Small College Conversations: Bill Raleigh

In this episode of Small College Conversations, Schreiner University Director of Athletics Bill Raleigh joins College.town's Kristen Eargle to discuss the launch of football, why Schreiner took a development-year approach, how the university has worked to integrate football into campus life, and why he believes the scoreboard is only one measure of success. Raleigh also shares the challenges of playing home games off campus, building community support, growing enrollment and retention, and adding new sports including beach volleyball and flag football. He discusses Schreiner’s move back to the American Southwest Conference, the importance of access to conference championships, and the balancing act of expanding an athletics department that has grown from roughly 280 to nearly 600 student-athletes. 00:00 - Introduction 00:31 - You are in year one of launching football, You've now gone through the experience of launching football twice, first at Southwestern and now at Schreiner. What did you do differently the second time because of what you learned the first time? 02:04 - In the ramp up to launch, you had to replace your head football coach. How did that transition impact how the department and university built and supported the program’s foundation? 03:02 - Schreiner has a two-year deal with Kerrville ISD to play at Antler Stadium, with an option for four more years. What have been the biggest challenges and benefits to this setup? 04:32 - Being 3 miles from campus, what is your focus to continue to get fans in the stands and enhance the fan experience? 05:55 - You mentioned looking at the long-term of evaluating football. How will you determine success? 08:03 - You have added three women’s sports, correct? 09:00 - From both a personnel and infrastructure standpoint, how do you prevent growth from stretching your department too thin? 11:01 - The university just reported record enrollment this fall, up around 7% year over year. The new programs are a key part of that increase, but for all of your programs, what does the math look like for successful roster sizes and retention? 13:18 - All of this is happening as the Mountaineers move back to the American Southwest Conference. A lot has changed since Schreiner left in 2013. What made the ASC the right fit? 15:20 - This past spring, you got back on the sidelines to coach in the NABC DIII All-Star game. Did getting back on the sidelines change how you think about your coaches as an AD? 17:31 - Did I read that you have a law degree? 17:37 - What made you decide to obtain that and how often does the legal training actually come into play in the AD chair? 21:37 - Aside from the new sports we’ve touched on a bunch, what are the initiatives or projects you are focused on to set Schreiner up for future success?