In the second part of the Jim Phillips interview trilogy, the Northwestern Athletic Director talks more about the “front porch” concept and his vision for the future of the department. Phillips also acknowledges the plight of undergraduate attendance within the department’s marketing focus, as well as his take on the current and former presidents of Northwestern. North by Northwestern checks in for part two.
On elaborating on his “front porch” metaphor for the athletic programs and Northwestern…
I don’t want to change this world-class university; when people think about Northwestern, they think about an unbelievable school, the “Ivy of the Midwest”. But I don’t think basketball success at Duke has hurt Duke’s prestige as an institution, I don’t think the success that Stanford has had, athletically, has hurt their institution. And I would say those are two examples that Northwestern, in the Midwest, can be and maybe better in a few sports than they are. But overall, [as] athletic departments, those are good comparisons for us. And no one wants to take away from the academic piece and the prestige of the university. I think that’s what makes us special, that’s what makes Northwestern unique. But I think, to my earlier references, those two institutions are examples where you can do it with good balance, with really good balance, and not compromise one for the other. I hope that makes sense.
On the students’ lax attendance situation at home games…
We’ve been trying to do different things. I’ve done some fireside chats, we’ve gone into residence halls with our coaches, we’ve done some things over at SPAC because the students seem to like SPAC to go work out. We’ve tried to grab the freshmen and have the freshmen walk. And then we started this year, the freshmen running through [Ryan Field] as the first initiation or the first thing they do as a class. We’ve done some things at the Arch. We’ve tried to give away some tuition remissions, some books, different types of things. So, we’ve tried to – like we’ve with all our marketing, but specifically for the students – get a stronger awareness for them and try and saturate them at different touchpoints, to get them interested and get them involved. But they’re busy. They’re working hard in the classroom, some have jobs, they’re studying, they’re serious students, so there isn’t a lot of free time for them. But I think athletics is one way to build that sense of community. It’s one of the things that I’ve heard Northwestern students say, “What are some of the things that Northwestern can do a better job of?” and maybe we can build a stronger sense of community with one another. And I think athletics has a chance to do that; it’s really a rallying point for everyone and it’s a chance to maybe relieve some of the stresses of academics or working and going to school and all the things that our young people face. So, those are some examples and some of the rationale behind what we’ve been trying to do.
On Phillips’ relationships with President Bienen versus Morty…
I think we’ve had the two best presidents I could ever imagine, as far as being supportive of athletics and intercollegiate athletics and recreation. With President Bienen, he’s the one who hired me and gave me the opportunity to serve Northwestern. And he was absolutely sensational. President Schapiro – it’s almost like they passed the baton from one another, and the excitement that we had with President Bienen and his commitment to athletics was passed to President Schapiro. And you’ve seen him at games, he’s been incredibly supportive – we just had an event at his house for National Student-Athlete Day and we had our 19 head coaches and 19 student-athletes that represent each program at his house. And I think that says a lot about him and his wife; I think they’ve been gone for 28 of 29 days, this was his only night back and he had that event. So, they’ve been equally supportive and been so terrific. You have seen success in athletics, in my view, because of those two leaders. That’s as important of a reason as any, I think, for where we’re at today. We’ve had great coaches, and that cannot be undersold or understated; we’ve had great student-athletes. It really starts at the top, and what President Bienen did and what his commitment level was and what President Schapiro has done, it’s been second to none.
On Amy Jaeschke getting drafted…
I’m really excited for Amy. Amy Jaeschke, to me, is what a true student-athlete is all about. Great student, great person and great in sports. She was a McDonald’s All-American in high school right here at New Trier [High School], could have gone anywhere in the country, but she wanted to stay home and she wanted to help build a program and develop something. What she did is pretty remarkable: she was part of a group that, when they first started, what it looked like [compared] to where it is today, is really a direct credit [to her]. And I’m excited because she has a chance, I think, to be the first Northwestern women’s basketball player in the WNBA. It’ll be a highlight – we talked earlier about some of the highlights in the spring – hopefully, this will be one of those highlights that we have this spring. That we have a student-athlete, a graduate of Northwestern with a great degree, who’s going to go on and play professional basketball for a period of time… I couldn’t be more proud of her.
On the NFL lockout’s effect on Northwestern football marketing…
I don’t know if I have an answer to that because we haven’t experienced it [before], only that football and the NFL are as popular as they’ve ever been. Do we try and draw some of that interest from some of the other sports? Of course, of course. But, I think they’re two different kinds of games when you talk about the NFL and college football. So, I guess I would say that I have my eyes as wide open as you to see if there is a trickle-down effect, if there is some residual that happens, for instance, a lockout over a period of time. But right now, there hasn’t been anything – their season hasn’t started, they haven’t missed any games, they’re still hopeful that they can get a deal done. But I think what it may do is it may open the eyes of the general football fan that hasn’t paid a lot of attention to college sports or college athletics or college football, per se. Maybe they would start to look at it a little bit closer. But, I don’t know, I think that all remains to be seen, and I would expect them to get a deal done. I just think both sides have too much to lose not to sit down and hammer the thing out. But, we’ll see.
Check back next Monday for the third and final part of this interview, as well as wrap-up coverage on the Spring Game and more.