Aztec Athletics

As we commence the process to hire a new Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, I’d like to weigh in on some of the things we have going for us.

First of all, athletics at the Division One level is part of who we are at San Diego State University. We have incredible athletic history; lengthy and potent. And we have tens of thousands of graduates who claim to have attended games in the fog in Aztec Bowl, who met the train when the 1941 Basketball team triumphantly returned from Kansas City and who never missed a Marshall Faulk touchdown.

So our tradition of fielding Division One teams, despite the constantly increasing financial challenges, isn’t likely to go away. And it shouldn’t.

In 1985 we hired a visionary athletic director who was resolutely determined to upgrade our facilities. And lo and behold, here we are with first-class everything where 24 years ago we had nothing. Do you need a recount? Okay, Tony Gwynn Stadium, new Aztrack, new Softball Stadium, new Tennis complex, new Aquatics complex, colossal athletics administration complex with state-of-the-art weight room, a still-beautiful Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl, a fantastic Rec Center and even a new Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center.

So we have an aging Qualcomm Stadium and some legitimate angst regarding the future of the Chargers and the stadium trickle down. We can only hope and work and will ourselves to collectively conquer this community challenge.

And let’s not forget our coaching staff. Plenty of sports have surged lately with some new and some veteran coaches who seem to share the mindset that winning games within the proper parameters of academic transcendence and NCAA regulations is doable at a place like San Diego State. Our “big three,” of course, - Burns, Hoke and Fisher - have our confidence like no previous triumvirate. Ever.

Finally, and most importantly, we have a great university. We have the brain power on our own campus to attack and conquer the challenges and opportunities presented by having Division One Athletics. So let’s get to it!

Brian Sipe

At 6:43 this morning I was pulling into PS 5 to go to work at the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center. I saw Aztecs Quarterbacks Coach Brian Sipe walking up 55th Street. Since I was stopped at the left turn light I had the chance to observe Brian and I took some pride in seeing that he was staring at our beautiful new alumni center and its exquisite rotunda.

After all, this was Brian Sipe, Little League World Series champion, Aztec superstar, NFL MVP, accomplished architect, and outstanding high school football coach, among many other accomplishments. Here was a man whose extraordinary tangible achievements have only been exceeded by his extreme humility and graciousness.

And just as I was thinking we have to start rallying our alumni around the Aztec team that Coach Hoke and his staff have begun to put together, what did I see?

Brian Sipe leaned over and plucked a piece of trash off of the sidewalk and deposited it into the next trash can.

Perhaps this is the time for all of us Aztec fans to start pitching in.

Why We Need an Alumni Center

An Alumni Center for San Diego State. Why?

Having primarily focused my professional life for the past decade on this quest I thought I should be able to answer the question.

When we think about San Diego State what comes to mind? A university growing with the times and our region to produce the workforce we need in business, education and science? A massive State school which delivers quality education for bargain tuition? Perhaps an all grown up Cal State commuter school with a burgeoning research effort struggling for an identity in the shadow of the UCs? Or maybe a once proud football program attempting yet another return to glory with Brady Hoke as coach?

We have heard plenty of this and much more over here on the Mesa. Certainly there is much to be proud of in the product of SDSU. But there is much to be done to help elevate the university’s standing among institutions of higher learning and in the community we serve. A big part of that job is raising awareness of San Diego State and encouraging greater involvement among its alumni.

Increasing support for the university through strong alumni relations builds the foundation for a better institution. You can’t build a powerful organization without a strong base and at the Alumni Association, everything we do is directed toward strengthening the university’s base.

There are more than 200,000 SDSU alumni. Presently, fewer than 8,000 are Alumni Association members. Growing Alumni Association membership is the first step in a process that ultimately leads to enhancing the university’s prestige. The more engaged and involved the alumni are, the stronger the university becomes as a result.

So what, then, is the role of the new Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center in helping to strengthen our base? First, it serves as a literal touchstone for Aztec alumni all over the world. If you want to reconnect with the university, this is the place to do it.

Want to come to campus, but you’re not quite sure where to go? Check in here. You’ll be welcome.

Do you have questions about university programs or events? This is the place to call if you don’t know exactly where to plug in. We’re happy to help you.

This is your home. It’s the one place on campus you will always belong no matter how the campus has changed or how long it’s been since your last visit.

