The Plan

Add a staff position devoted to leadership development and life skills.

Develop a new, comprehensive student-athlete and family-orientation program to be conducted each summer/fall during new student orientation.

Create a broad-based curriculum that addresses post-college life skills (etiquette, banking, insurance, money management, etc.), career development (job placement, internship opportunities, etc.), community service, leadership development, nutrition, etc.

Expand opportunities for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to assist with key departmental initiatives.

Take campus dining personnel to tour other athletic training tables to assist with planning.

Transition Champs into a student-athlete dining hall.

Enhance the access to higher-quality nutritional meals and between-meal snacks for student-athletes.

Create a system to assist the education and ease of selection of food choices for student-athletes at Champs.

Evaluate and determine appropriate staffing level of a nutritionist housed within the athletic department.

Establish a comprehensive nutritional supplement program available to all student-athletes.

Evaluate and determine appropriate staffing levels in the area of strength and conditioning with a focus on providing the highest levels of sport specific development for our student-athletes.

Assess existing facilities and identify opportunities in facility master plan to accommodate greater access to space and equipment for physical development.

Create a position for a learning specialist to address the needs for student-athletes with learning disabilities and other academic challenges.

Work with faculty athletic representatives and campus leadership to discuss scheduling philosophy to assist students in certain majors to complete courses needed for their degree while also competing in their specific season.

Assess ideal facility needs to provide a first-class academic support system that meets the needs of student-athletes and moves them towards graduation.

Establish department goals/metrics in APR, graduation rates, student-athlete GPA / retention.

Athletic honors reception for student-athletes with a 3.0 or higher.

Faculty highlight – recognize faculty on field/court every home game in football, volleyball and basketball.

Meet and greet with Deans and departments heads at a select football spring practice.

Utilize athletic director suite at football games to host key campus and community leaders.

Establish a process to conduct annual online program evaluations for all student-athletes.

Establish a process with the athletic committee to conduct in-person exit interviews with all graduating seniors each semester.

Identify UNT athletic liaison who will work with the Letterwinners Association.

Complete Letterwinners Association leadership structure outlined in the constitution.

Build a comprehensive database of letterwinners and select a management system that will allow for communication and transactions with membership.

Increase active Letterwinners Association membership year over year. Work with marketing to create consistent, annual events focused on Letterwinners Association members, which include a comprehensive ticketing strategy.

Identify key athletic events and functions to highlight the Association, such as presentation of letter awards to student-athletes, UNT Hall of Fame induction, student-athlete awards banquet, etc.

Create an Association website that eases communication and outreach for all UNT Letterwinners Association members.

Work with the university to identify a consistent brand and messaging for each year. Evaluate branding efforts moving forward (i.e. North Texas, UNT, Mean Green, etc.).

Create a young alumni program that engages recent graduates and families through season-ticket offerings, hospitality, social engagements, and shared experiences.

Develop a messaging/marketing campaign that highlights UNT and UNT Athletics through print, video, social media, and other digital platforms.

Enhance student engagement/fan experience (future alumni) with the creation of a unique student club that provides access to hospitality areas, special events, communication from coaches and administrators, and unique in-game experiences for members.

Define the extent of the North Texas Athletic community and build a comprehensive, 12 month community involvement plan.

Work with coaches to streamline outreach and community service plans for each sport/program to maximize our visibility and presence in the community.

Expand events hosted on campus and in athletic venues in order to expose more people to UNT and UNT Athletics (i.e. movie night at Apogee, concerts, playoff games, etc.).

Develop a Mean Green Business Pack that can be marketed to local businesses to showcase their Mean Green spirit (i.e. flags, banners, t-shirts for staff, ticket allotment, etc.).

Continue to improve and develop the entertainment value of attending Mean Green sporting events (expand video, diverse fan engagement experiences from start to finish, customer service focus throughout all aspects of contests, etc.).

Create a data collection link on the website that encourages fans to tell their story and what it means to be Mean Green.

Expand coverage of human interest stories on coaches and student-athletes that we can distribute throughout the campus, community, and in our venues.

Establish a game-day experience committee of students, alumni, and individuals in the entertainment community to help create a more energetic and electric game-day experience.

Establish ticket opportunities, family-pack pricing, payment plans, and other discounts to make attending UNT Athletic events affordable for all stakeholders.

Continue to work with area schools to target elementary, middle school, and high school attendance at games, on-campus visits by UNT teams, and working with other entities to expose students to the UNT campus (i.e. FCA Fields of Faith event at Apogee).

Work with head coaches and department heads to go through a zero-based budgeting process in the spring of 2017 to help right size all athletic department budgets.

Benchmark revenues and expenditures with C-USA, Group of Five, and other relevant peers to provide guidance through the budgeting process and our desired place in the intercollegiate athletic landscape.

Establish three- and five-year budget models to assist with future planning and to identify revenue needs.

Implement sport-program administrator communication and oversight with head coaches to ensure budget goals are met.

Provide high-level overview of department revenues and expenses to be communicated through the North Texas Athletics Annual Report.

