When It Comes To Big-Time College Sports, Penn State’s New President Has Walked Through The Fire Before

Since 1855, Penn State University has had 18 Presidents, all of them white men. In less than two months, the first woman and the first person of color to lead the Nittany Lions will begin her tenure. As Neeli Bendapudi joins the institution and the Big Ten Conference in May, half of the schools in the conference will be led by women.

Rarely do institutions have the luxury of hiring a leader with a backgound in big time college sports. Bendapudi posseses a unique set of experiences as she returns to the Big Ten from prior stops at Ohio State, the University of Kansas and University of Louisville.

But it was her tenure at Louisville that was truly a ‘trial by fire’. During Bendapudi’s tenure at Louisville:

• The NCAA amended Louisville’s probation of the men’s basketball team;
• In January, Louisville parted ways with head basketball coach Chris Mack after three plus years, agreeing to a $4.8 million separation agreement;
• New allegations of NCAA rules violations emerged;
• Former Athletics Director Vince Tyra resigned in December 2021 as rumors surfaced he was leaving for another ACC school. Deputy AD Josh Heird was named the interim.

The Big Ten is no stranger to serious athletic issues-in the past decade, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State and Michigan all faced massive sexual assault scandals costing the institutions (collectively) several billion dollars paid out to victims, and two Presidents their jobs (Lou Anna Simon of Michigan State, and Graham Spanier of Penn State).

In an interview for my podcast “Trustees and Presidents”, I spoke with two members of the Penn State Board of Trustees: Search committee co-chair David Kleppinger and Board member Barbara Doran, to learn more about their search process.

In our conversation, I was surprised to learn that head Football coach James Franklin, was the only representative from athletics who was a part of the search process; he was named to the “Next Gen Penn State Advisory Group”, a subset of the search committee. Vice-President and Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour was not, though Kleppinger emphasized that while Barbour “didn’t have direct involvement, we did speak with her about the process as it was ongoing.” Both believed that Franklin’s involvement was crucial for him to build relationships with both the search committee and the new President.

Doran mentioned their expectation was that the new President would ensure Penn State could remain “squeaky clean”, a focal point since the Sandusky scandal in 2012. She pointed out there were no football donors involved in the process (unlike at other Power 5 institutions); she stated, “this is not about picking somebody because it’s a football (school)- it’s picking somebody who has the interest and capability to run one of the largest universities in the world”.

“She’s (Bendapudi) well-versed in athletics”, Kleppinger told me.

Like many land-grant institutions, large challenges remain across the entire ecosystem. For a president of 24 campuses with over 90,000 students enrolled across Pennsylvania, Bendapudi already has a full plate. Outgoing President Eric Barron told the Philadelphia Inquirer this week that race and free-speech issues were at the forefront during his tenure, along with the coronavirus. As a ‘state-related’ university, state funding continues to be an issue- Pennsylvania ranks 47^th in the country in supporting higher education. But for sports fans, the most significant of the president’s challenges will be navigating their institution through the massive upheaval happening in Division I sports. (Note: the author was the athletics director at Penn State Abington from 2006-12.)

Until her departure, Bendapudi served as the Vice-Chair of the ACC President’s Board of Directors, likely participating in the ACC’s decision to join the Alliance, potentially blocking the continued growth of the SEC. She should have a grasp of the College Football Playoff dynamics.

One of the most dominant athletic conferences in the country has embraced the value that women’s leadership can bring to a campus. From dealing with crucial decisions on day one (In 2020, Ohio State’s Kristina Johnson’s first day on the job included voting on the initial decision to suspend the Big Ten football season due to Covid), to the decision recently faced by Michigan’s Mary Sue Coleman to suspend Juwan Howard for the remainder of the regular season, sitting in the chair is not for the faint of heart.

How many presidents, male or female, rise to the office with any experience dealing with college athletics in their previous positions? My teaching and research shows that very few do-often they assume the office with little to no experience concerning oversight of athletics.

All these issues pale in comparison to the reputational risk of a massive athletics scandal, as Penn State learned over 10 years ago. The ability of a leader to manage the risks athletics brings is crucial. Bendapudi and the other Presidents in the Big Ten have embraced the opportunity to lead; time will tell if they can manage the tidal waves heading their way.