorialize it for future review before it disappears. Tom is starting year four in a few weeks. the slowest part of the year for saluki fans is getting ready to descend upon us. maybe the mods could pick one of these per week to chew on over the summer to keep everyone going until the salukis return to the competition in August. since Tom promised "transparency" maybe he could make his case too.

Tom Bell 10-Point Plan to Restoring the Glory

1. Advance Our Core Principles in everything we do. Athletics exists to extend educational value to our student-athletes, promote their personal development, and create a sense of community within the University and region. Athletics will set and maintain high standards for performance, academic achievement and personal responsibility.

2. Establish a Culture of Excellence and Transparency in everything we do. A winning culture requires measuring performance, learning from mistakes, and holding each other accountable. We will create an environment of trust where we learn to depend on each other’s character and competency. We will clearly define our path to success and regularly assess our progress. We will create a culture of ownership and responsibility. It will start at the Athletic Director’s chair and accountability will flow from top to bottom.

3. Conduct a Full-scale Review of All Athletic Programs. Head coaches of each sport will be asked to produce a blueprint and road map for how they plan to win a conference championship. We will maintain open dialogue on core topics such as recruiting, staffing, roster management and scheduling. We will measure and evaluate where we are in relation to this plan. If we are not making the expected progress, then why not?

4. Review the departmental budget and organizational chart to identify opportunities for Cost-Benefit Efficiencies. Are we under-staffed, over-staffed? Can we streamline the way we do business? Is the Development staff sufficient for the growth that needs to take place? What major purchases can be put off without affecting our departmental mission? We will also look for opportunities to Generate New Revenue and Conserve Resources.

5. Restore Our Revenue Sports to Prominence. Since the peak of Saluki Men’s Basketball and Football, revenues from the Saluki Athletic Scholarship Fund, ticket sales and NCAA Tournament distributions have decreased. Any successful turnaround of Athletics, by definition, requires those programs to succeed.

6. Assist our Student-Athletes in Developing Positive Academic, Social and Professional Skills. We will consistently communicate our organizational values to our Student-Athletes, who are on the front line as representatives of our University and the Department of Athletics. We will provide education and training in life skills that promotes personal and professional development.

7. Create New Donor Opportunities. Since ticket sales, SASF donations and other revenue can fluctuate from year to year, Athletics must pursue a steady source of income. We will develop programs to enhance the SASF and create new endowments for scholarships. These funds will yield their returns in perpetuity and provide the flexibility to strategically invest in areas of need or opportunity. The new programs would include several levels, with donors receiving added benefits above and beyond those offered by the annual fund of the SASF.

8. Cultivate Elite Donor Prospects in coordination with the President, Chancellor and Vice Chancellor of Development. Naming rights opportunities exist for Saluki Stadium and SIU Arena. These gifts would immeasurably help the department, allowing Athletics to pay off debt, reduce the Saluki Way loan balance and eliminate a large burden upon our operating budget.

9. Conduct feasibility study for an Indoor Training Facility. This is the missing piece of the facilities puzzle. Several peer institutions have moved ahead of SIU by adding this component. An indoor facility could benefit multiple sports and eliminate our dependence on renting Sports Blast.

10. Fully Implement the Missouri Valley Conference Agreement with ESPN3 that will maximize exposure for the Saluki brand. We will engage our University’s College of Mass Communication and Media Arts to provide campus-wide educational benefits that extend beyond Athletics. We will also embrace the unlimited opportunities to market our academic message.