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Editor's note: Check NCAA.org daily for continuous coverage leading up to Mark Emmert’s first day as NCAA president.

NCAA will like this guy

By Jim Isch
NCAA Interim President

In just a few short days we will welcome University of Washington President Mark Emmert to Indianapolis as he begins his tenure as the Association’s fifth chief executive. And though he hasn’t even started yet, I have a prediction for NCAA people: You’re gonna like him.

Mark and I worked together in the 1990s at Montana State when Mark was the provost and I was vice president for administration and finance. We had the chance to meet on a daily basis, think strategically about the direction of the institution and also experience the challenges of what at the time was a resource-starved institution that was working its way toward national research prominence.

Mark is extremely bright, talented and is an excellent communicator. He has a personality that allows him to befriend just about everyone. He takes the time to understand issues, reach out to people to get various opinions and then form his own direction. He’s a tireless worker and someone that our membership will not only enjoy but also be extremely happy in five years, in 10 years, that Mark Emmert was at the helm of the NCAA.

I’ve had the distinct pleasure of following his career from Montana State to the University of Connecticut to LSU and now to the University of Washington, and I’ve never heard anyone say a negative word about his time at their institution. That is quite a testament, given that he has had some difficult issues and challenges to manage at each of those stops along the way.

As for his leadership style, Mark will be aggressive and assertive in advancing the mission of the Association, but he also is an inclusive leader who reaches out for input. He certainly has a vision for where he will want this organization to go, but he will seek others’ opinions and thoughts before forming a final decision. In other words, he’s a visionary with a consensus-building style.

To be sure, he will not be afraid of issues. On the contrary, he will challenge matters that threaten the integrity of intercollegiate athletics, and he will have high expectations of the national office staff to manage these issues while maintaining the high level of service we are charged with providing to NCAA members. While that may be a tall order, it will be well received because Mark will carry out this charge in a manner that will encourage people to work with him and have success with him.

One of our collegues at that time, Robert Swenson, remembers how Mark handled tough situations. "Mark had the unusual ability to adjust to the budget cuts while at the same time improving the overall academic programs and keeping morale among the faculty high," Swenson said. "In fact, MSU made great strides forward during those lean years because of Mark’s ability to take advantage of opportunities as they arose.

"Second rate is not acceptable to Mark. He was always ready to make commitments to “great” ideas. Besides his very pleasing personality, he is a person of great intellectual honesty.  Mark’s move is certainly the University of Washington’s great loss and NCAA’s great gain.  Jim and Mark were a great pair here at MSU and I would expect they will be a great pair again now at NCAA.”

Our Association has been blessed with dynamic leaders over time. I can assure you that Mark Emmert will continue that lineage. People will enjoy him very much – he’s the right person at the right time for this job.