Chip Scoggins: Gophers' interim A.D. Beth Goetz is a quick study in new role

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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Goetz always has been a quick study, unafraid of new challenges. She was that way as a kid, as a college athlete, as a young coach and now as the leader of Gophers sports.

Thrust into the role of Minnesota’s interim athletic director after the abrupt departure of her boss, Norwood Teague, Goetz has tackled the job with a clear focus that has galvanized a department in turmoil.

Department employees at different levels describe Goetz’s management style as direct but compassionate. One staff member said she’s not “wishy-washy” in her conversations with coaches. Another staffer noted that Goetz embraces input from others, particularly if it falls outside her range of expertise.

Longtime baseball coach John Anderson has worked for 10 different A.D.s at Minnesota. Administrative change has become routine. He only asked Goetz for two things: honesty and transparency. She’s made good on that.

“I think she’s tried to find ways to solve problems rather than tell you what you can’t do,” Anderson said. “That’s been refreshing.”

http://www.startribune.com/gophers-interim-a-d-beth-goetz-is-a-quick-study-in-new-role/363016051/

Go Gophers!!
 

Chip: A.D. role, résumés evolving almost daily at major colleges

University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler launched his search for an athletic director by demanding a stronger “tone at the top” in response to an embarrassing scandal and troubling financial audit that brought negative attention to his school.

The person Kaler hires next year to lead Gophers sports will inherit a department on the mend, one rich with both challenges and opportunities. The athletics budget exceeds $100 million. Fundraising for a $190 million facilities project requires constant attention. And the daily demands of leading 25 sports, 300-plus staff members and 725 student-athletes forces an athletic director to wear many hats.

The role of modern A.D. has changed dramatically in recent years, contorted by the explosion of TV revenue, a facilities arm’s race, ever-expanding budgets and the growth of social media. The job description never again will resemble what it was 10 years ago and might have a new shape in five.

“It’s changing, it seems, like daily,” said Joe Castiglione, Oklahoma’s athletic director. “This job is more of a vocation than an occupation.”

http://www.startribune.com/a-d-role...ing-almost-daily-at-major-colleges/363007881/

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-interim-a-d-beth-goetz-is-a-quick-study-in-new-role/363016051/
Click to expand...

“I’m happy to represent in whatever capacity that is,” she said. “When the time comes that I have to make a decision about whether I want to be considered or not, then I’ll do it then...

Goetz loved being Coach, still misses it, especially when a former player addresses her as “Coach” in a text.

“There’s nothing better than hearing someone say, ‘Hey, Coach,’ ” she said.

The administrative duties, though, provided a professional fulfillment that tugged at her. The challenge of helping an athletic department function satisfied her thirst for pace. It felt right.

Though her jobs have increased substantially in profile since then — from UMSL to Butler to Minnesota — her approach remains unchanged.

She leads by measured intensity and focus, never one for the spotlight, never afraid to take charge. She wasn’t the best player in soccer. She was the captain.

“I think I’m pretty even-keeled most of the time,” she said. “There’s that saying that you don’t let people live rent free in your head. From a pressure standpoint, a challenge is invigorating.”
 





I don't think Beth G sold her words to the paper as a U employee. She sounds like a terrific person.
 

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