Final candidate speaks on campus

Jerry Baker, the athletic director of the College of Charleston and the final candidate for VCU’s new director, was on campus last Thursday to discuss his views about the position.

“Whether you like athletics or you don’t like athletics, a lot of people’s first contact with your institution is through athletics,” Baker said, speaking to the audience members about the importance of athletics to universities. “It’s a positive marketing tool for the university. It helps unite the campus and it gives the university a sense of pride and a sense of accomplishment.”

For 14 years, Baker served as athletic director at a university he considers to be somewhat similar to VCU because of what he calls its “mid-major” athletics program status. At Charleston, he led the planning and developing of new sports facilities, supervised all varsity sports personnel and oversaw a substantial athletics program budget.

“The worst thing you can do as an athletic director is micromanage the coach and their team,” Baker said. “Don’t tell the coach who to play or where to play.”

Two aspects of Charleston’s athletics program Baker said he would like to see continue at VCU include the high-graduation rates of its student athletes – which exceed the graduation rates of the overall student population – and its social-outreach programs that can touch the lives of those in the community.

“You need kids that are willing to work, whether it’s on the court or in the classroom,” he said. “There is a direct correlation between the two. If you get the maximum effort in the classroom, you will get the maximum effort on the court.”

Baker also said he encourages his coaches to conduct camps and clinics that would benefit youth living in the area. Universities, he said, should never seem exclusive when it comes to their sports programs, and when it comes to college sports it should be a “you can be one of us” mentality.

“As families, you’re always looking to go to wholesome activities. What’s better than going to a college athletic event?” he asked those attending his presentation. “The child has spent hours with our student athletes, so now they have a role model to look up to. We do a lot with our student-athlete advisory board. Every team has adopted a class from a school in the area and goes out and does some field days or whatever it takes.”