AD in Residence: Case Western Reserve AD TJ Shelton

As you start your third academic year in the chair, how do you pinpoint and work towards your priorities each year? And what will those be for this year?

When I arrived at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), we conducted a SOAR analysis, which gave me a great understanding of how the staff and coaches felt about the key initiatives for both short-term and long-term goals. From that feedback, I developed our strategic initiatives that would guide our decision-making and resource allocation. It also provided a great opportunity to align with the Division of Student Affairs and President Kaler’s university initiatives. I’ve always been a firm believer in the idea that the athletics strategic initiative should be aligned with the university. This provides the opportunity for us to tell the story of our student-athletes and teams in connection to the great work that they are doing in the classroom and in the community. In our pursuit of comprehensive excellence, the key initiatives include student-athlete well-being; other areas of focus are conducting staffing plan and compensation reviews; fiscal assessment; facility master plan; alumni and donor engagement; admissions and recruiting; student-athlete championship experience and culture; and diversity and inclusion review.

How are you evaluating the resources and opportunities provided to DIII student-athletes as you seek to provide the best possible student-athlete experience?

I’ve placed an emphasis on myself and the administrative staff engaging with our student-athletes as much as possible. It’s important to be visible and accessible to gain their trust and respect. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is essential to our program’s success. It’s a priority for me to be available to support the teams. Whether that’s attending practice, traveling with teams, or catching up before or after practice, it's a great way to get a pulse on what’s going on in their world and how we as administrators can enhance that experience. In addition, the post season surveys are another method to get feedback on how well we are meeting the student-athlete’s expectations. They share their experience and what improvements they would like to see. I also conduct exit interviews with graduating seniors. These sessions are valuable and can provide another opportunity to connect on a personal level.

At a high academic caliber institution, how do you balance the financial implications of NIL with the education-related learnings that can come from executing deals?

We’ve taken the approach of focusing on compliance related to Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals, along with helping student-athletes develop their brands and marketing skills. Our priority is to follow the rules and regulations of the NCAA. We are working with the Director of Entrepreneurship at CWRU Micheal Goldberg, who also serves as the Faculty Athletic Representative, to assist with creating the program and evaluating student-athletes' presentations to Brands.

We have a handful of student athletes who are a part of an NIL club, while a few others are doing service for products. We want to give the student-athletes the tools to learn how to develop, promote and enhance their personal brand.

Some championships-related questions. How do you feel about the implementation of the NCAA Power Index and will it impact how your coaches schedule? What is your opinion of the division’s move to create a national platform for championships live streams and stipends to offset preliminary round championships?

The selection process to gain access to post-season championships has always been a focal point for championship sport committees. I applaud the efforts of the committee to continue to strengthen the methods to have a fair and equitable selection process, knowing we have a large membership. Our coaches have discussed the potential impact on scheduling, but ultimately, we focus on regional competition with some out-of-region competitions to provide our student-athletes with a unique experience. The University Athletic Association and Presidents Athletic Conference for football provide tremendous competition week-in and week-out and put us in position to earn a postseason bid.

I applaud President Baker’s initiative to enhance live streams during the postseason. DIII championships are extremely competitive, and this will provide the fanbase with the opportunity to watch some highly competitive competitions across the country. In addition, the addition of financial support for preliminary rounds provides proof the NCAA is committed to enhancing the championship experience for student-athletes and fans.

At a large institution like Case Western, what tangible steps are you taking to create relationships on campus and effectively communicate up to your VP or president?

I believe as the Athletic Director at CWRU, it is one of my most important roles as the administrator. For our department to be successful, I must lead by example by building relationships on campus so others in the organization can network and understand how we work together as an institution. As a member of the VP of Student Affairs' executive team, I have a seat at the table to share athletics' key initiatives along with the success of our student-athletes. I’ve had the privilege to present our strategic plan and roadmap to championship success to the Board of Trustees and during the President’s cabinet meetings. These are great opportunities to share our story, but I also have the opportunity to connect with university deans and department heads. I also often invite our campus partners to our department meetings so they can share the resources they have that can assist our student-athletes and coaches to be successful. Departments such as admissions, health and counseling services, career office, and academic advising are just a few that have collaborated with each other to build authentic relationships that support our department’s mission, vision and values.

Prior to this role, you served as the Senior Associate AD at Ohio State under long-time AD Gene Smith. What were some things that you learned under his leadership and what are two to three key pieces of advice you would give someone who aspires to become an athletic director? How did your 15 years with the Buckeyes inform how you lead the department given your past DIII experience?

Being able to serve under a leader such as Gene Smith was remarkable. His leadership style was authentic, inclusive, and the true definition of a servant leader. I gained valuable insights throughout my 15 years at Ohio State. What stood out the most was the way that Gene cared deeply about the student-athlete experience and immediately provided resources to meet their needs. This included adding nutrition stations, hiring full-time sports psychologists, along with the creation of the Eugene D. Smith Leadership Institute, are investments that were made for the growth and development of student-athletes. Secondly, the perception that athletics at the DI level is siloed from the rest of the university was far from the truth. We were aligned and fully integrated into the campus community, and this provided the much-needed political capital throughout the university to build partnerships from the board of trustees to the alumni association to student life. The third lesson to be known was his servant leadership style and decision-making based on core values. Gene was an empathetic leader who led with integrity and respect. This was instrumental in making decisions. He was consistent and fair. 

The advice that I would like to share with aspiring ADs is to truly understand their “why” and “purpose” as it relates to being in the chair and the demands of the position. Finding a mentor that you can bounce ideas off of and have candid conversations with is key. It's also important to gain experience in all areas of athletic operations. Understanding how various areas operate, such as fundraising, business operations, academic support, and event management, will make them more marketable and well-rounded. My 15 years at OSU, along with my 15 years at DIII WashU, helped prepare me for the leadership role at CWRU. I would sum up my career as “other duties assigned,” as I really worked strategically to not only perform my assigned job duties at a high level but also seek out stretch roles within the department that would provide additional experience. Having a strong network of mentors throughout the industry is important. Building authentic relationships with individuals who have taken the journey and laid the foundation for my success was instrumental to my growth and development.