The Alumni Center is also the physical location where our common experience as Aztecs may be shared and remembered. It’s where we’ll celebrate our collective triumphs and mourn our tragedies. Our traditions will be honored here.

And even as our rich history is revered in this place, so is our future planned and prepared for. Various boards and committees representing the university and its alumni will meet here. They will imagine, they’ll dream, and draw on their talents, educations and experiences for ideas to help make SDSU a stronger institution in the years to come.

In the end, what will this new Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center mean for San Diego State? It’s hard to say exactly. We’ve never had anything quite like it before. But the possibilities are thrilling.

So we invite you to come check it out at 11:00 a.m. on October 17 or any time after that when you’re in the neighborhood. Ultimately, my fellow Aztecs, the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center is all about you.

“Mr. San Diego” Also “Mr. SDSU”

Our own Bob Payne has been named the San Diego Rotary Club’s “Mr. San Diego” for 2009. Mayor Jerry Sanders will present the award next week recognizing Bob for his humanitarian achievements and civic contributions.

Here on the Mesa, where he graduated in 1955, we’ve thought of Bob as a sort of unofficial “Mr. SDSU” for some time. He’s a member of the President’s Council and Chairman of the Board of The Campanile Foundation, of which he is a charter member. In 1988 he was honored by our organization as SDSU Alumnus of the Year.

A colleague asked me recently how I felt about Bob winning the Rotary's prestigious award.

Asking an alumni director's attitude regarding Bob Payne winning an award is kind of like asking how Leo Durocher about having Willie Mays in the lineup.

Bob Payne is the poster child for model alumnus. If Wikipedia allowed me to contribute a definition, then Bob's Picture would grace the entry “Model Aztec Alumnus.”

You could take a bevy of robotics engineers and they would never in a million years create a greater representative for your university.

Allow me to count the ways:
Leadership
Generosity
Wisdom
Involvement
Passion

Congratulations, Bob.

Dynamite Web Site

As a 50 something, I am somewhat “username/password” challenged. So when I got the email suggesting I register for the severely upgraded SDSU Alumni Web site I took a deep breath and began to fill out the form.

To my infinite delight, it only took 30 seconds and I was rewarded with a computer ding acknowledging my hi-tech prowess.

These days, of course, an alumni association Web site needs to have dynamic content, user friendly formats and pragmatic applications such as on-line registration and collecting memberships and donations securely and efficiently. Most importantly, the look, feel and ease of maneuvering have to be stellar.

I am very proud to say that your sdsualumni.org is all of that and more. With real time RSS feeds from the campus, athletic department and the Daily Aztec, our Aztec for Life site is a great portal to all things SDSU. Please give us a look at sdsualumni.org.

Student Veterans Organization

Looking out my window from our temporary Manchester Hall digs I get to take in some of the daily happenings which make working on a college campus so rewarding. Whether it is the Associated Student Council politicians holding fort, students debating zealots, or Greeks hawking baked goods for charities, the scene is always dynamic.

Today I am witness to a video production of one of our more celebrated students, Nick Popaditch. I have to duck outside to see what this is all about and discover that our marketing and communications department is creating a video designed to encourage support for SDSU. At least that is what Nick seems to be trying to do take after take.

What I marvel at is how anything can be considered daunting or even challenging to him given what life has already thrown at him. Nick Popaditch, as you may know, lost an eye, most of his vision and very nearly his life in 2004 during combat in Fallujah when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded next to his head. For his innovative combat tactics and leadership even when wounded, Popaditch received the Silver Star, the military's third-highest award for valor. His subsequent book which describes his service and transition back into civilian life is absolutely a must read.

www.amazon.com/Once-Marine-Commanders-Inspirational-Recovery/dp/1932714472/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240338475&sr=1-1

Now Nick is a student at San Diego State. He and some other dedicated veterans work with the Student Veterans Organization, which is an on-campus association dedicated to making the transition from soldier to college student more palatable. They do great work. Check them out at: http://universe.sdsu.edu/military President Steve Weber has fully embraced our “Troops to College” initiative and has recently returned from Washington where he was invited to share our veterans’ services as a national model. Our goal is to become the premiere university in the nation in providing services to our military students.

Just another way SDSU does what needs doing in the world.

