For those not of a certain age, or not involved in college athletics, you probably don’t know how powerful the Eastern College Athletic Conference, or ECAC, was, or how big it remains today. Made up of hundreds of schools, many now on the Division II or III level, the ECAC is still the largest group of colleges that work together in athletics in the United States. At one point, before the current conference structure really took hold in the Eastern United States, the ECAC was it, controlling not just smaller college athletic governance but the biggest schools as well, especially in basketball. While all that has changed, the ECAC has reorganized and now stands at a place where it can better present itself to brands than at any point in its history, with thousands of student-athletes, and hundreds of schools, under its guidance.
It also has a progressive, forward-thinking leader in place in Dr. Kevin McGinniss, who is looking to take the ECAC to places it hasn’t been in years. We caught up with Dr. McGinniss to talk about the challenges, and opportunities that exist for the ECAC today (his bio follows the q and a:
You are now just over a year into the job, what have been the biggest surprises thus far?
I am pleasantly surprised at the progress we have made in the previous 15 months. With almost an entirely new staff we have been able to put forth some wonderful new initiatives along with a major relocation of the Conference Headquarters, which has been remarkably embraced by the State of Connecticut to the tune of $400,000 in grants and forgivable loans.
If you are a brand, how do you describe the value of the ECAC?
The value comes in to play when members take full advantage of all the services we offer, and associate their brand with the history and prestige of the ECAC’s brand – an enhanced brand we bring forward.
You have gone in with a plan to try and find economies of scale to market what is essentially the nation’s largest group of colleges, what has been the response from such a diverse level of schools?
Similar to the previous question, with such a large and diverse number of institutions, they can recognize the value of membership and strength in numbers. Being affiliated with the ECAC brand gives incredible visibility to each institution in a footprint it might not otherwise be able to access and at the same time, by working with so many schools together, combined they can enhance the student-athlete experience to an even greater degree.
What is the biggest opportunity the ECAC has?
The landscape of intercollegiate athletics has obviously changed over the years and will continue to do so. Therefore, we need to constantly evolve as well, in a way reinvent ourselves and get in front of those changes while still sticking to our core values and core competencies as we embark on a new five-year strategic planning process.
Of all the schools you work with, are there any examples you can cite already of schools buying in to the program you are trying to create?
All of our member institutions are so unique and are incredible partners in bringing the best services to their athletics programs and student-athletes. Since we came on board, we’ve added a number of new members such as Pace University, the College of New Rochelle, Newberry College, and Geneva College, just to name a few. They’ve already begun taking advantage of our full program of services, especially our championship opportunities and awards program. Likewise, long time members such as Stevenson University, Lebanon Valley College, and Endicott College, again to name just a few, continue to realize the value of membership and they can be seen participating in a number of championships this weekend.
On the men’s side hockey is the most viable property the ECAC works with, what are the others you would like to elevate?
We want to continue elevating each of our sports along with looking at emerging sports such as field hockey, lacrosse, and opportunities for students with disabilities. We have some great affiliate partners as well that we’d like to elevate such as rowing and the IC4A.
So much is made of “big time” Division I sports for brands, how do you describe the value that the Division II and III schools can bring to brands?
It’s all about relationships no matter what the division or level. Every institution and athletics program is unique and has something valuable to offer. An athletics program can bring great exposure and visibility to just about any brand in any community. Athletics is often the front porch to the entire institution, even at DII and DIII.
What are the next steps people should be looking for this winter from the ECAC?
This is a pivotal time for the ECAC. We just finished celebrating 75 years of the organization and now we are about to embark on a new strategic plan to take us into the next chapter. Our membership will play a key role in shaping the vision for the future of the ECAC.
Dr. Kevin T. McGinniss became the eighth Commissioner in the history of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) on July 1, 2013. As part of the organization’s overall restructuring that began in 2013-14, the ECAC Board of Directors voted in August 2014 to change the title of Commissioner to President and CEO to better reflect the unique identity and mission of the ECAC.
Since taking the reigns McGinniss has led the nation’s largest and only multi-divisional athletics conference through a progressive transition to enhance the intercollegiate athletics experience for ECAC student-athletes, coaches, administrators and institutions.
McGinniss came to the ECAC from the role of Associate Director of Athletics for Development at the University of Rhode Island where he began in 2007. McGinniss owns a strong educational and professional background which includes more than 30 years of experience as an educator, author, coach, athletics administrator and athlete.
In his role at URI, McGinniss directed all aspects of fundraising for the athletics department. After his arrival at URI athletics fundraising achieved record levels. In his first four years at the Kingston campus he led the athletics component of URI’s $100 million “Making a Difference” capital campaign, securing more than $12 million in total operational, capital project and endowment support for URI Athletics, surpassing the campaign goal for Athletics by more than 20%.
Under his watch, URI Athletics procured almost $5 million in philanthropic support for capital improvements inclusive of major upgrades to the baseball facility, eight new tennis courts and the soon-to-be-constructed state-of-the-art strength, conditioning and performance center. McGinniss also served as the Athletics Department’s liaison to the URI Foundation and URI Alumni Association.
Before arriving in Kingston, McGinniss served as director of athletics at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. In recognition of his efforts, he was nominated to receive the 2007 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Division II Athletics Director of the Year Award.
From 2001-05, McGinniss served as the director of athletics development at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. He was responsible for coordinating all fundraising for athletics, including a major component of the New Millennium Campaign – $25 million for a state-of-the-art athletics center.
McGinniss’ experience in higher education administration also includes serving Southern Connecticut State University as its director of athletics development and director of alumni affairs. He has also served as the director of athletics and recreation at Lehman College, The City University of New York. In addition, McGinniss was the director of athletics development and executive director of the Blue & Gray Club at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, N.Y.
A former men’s basketball coach, McGinniss was the head coach at Lehman College and in only his second year as head coach led a program with just a combined eight wins over the previous four years to the CUNYAC North Division title and an ECAC post-season tournament bid. He also served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, helping lead Southern Connecticut State University to a 20-win season and a postseason berth in 1992.
Active in professional organizations both locally and on the national level, McGinniss has served as Vice-Chair for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District I Board of Directors, is a member of the National Association of Athletic Development Directors, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and the National Association of Basketball Coaches Research Committee. In addition, Dr. McGinniss serves on the Sport Management Advisory Board and is an Associate Faculty member for The Malcolm Baldrige School of Business at Post University.
McGinniss earned his bachelor’s degree in health, his master’s degree in physical education/ athletics administration and a sixth year professional diploma of advanced graduate studies in educational leadership all from Southern Connecticut State University. He received his doctorate in education from the Teachers College Department of Health and Behavior Studies at Columbia University. Dr. McGinniss and his wife, Amy, have a son, Kyle, and daughter, Kelly.
