GREAT ATTITUDE AND GREAT THINGS TO COME!
Another great article from Jerry DiPaola, why doesn't the Fan 97.7 have him on more, Hope Chris makes him a regular on his Show!
ARTICLE, LINK, AND (HIGHLIGHTS), COMMENTS
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — Scott Barnes' top priority as Pitt's new athletic director isn't selling T-shirts emblazoned with script handwriting. It isn't boosting attendance at Heinz Field, either. (WHERE IS SOUTHOAKLAND THAT SAID THIS HAS TO HAPPEN FIRST???)
Both endeavors are important but pale in comparison to a bigger project that he began spelling out Tuesday while speaking to reporters at the ACC spring meetings. “How do we as a (school) in the bottom third of the ACC in budget and revenue generation aspire to be toward the top and competing for championships and graduating our student-athletes?” he said. “That's a challenge, right? We have to find ways to get there.”
Barnes, who plans to assume control of the athletic department June 15, said one of his first orders of business is “to create a bold vision that our stakeholders and staff want to buy into it and aspire to and put a real plan in place to meet those objectives.” Part of that will be setting what he calls “longer-term strategic priorities.” “Some of those slap you in the face right away,” he said.
Among those items that slapped him was in the area of fundraising, or as he called it, “resource development.” “Where we sit currently compared to (other schools) as it relates to generating external funds, overall budget,” he said.
Which raises another question: “We want to be excellent in the ACC,” he said. “What does that mean specifically?” Pitt is moving into a new era in athletics, with Barnes, first-year football coach Pat Narduzzi and Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, who is 2 1⁄2 months short of his first year on the job, starting to facilitate the process.
Gallagher's contributions included hiring Narduzzi, one of college football's highest-paid assistants last year. Then, he authorized Narduzzi to spend more money than previously allowed at Pitt to assemble a staff that included plucking offensive coordinator Jim Chaney from Arkansas and the rich SEC.
Still, there are bills to pay, including the new cost-of-attendance initiative that will give student-athletes funds above their scholarships. Barnes confirmed an earlier report in The Chronicle of Higher Education that Pitt's student-athletes will receive an extra $3,300. That trails only Louisville ($5,202), Florida State ($3,884) and Clemson ($3,608) in the ACC and is 40 percent above recruiting rival West Virginia (yet far short of Penn State's $4,788).
That disparity is another hurdle that needs to be crossed, he said, while pointing out the cost-of-attendance effort is long overdue. “The scholarship model hasn't changed for decades,” he said, “and it needs to change within the confines of the collegiate model.”
Who pays for it? “Whether it's tightening the reins in what we are doing in other areas in growth or fund-raising, we are all finding the dollars,” he said. Barnes' concerns include more than finances, however. He said the issue of fifth-year graduate transfers — some of whom are finding new homes at Pitt this year — “absolutely” needs fixed.
Emphasizing that the answer rests with the legislative process within the NCAA, he expressed concern with graduate students not graduating from their new schools. “What has happened is a loophole that has been in place for years has developed a culture of free agency,” he said.
“I believe we need to make a change. That might just simply be a year in residence. If you transfer, you have to wait a year. “Have them transfer. Have them sit out a year. Have them really work on getting that degree and then have that year to play.”
What do the coaches think? “There is a lot of debate right now,” he said. No one said Barnes' job would be easy.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib. Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/8326466-74/barnes-pitt-acc#ixzz3ZzHPjl4P
Another great article from Jerry DiPaola, why doesn't the Fan 97.7 have him on more, Hope Chris makes him a regular on his Show!
ARTICLE, LINK, AND (HIGHLIGHTS), COMMENTS
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — Scott Barnes' top priority as Pitt's new athletic director isn't selling T-shirts emblazoned with script handwriting. It isn't boosting attendance at Heinz Field, either. (WHERE IS SOUTHOAKLAND THAT SAID THIS HAS TO HAPPEN FIRST???)
Both endeavors are important but pale in comparison to a bigger project that he began spelling out Tuesday while speaking to reporters at the ACC spring meetings. “How do we as a (school) in the bottom third of the ACC in budget and revenue generation aspire to be toward the top and competing for championships and graduating our student-athletes?” he said. “That's a challenge, right? We have to find ways to get there.”
Barnes, who plans to assume control of the athletic department June 15, said one of his first orders of business is “to create a bold vision that our stakeholders and staff want to buy into it and aspire to and put a real plan in place to meet those objectives.” Part of that will be setting what he calls “longer-term strategic priorities.” “Some of those slap you in the face right away,” he said.
Among those items that slapped him was in the area of fundraising, or as he called it, “resource development.” “Where we sit currently compared to (other schools) as it relates to generating external funds, overall budget,” he said.
Which raises another question: “We want to be excellent in the ACC,” he said. “What does that mean specifically?” Pitt is moving into a new era in athletics, with Barnes, first-year football coach Pat Narduzzi and Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, who is 2 1⁄2 months short of his first year on the job, starting to facilitate the process.
Gallagher's contributions included hiring Narduzzi, one of college football's highest-paid assistants last year. Then, he authorized Narduzzi to spend more money than previously allowed at Pitt to assemble a staff that included plucking offensive coordinator Jim Chaney from Arkansas and the rich SEC.
Still, there are bills to pay, including the new cost-of-attendance initiative that will give student-athletes funds above their scholarships. Barnes confirmed an earlier report in The Chronicle of Higher Education that Pitt's student-athletes will receive an extra $3,300. That trails only Louisville ($5,202), Florida State ($3,884) and Clemson ($3,608) in the ACC and is 40 percent above recruiting rival West Virginia (yet far short of Penn State's $4,788).
That disparity is another hurdle that needs to be crossed, he said, while pointing out the cost-of-attendance effort is long overdue. “The scholarship model hasn't changed for decades,” he said, “and it needs to change within the confines of the collegiate model.”
Who pays for it? “Whether it's tightening the reins in what we are doing in other areas in growth or fund-raising, we are all finding the dollars,” he said. Barnes' concerns include more than finances, however. He said the issue of fifth-year graduate transfers — some of whom are finding new homes at Pitt this year — “absolutely” needs fixed.
Emphasizing that the answer rests with the legislative process within the NCAA, he expressed concern with graduate students not graduating from their new schools. “What has happened is a loophole that has been in place for years has developed a culture of free agency,” he said.
“I believe we need to make a change. That might just simply be a year in residence. If you transfer, you have to wait a year. “Have them transfer. Have them sit out a year. Have them really work on getting that degree and then have that year to play.”
What do the coaches think? “There is a lot of debate right now,” he said. No one said Barnes' job would be easy.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib. Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/8326466-74/barnes-pitt-acc#ixzz3ZzHPjl4P
