It’s the second promotion for the #2 guy in a major university role this school year.
As reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Monday, Mike Broeker was officially promoted to Marquette University Vice President & Director of Athletics on Tuesday. It’s a very fancy title, but it means that Broeker has been elevated to the top spot in the MU athletic department. If you don’t want to use the fancy title and just want to say that he’s the athletic director, that’s fine.
It’s a promotion for Broeker, who was the Deputy Director of Athletics for the past 18 years as part of his 21 years of service at Marquette. Broeker will take on the job immediately, as he is replacing outgoing and retiring athletic director Bill Scholl.
Let’s do some press release quotes. First, Marquette University President Kimo Ah Yun:
“Throughout his decades-long career at Marquette, Mike has demonstrated that he is committed to providing a transformational experience for our student-athletes,” President Ah Yun said. “As a former student-athlete, Mike understands the demands our student-athletes face and creates an environment that supports every aspect of their Marquette experience. He has been involved in a number of campus initiatives and appreciates the role athletics plays within the university community. I look forward to working closely with him as Marquette and the BIG EAST continue to navigate the evolving landscape of college athletics.”
And Mike Broeker himself:
“I am truly honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the next vice president and director of athletics at Marquette University,” Broeker said. “My sincere thanks to President Ah Yun, the search committee, and everyone involved in this process for placing their trust in me. Marquette has played a pivotal role in shaping both my personal and professional journey over the past 21 years, and I am excited to continue working alongside our exceptional student-athletes, coaches and staff. Together, we will ensure that our athletics program remains a strong reflection of our Jesuit values of excellence, faith, leadership and service.”
“I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our outgoing leader, Bill Scholl. Over the past decade, Bill has been a trusted teammate, friend and mentor,” Broeker added. “His leadership — marked by integrity, dedication, and an ability to lead with both strength and empathy — has left a lasting impact on everyone around him. His legacy will endure through the lessons he taught and the paths he helped to shape.”
Dr. Kati Berg, acting dean of the Diederich College of Communication and faculty athletics representative, who chaired the search committee:
“Marquette’s national reputation for excellence in athletics and academics resulted in a strong pool of candidates that included sitting athletic directors and established deputy athletic directors from across the country. Throughout the search, Mike set himself apart based on his experience, his alignment with our Catholic, Jesuit mission, and his commitment to the success of our student-athletes as men and women for and with others,” Berg said. “I’m grateful to the search committee and all those who shared their feedback throughout this important process of discernment.”
Big East commissioner Val Ackerman:
“The BIG EAST congratulates Mike Broeker, one of the most committed and respected administrators in our league, on his appointment as the new director of athletics at Marquette University,” said Val Ackerman, commissioner of the BIG EAST Conference. “His understanding of the complexities of the college sports landscape, his familiarity with Marquette’s unique culture and Jesuit values, and his wealth of knowledge and experience in the sport of basketball make him a perfect fit for the job. We know he’ll hit the ground running and look forward to working with him in his new role.”
Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president of basketball:
“Congratulations to Dr. Kimo Ah Yun on his appointment of Mike Broeker as the next vice president and director of athletics at Marquette University,” said Dan Gavitt, senior vice president of basketball, NCAA. “I have known and worked with Mike for 20 years. Mike is a highly respected athletics administrator nationally, especially in the college basketball community, and he is exceptionally prepared to be an effective athletic director in the dynamic environment of NCAA athletics. Marquette and the BIG EAST Conference will benefit from Mike’s visionary leadership, and he will represent the Golden Eagle student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni and fans in a first-class manner. Kudos to Marquette on a terrific hire to succeed Bill Scholl’s highly successful tenure.”
I’m not in the business of just repeating Marquette’s press releases at you, so I wouldn’t be posting about the hire if I didn’t have at least a little bit to say about the hire. First of all, we have to note that Bill Scholl announced his decision to retire upon the hire of his successor back in May 2024, but that process was delayed by the unexpected death of MU President Dr. Michael Lovell over the summer. As you can expect for a job that reports directly to the President’s Office, there’s no point in hiring someone until you make a decision on a new president. With Dr. Ah Yun in place as of November, the AD process resumed. It is, of course, hard to say what effect the delay may or may not have had on the availability of any outside candidates. We also have to note that after the promotion of Dr. Ah Yun from his role as Provost to President, this is the second elevation of a #2 person to the top job in a prominent university job. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Time will tell.
As far as the end result of the process landing on Broeker, here’s where I land on the choice: I wish Mike Broeker nothing but the best as Marquette athletic director. I have a vested interest in the success of Marquette’s athletic department, both as a season ticket holder for men’s and women’s basketball and of course as the [insert fancy job title] in charge of the blog you’re reading right now. Broeker’s success as athletic director means I have lots of good and fun things to write about here and watch in person at Fiserv Forum, the McGuire Center, and Valley Fields. Obviously I want his tenure to be a great one.
But the fact of the matter remains that I could have written that paragraph about anyone Marquette hired. I don’t have any personal interactions or insights regarding Broeker to tell you anything specific about his leadership or management style….. other than I hit the Remove Follower button on Twitter on him a long time ago because his “well, actually” attitude towards the mildest critique of MU’s choices on social media got extremely tiring.
All I can tell you about Marquette choosing to elevate Mike Broeker to the top chair is that it isn’t what I would have done. I wrote about what I thought was MU’s best path forward in May when Scholl announced his retirement plans:
Personally, I advocate for a new face, someone from outside the university and without ties to the university. The world of college athletics is a different one in 2024 than it was in 2014 when Bill Scholl was hired, and I think Marquette in 2034 is best served by hiring someone now who has no inclination towards “well, that’s how we’ve always done it at Marquette.”
I haven’t moved off of that point.
Between the still constantly evolving Name, Image, and Likeness situation in college athletics, the impending introduction of new rules regarding paying players and scholarship limits due to the House settlement coming this summer, and the general mystery of the unknown future, this is not the time to keep one foot firmly in 2010 and run an athletic department like the way things used to be. It is a time for bold thought and innovation in the space, especially as the university looks to cut $30 million from the yearly operating budget over the next several years. I still believe fresh eyes and different experiences would have been Marquette’s best option for this job.
Maybe we’ll get bold thought and innovation from Mike Broeker. Maybe he’ll withdraw from his role as sport administrator for men’s basketball and focus on big picture department operation. Maybe that will inject fresh blood into the department as administrative roles shift. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, I guess.
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