Morehead State University Athletic Director Kelly Wells spoke about his position at the Maysville Rotary Club on Tuesday.
Wells began his presentation by saying that he has had an interesting transition from long-time basketball coach and educator to athletic director and quips that he can honestly say that he never saw himself wanting to be an athletic director but as he has gotten older it has been a more welcome change.
Wells states that as a coach it was always hard to leave work at work. He now has 20-plus teams to fret over instead of just one and the evidence is in his bitten fingernails.
Wells takes a moment to explain that his mission in this new role is to lift students up not just in their athleticism but also in their education and their futures.
Wells tells the Rotarians that he has a deep respect for education as both his parents and his wife are educators and his daughter is studying to become one.
Wells took the time to go through some slides detailing the Strategic plan for student athletics at Morehead State University. He began discussing the following guiding principles:
Dedication to student-athletes is important and at MSU they strive to support each student’s development as a citizen and prepare them to be leaders.
MSU strives to demonstrate integrity and show dedication to financial stability, compliance with rules, diversity and personal accountability.
At MSU respect is valued to cultivate a climate of mutual respect, inclusiveness, loyalty and sportsmanship.
MSU is committed to being the very best when representing through competitive success.
The legacy of MSU is proud and strong. Tradition is honored.
Lastly, MSU believes in a spirit of comprehensive excellence and will strive to achieve it.
Wells went on to explain the Morehead State goals as far as championship culture is concerned. A few of these goals include retaining coaches and staff by creating growth opportunities and providing support, recruiting and retaining student-athletes who will compete for championships and pursuing equipment and other technologies that enhance student-athlete training and development.
Wells then detailed MSU’s goal for faculty enhancement. Some of these enhancements include providing high-quality facilities, managing capital construction projects with an emphasis of student-athlete development and success, revenue generation, fan experience and safety.
MSU’s goals for revenue generation and entrepreneurial pursuits include increasing MSU foundation memberships, maintaining and increasing revenue streams and continuing to work with multimedia rights partners to gain additional revenue opportunities.
State and regional engagement goals include establishing a good fan base experience, connecting with MSU students, utilizing digital platforms to expand the MSU brand and encouraging folks to come to MSU games throughout the region.
Wells concluded his slideshow with goals for student-athlete success and well-being. Wells states that investing in the emotional and psychological well-being of the students is very important. In addition to prioritizing mental and physical health, providing programming opportunities and supporting student-athletes academically with a focus on increasing graduation success rates.
“I believe success really is just a byproduct of doing a whole lot of things right,” Wells states. “I think that’s the greatest legacy we can give is the opportunity to give somebody an education.”