The Montys

If this were twitter I would have only 140 characters and already spent half. But it isn’t. This is about the Montys - one of those classic timeless traditions where humans actually eschew thumb communication and enjoy the grandest and most satisfactory of all interactive options: The one where you are actually face-to-face.

There are so many ways I could go about this. I could provide a post-game recap with facts and statistics. I could ramble from my insider’s perspective about event anxiety and relief. I could mention all the Aztec celebrities sitting courtside (so to speak). I could glowingly describe the fabulous body of work by the awardees, which would inevitably instill much pride. I could enthusiastically brag about the venue, the vignettes, the musical theater singers, the songs and lyrics, the production values, the food, the wine, the decorations, the joyousness of the presentations, the uplifting personas of so many Aztec alumni and the overall collective assessment that the event bespoke class.

But I won’t. You had to be there. Hopefully, next time you will join us.

NIT

It is often claimed that we are a bit obsessed with athletics in the alumni business. But there is just so much you can accomplish with Facebook and Twitter (Although this u-Tube video paints a decent picture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRXHQ-fgwIM)

But in the aftermath of our basketball team’s dramatic conquest Wednesday night, it is impossible to not marvel at the power of athletics.

I saw grown men cry. I shared the exultation with people in their 30s, 40s 50s, 60s, and 70s. I saw 12,000 Aztec fans will Steve Fisher’s fine squad to Gotham for the NIT Final Four.

But most of all, we saw the culmination of ten years of student zaniness known as "The Show." Recently featured on the cover of 360 Magazine, our wild and crazy student section has been honing its we-can-make-you-miss-a-critical-free-throw act for many seasons. With 42 seconds left, St. Mary’s NBA-bound point guard, Patty Mills, and his 86% foul shooting rate stepped to the line in a tie game. He was faced with 500 demonstrative, big-head-wielding, jumping up and down, screaming, banana suit wearing, and certified crazy students. Clang.

The subsequent court storming by the young, witnessed by the old, was a convergence of monumental emotion. Twelve minutes later, Ritchie, Lo, and Kyle - our three mega stars - who all prevailed over significant challenges to forge our fantastic season, finally emerged from the mob scene love fest.

Can’t find that on Linked-In!

We Need Stuff

As you may know we are building an alumni center. The Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center will open this summer. We certainly hope you come and visit.

What is an alumni center? Well, it will be a building for you, our alumni. A place to meet old friends, and to access faculty and students. A place for history and memories. A place to check in with cutting edge knowledge. A place to remind you of the power of San Diego State, and to enjoy the burgeoning relevance of your alma mater.

So today I am asking for your historical artifacts. We need Del Sudoestes, blue book ball posters, theater and musical programs from decades past, ticket stubs from Bob Dylan in Peterson Gym, Oingo Boingo at the Backdoor, Jimmy Buffet at the OAT and X-Fest in Aztec Bowl. We need your intramural trophies and your letters from Dean Peterson. We need the tangible evidence of your memories. And we need your books; books relevant to San Diego State and books by our alumni are to be featured—if we only had them. We need your photographs. In short, we need alumni artifacts.

If you have been packing these things around for 10 or fifty years you might as well give them to us. We expect the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center, like San Diego State itself, will be around for at least another 112 years. We will take good care of your donations and avail them to generations of Aztecs to come so if you are so inclined please let me know at herrick1@mail.sdsu.edu.

Oh, there is one more thing. We need a Grand Piano. Can’t hurt to ask.

Buzz Matters

There probably isn’t another college campus in this country with more great news associated with it these days than SDSU. Right now we’re dancing in clover. Here are a few things to be happy about if your blood runs towards a red and black hue:

• Our alumna, Kathleen Kennedy, produced the film (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) with the most Oscar nominations.
• This month our cheerleaders won the National Championship: http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/c-cheer/spec-rel/011909aaa.html
• Aztec pitcher Stephen Strasburg is widely recognized as the best college baseball player in the country. http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/010809aad.html
• Our women’s basketball team, in addition to beating fourth-ranked Texas earlier this year, just whomped BYU by 20. Since we are hosting the NCAA first round at Cox Arena, and since the way it works in women’s basketball is that you get to stay near home, we could very well be playing March 21 and 23 in Cox Arena! http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/09-ncaa-champ.html
• Our men’s basketball team has considerable depth and talent and will undoubtedly make a run at the Dance. The “Show” serves as catalyst for great atmosphere and great wins against substantial Mountain West teams. A few good seats remain at: http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/82694?brand=qualcommaztecs
• One of our students, Destin Cretton, just won the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival for “Short Term 12.” http://advancement.sdsu.edu/marcomm/news/releases/spring2009/pr012209sundance.html

I am not making this stuff up, check it out for yourself:

And finally, head football coach Brady Hoke has hired coordinators of substance and our own Brian Sipe as QB coach, and has generally convinced all paying attention that the resurrection of Aztec Football is, in fact, possible.

