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First off I have to say well done to all those involved in developing this and those who will be on the various committees providing the various deliverables outlined in the strategic plan. As a supporter and alum of this fine institution, it is nice to see the athletic department being proactive and aware of the need to push the AD to new heights.
HornetHope pretty much covered the basics on the plan. This strategic plan hits on just about every important aspect there is to build a strong athletic department. This document identifies key goals as it relates to:
- • Getting exposure and spreading the word about Hornet athletics, athletics is a “front of the house” operation that can be used to deliver the vision of the university
• Improvement and evaluation of the student-athlete support both on the field and in the classroom
• Build fan/alumni/student/community support
• Improving facilities for each sport and develop plans to raise funds for identified improvements
• Being successful on the field and holding coaching staffs accountable for student-athlete performance on and off the field
This is a breath of fresh air to those of us wanting to see a willingness to strive to be the best in every aspect of competition both on and off the field. Some of the subsequent plans are scheduled to be released and implemented
I got a lot reading this document. To begin with a lot of what has been identified as goals is already being completed. The emphasis of success in the classroom has been/is being achieved via the improved APR scores across the board for Hornet athletics. Also the goal to be successful on the field is already there as well. A myriad of Hornet athletics already brings home championships and post season play so past success is already prevalent. What this document and subsequent plan does is bring together all of the pieces to and creates a common goal for all of athletics and the university as a whole to strive for. It also looks to develop metrics for accessing the current and ongoing status of Hornet athletics so we will have a quantitative way to track improvement and optimize operations. This is freaking brilliant and is a great encouragement to not only Hornet athletic supporter but to the university and the Sac community.
A few things caught my eye:
Conference affiliation
The document mentioned an evaluation of the current conference affiliation and recommendation of a change if need be. Since the WAC is dead, this means Sac State could very well take a run at the MWC (WAC 2.0) in the future. As we have seen from the recent conference shake ups is that TV markets have driven the changes. The Sac region is ripe for the picking, especially considering the Kings are as good as gone and the university can exploit this advantage if we position ourselves properly.
Awareness/Branding
The AD seems to finally make it a point to get the word out about Hornet athletics. There has been slight improvement over the years via the huge digital sign off of HWY 50 and an uptic in social media; but we might finally see the full gambit of TV ads, newspaper ads, promotions, and sky divers spelling out upcoming Hornet athletics news (ok maybe not) and whatever else they can come up with. Also it looks like a revamping to Hornetsports will finally…FINALLY happen.
The one thing it didn’t touch on which I think is a vital component of getting the word out is creating a Sac State TV channel. This would not be easy or cheap but I figured it could work hand in hand with the communications/film department and can be used to get the word out about campus events and broadcast a wide range of campus activities throughout the Sac region besides just athletic events.
Facilities
It mentioned the possibility of playing hoops in an off campus venue. The only real option is Arco/Power Balance/Sleep Train (any other names?). The problem here is I don’t see that place as being cost effective at all. For one it means students can’t readily access games and secondly Arco fvcking sucks. About the only positive I see here is a ton of seating (most of which will go unused) and you can actually drink a beer (legally) while watching a game. Other than that I don’t know how this idea even breaks even to even be considered for implementation.
An events center is mentioned again. Basically this is back in play and it means all those angry and drunken emails I (and hopefully many others) have sent to Wanless and Gonzo over the years have not gone completely ignored. An events center benefits not just athletics but the university as a whole and I always felt it was a matter of time and money before this project was put on the forefront again.
A master plan for Hornet athletic facilities will be developed. My hope is that the master plan is developed hand-in-hand with a funding plan, i.e. certain renovations will kick off when certain fund raising goals are met. The document didn’t go into specifics other than saying an audit will be completed.
The negatives I saw in this facility plan were the idea to renovate Yosemite Hall. I view this as a waste of time and money. Yosemite is better off being completely demolished. The document does say that Yosemite is only viewed as a temp facility until long term plans/faculties are developed. Surprisingly there was no mention of the fact that Hornet athletics now occupy the old health center building. I assumed all miscellaneous activities in Yosemite would be diverted to the health center while Yosemite is knocked to the ground with a couple of swift whacks from a 15 pound sledgehammer.
Links to plan:
http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/football/release.asp?release_id=10724
PDF:
http://www.hornetsports.com/assets/athletic_dept/StrategicPlan12.pdf