Explore the creation of a web-based feedback portal for fans, alumni, and donors to submit work orders related to their experience.

Develop a comprehensive incentive plan for all employees that rewards excellence and the accomplishment of stated goals.

Develop a proactive approach to expressing appreciation for a job well done throughout the department that is timely and meaningful.

Prepare leaders and build greater loyalty among the staff.

Conduct an annual staff retreat prior to each school year that provides opportunities to learn about the vision of the department and to create ownership in the process.

Work with finance to establish professional development budgets for each sport and department within athletics to ensure ongoing education and leadership development.

Establish a mentoring program that provides opportunities for aspiring athletic administrators to gain greater insight into the various operations within the athletic department.

Create a social-event calendar for departmental staff to build greater teamwork and comradery (staff outings, monthly birthday celebrations, etc.).

Work with coaches to develop sport-specific championship plans for success (scheduling, recruiting, staffing, etc.).

Develop comprehensive evaluation tool for coaches that promotes accountability and progress in key strategic areas identified in this plan (competitive, student-athlete experience, community engagement/fundraising, academic success, recruiting, staff development, etc.).

Research Directors’ Cup scoring structure to help inform ongoing decisions regarding sport sponsorship to maximize competitiveness across the landscape.

Complete facility master plan to assist with determining and prioritizing future facility needs that will support competitive success in each of our programs.

Work with coaches and campus leadership to identify a list of accolades and major strengths/selling-points of UNT, North Texas Athletics, and Denton to be used in recruiting.

Evaluate and develop a comprehensive recruiting strategy that can be leveraged by all sports to assist in making UNT a top choice within Group of Five institutions in Texas and neighboring states (what are other schools doing, what does a quality visit entail, expectations for support staff, identify other campus partners, identify faculty and campus staff who can be advocates for athletics).

Annually review and enhance comprehensive educational efforts to address compliance issues: coaches and athletic staff; campus partners (i.e. admissions, financial aid, registrar); student-athletes; and representatives of athletic interests.

Conduct a comprehensive compliance review every five years with implementation of appropriate recommendations and strategies.

Benchmark all compliance efforts and staffing levels against conference and other appropriate peer institutions and implement enhanced strategies to position North Texas athletics favorably among those institutions.

Gather feedback annually from coaches and constituents in order to effectively update existing policies and procedures to ensure greater work efficiency in NCAA compliance.

Conduct a comprehensive Title IX review to ensure continued progress and compliance.

Evaluate and enhance educational training opportunities in diversity and inclusion for staff, coaches, and student-athletes.

Assessment of athletic facilities (restrooms, locker rooms, showers, etc.) and changes needed to adequately provide necessary accommodations for all student-athletes.

Annually review and enhance academic support policies, procedures, and training for academic support staff and tutors.

Establish clear expectations within job descriptions for campus partners that assist with NCAA compliance-related functions (i.e. registrar, admissions, financial aid, etc.).

Review and add point-of-sale locations on gameday.

Allow all transaction locations to accept credit cards or other newer payment methods.

Simplify the ticket-buying and donation process while further educating fans.

Further implement the online seat-selection process.

Evolve student ticketing to be completely mobile.

Update in-venue Wi-Fi and video screen technology throughout new facilities.

Implement mobile-based concession options.

Implement technology to better engage the fan base (i.e. apps, iBeacon, virtual reality, touch screens).

Improve live streaming with enhanced production and technology upgrades.

Emphasize data analytics, collection, and cleaning to better understand fan behavior.

Personalize and segment all data in order to target larger groups of constituents.

Create unique hospitality areas throughout all facilities (i.e. party zones, family areas, etc.).

Build the game-day experience from the field/court to extend beyond the playing surface (i.e.: amenities on concourse, branding, food offerings, etc.).

Implement unique traditions and Instagramable moments.

Add a wireless camera to showcase fans attending games.

Implement a Mean Green Standard customer-service program.

Add a club and suite will-call window at Apogee Stadium.

Increase parking options for all home events to include neighborhood partner locations.

Add satellite parking lots and improve navigational signage approaching facilities on gameday.

Develop fans and businesses into “Brand Champions.”

Build comprehensive plan for stewardship and follow-up.

Create a rewards program for fans across all sporting events.

Grow partnerships with Denton youth and businesses.

Build on student-engagement plan to extend to young alums.

Drive student-athlete involvement on campus and in the local community.

Finalize multi-media rights deal to increase guaranteed revenue through corporate partnership agreements by at least 50 percent annually.

Increase Mean Green Scholarship Fund membership 100 percent over the next five years.

Increase Mean Green Scholarship Fund donations 100 percent over the next five years.

Increase outside event revenue from $50k annually to $150k.

Increase ticket revenue 100 percent over the next five years.

Negotiate new apparel/equipment agreement that maximizes discounts, free product, and potential revenues while bringing all UNT athletic programs under one agreement for brand consistency.

Develop athletics capital campaign focused on funding strategic priorities outlined in the facility master plan that include both new construction and renovation of existing facilities.

Launch rebranded Mean Green Club focused on enhanced support needed for student-athlete scholarships.