It is, indeed, a good time to be an Aztec.

2009

It is one of the recharging days between semesters where the campus is devoid of students yet the internal engine recovers and prepares for the next wave of minds requiring stimulation.

And what a fine day to work at this awesome place and to be able to reflect on recent events while planning future growth.

Growth, one might ask? Haven’t the economic challenges of our state necessitated reduced SDSU enrollment? Well, yes they have, but we still have 33,000 students whose minds must grow. And we still have 200,000 alumni whose minds are meeting, responding and conquering the hurdles popping up every moment a la whack a mole. Not to mention the stimulation and growth required of our own minds.

Here are some of the issues of the day from an alumni relations perspective:

• How do we properly steward the ownership of 50,000 (growing to 75,000) email addresses?
  
• What is the ideal blend of university perspective versus reporting balance in our communications?
  
• How often do we feature athletics versus everything else going on in the university?
  
• How can we best encourage our constituents (alums) to utilize the wildly popular social and professional networking sites like Facebook, and Linked-in to spread the word about San Diego State events, programs, lectures, entertainment and activities?
  
• In an era of declining annual membership (and surging lifetime membership) how do we finance our quest for greater engagement?
  
• How do we utilize our sprouting Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center to encourage more alums to visit our campus?
  
• In short, how do we best harness the practical, creative, and generous energies of our alumni to better this institution?

I am certain 2009 will reveal some extraordinary advancement.

Allan Bailey

On December 21st we lost a tremendous Aztec, colleague, co-worker, alumni past president, friend and mentor Allan Bailey. In a career spanning 41 years Allan served the university as professor of accounting, Dean of the college of Business and CFO of the Campanile Foundation. A staple of university relations, a fixture at Aztec athletic events and beautiful role model, Allan was emblematic of the emergent quality of education offered by San Diego State. While at the time of this writing we are awaiting the scheduling of Allan’s campus memorial, I am glad to share the following letter sent to our alumni board of directors.

To Our Alumni Board and Our Past Alumni Presidents

By now I am sure you have all heard of Allan’s passing. I am sorry I could not call you all individually last week so that you did not have to hear it electronically.

But, Allan undoubtedly would have preferred a low-key reaction. It’s just that his impression on our world was so substantial that it is difficult to react in a below-the-radar way.

In recent years we have gotten a glimpse of the great life Allan had outside of San Diego State. We know his wife Nancy, and Allan, and some of his family and friends went on some spectacular trips together. We know that he cherished his family and got nothing but pure joy from having grandchildren. Essentially, we got to know how important Allan’s family was to him. We already knew how important our university was to Allan. More so, we know how important Allan was to SDSU.

In my Allan Bailey mailbox I have 2,556 messages from Allan dating back to September 1999. Wow. That is daily communication for ten years. No wonder I feel like I have lost some hard-to-describe body part comprised of brain, will, heart, soul and gumption.

Allan was a veritable facts machine. He had inordinate quantities of data-- well organized and at his fingertips. But Allan also had the key relationships to go with the information. He had built up huge stores of goodwill at every turn. The President, all the Vice presidents, the board members, the donors; they all had tremendous respect for Allan. And then, to compliment that he had the support and respect and genuine appreciation from everyone else who worked with him. Only now are we beginning to compare notes and realize that Allan was everyone’s mentor. Hundreds of us over the years. How could one person do all that?

I cannot fathom how. But I can fathom how proud I will be to walk into the Allan Bailey Library at the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center everyday starting next July. (Thank you Mark McMillin.) Allan and I were to have moved into that building in tandem. But, having all been trained, mentored, coached and inspired by Allan Bailey, my colleagues and I will do our very best every day to carry on the mission of making San Diego State a better place.