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1A Athletic Directors’ Fellows Program

“One’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.“   Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. 

Purpose

The purpose of the Division 1A Fellows Program is to nurture career growth and innovation by providing future athletic directors the opportunity to establish a personal mentoring relationship with Association Past Presidents and to increase connectivity within the industry.

Program

The Division 1A Athletic Directors’ Association will receive nominations from 1A Athletics Directors, then select and pair Mentors with Fellows. Mentors will be comprised of Past Presidents of The Division 1A Athletic Directors’ Association.

Selection Process

Selections will be based upon the following criteria:

  1. Must be a graduate of the Division 1A Institute; and
  2. Must demonstrate aptitude/readiness to become an athletic director; and
  3. Must be nominated by a Division 1A Director of Athletics; and
  4. Must have served in a senior Associate Athletic Director position for more than five (5) years.

A maximum of ten (12) mentoring relationships will be established on an annual 1A will provide several learning interactions throughout the year, it will be the responsibility of the Fellow to schedule additional learning interactions (e.g. monthly or quarterly telephone conferences) and to facilitate the learning process. If the status of one of the mentors/Fellows changes so that the partnership cannot continue, a replacement will be considered.

Learning Interactions

The following learning interactions will be provided by Division 1A throughout the year:

  1. After selection, the Association Office will contact the Mentor and the Fellow.  Mentors and Fellows will have monthly/quarterly conference calls wherein the Fellow will be responsible for preparing the agenda and providing it to the mentor in advance;
  2. Mentors and Fellows will meet at the Division 1A Annual meeting.  At this time, Fellows will participate in a learning exchange – one hour of which the Fellows will be responsible for programming;
  3. The Association Office will arrange for two teleconferences during the year, at which time the Mentors and Fellows can engage in a meaningful exchange; and
  4. Additional learning opportunities may develop between the Mentor and their Fellow, and the Association may also create additional options.

2011 Inaugural Class 1A Fellows Program

2011 Inaugural Class 1A Fellows Program

Front Row Left to Right
Doug Knuth, University of Utah
Dr. Marcy Girton, University of South Carolina
Amy Folan, University of Texas
Theresa Wenzel, Georgia Tech
Dr. Nicki Moore, University of Oklahoma
Pat Chun, The Ohio State University

Second Row Left to Right:
David Harris, Iowa State University
Dr. Brandon Martin, University of Oklahoma
Derek VanDeMere, Central Michigan University
Desiree Reed-Francois, University of Tennessee
David Mines, Auburn University
Whit Babcock, University of Missouri