Hollis
Mark Hollis, MSU associate athletics director for external relations, is expected to be named the new Athletics Director at the MSU Board of Trustees meeting today.
“I know him very well – he’s a very good man,” Trustee George Perles said. “He’s pretty knowledgeable, and he has a great vision. I think it’s pretty helpful when you know the territory.”
Hollis, a 1985 MSU graduate, has served as the associate director since 1995.
Athletics Director Ron Mason will be retiring after six years as director and 23 years as the MSU hockey coach.
The board meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., and Perles said a press conference would follow at 11 a.m. at the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center.
Trustee Melanie Foster, who chaired the committee to appoint the new director, called Hollis a “strong internal candidate.” She also made clear the relationship between Mason and Hollis has been, and will continue to be, a positive one.
“This is just a retirement on the part of Ron Mason. (Hollis has) some great shoes to follow,” Foster said.
According to the “personnel actions” portion of the board meeting agenda, Hollis will be appointed Athletic Director Designate from Sept. 12 to Dec. 31. His title would then be changed to Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, with a contract effective Jan. 1, 2008 to Dec. 31, 2013.
Both Hollis and Mason could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Foster said the committee formed a list of 11 criterion for the position, and Hollis was most qualified.
“There were a minimal number of applicants because, when we started, there was a strong internal candidate,” Foster said.
The criteria included experience in senior athletic administration, excellent organization and communication skills and understanding the role of NCAA Division 1 athletics in the context of an academic environment emphasizing the scholarly growth and development of students.
Hollis was considered a strong candidate because of his accomplishments at MSU, including bringing radio station WJR to Michigan and taking common sporting events outside their normal setting, Foster said.
“It’s just been a win-win for the university. I look forward to his continuation down a track of success with us,” she added.
Hollis is the mastermind behind two world records set by MSU. He had the idea to get 78,129 people to watch MSU play Kentucky in the “Basketbowl” basketball game at Ford Field in 2003. In 2001, 74,554 fans packed into Spartan Stadium to watch MSU and University of Michigan play the “Cold War” hockey game under the lights.
“He’s got some brilliant ideas about a basketball game on an aircraft carrier, and he’s got some more things he’s working on at Ford Field,” Perles said.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
