‘We have to be better.’ Penn State’s new AD talks transparency, facilities & more
Pat Kraft leaned back in his seat in Lucas Oil Stadium, not taking much time to think about what he was about to say next. He was talking about Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson’s new contract, while approaching a much broader — and more vital — point.
“I did ask the question to (Penn State Associate AD for Strategic Communications Kristina Petersen), ‘Doesn’t everybody know about Cael’s contract?” Kraft told the Centre Daily Times at Big Ten Media Days. “You will all learn, probably to a fault, I’m very transparent. I will tell you what I can tell you.”
The new Penn State athletic director enters his first year at the helm of the athletic department with the goal of improving transparency, among other things.
He cited a philosophical difference between himself and Penn State about putting information out for public consumption.
“I have heard this more and more,” he told the CDT about the lack of transparency. “I would love to be able to make major shifts, but I think it’s about having a conversation. What I have found with our leadership is, and (new Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi) has been incredibly supportive and amazing, we’re just asking the question. Give me the reason why we don’t. That’s why I said to (Petersen), I was like, ‘Why wouldn’t we announce it? This is great news!’”
Currently, Penn State does not release information about contract extensions within the athletic department unless they are for the head football coach or the athletic director.
Kraft wasn’t sure why that was the case, or why there has been a lack of transparency on other issues. He said he wants that to be different moving forward.
“We have to be better,” he told the CDT. “I do think it’s something we have to work. ... But I don’t know, I don’t have a really good answer why that is. But I will tell you, and you all will hopefully will see, I’ll be very honest. I think it’s the only way to be. You’ve got to be truthful and as transparent as you possibly can be.”
The new Penn State athletic director spoke to the media contingent on hand in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Media Days just before sitting down with the CDT.
Here’s what he covered during the breakout session with the media.
Potential Beaver Stadium renovations
Kraft spoke about Beaver Stadium and its future at Penn State. The football stadium is usually only used for the Nittany Lions’ home games, although it has been used for events like TopGolf and even for a State College High School football game. He wants that to be the case even more moving forward.
“We’ve got to find other ways to use it,” Kraft said. “That building should be used more than seven days, in my opinion. And we have to find ways to do that. We’ve got to provide ourselves the opportunity to really generate more revenue off of it.”
Kraft understands the history behind the stadium, even if it isn’t the most up-to-date venue.
“I’ve played there,” he said. “I’ve been on the sidelines as an administrator. I get goosebumps every time I come from the airport and look at that logo lit up. It’s a special, iconic building. I got very emotional walking with my two children and that gate opening and my face on that scoreboard. I get goosebumps thinking about it now. I love that building. It’s a historical building in my eyes.”
He added, however, that it may not be able to stay as it is forever. Kraft is working to determine just how long it can be in use and what will have to be done in order to keep it up and running.
Regardless of how the plan for the stadium unfolds, Kraft wants to find answers sooner rather than later.
“We’ve got to make decisions and then move onto the next thing,” he said. “That one is a big one because of time and money and we have to really focus. There was a study and we’re starting to peel the onion on that. What does it really mean and what’s the next step? But I think we’ll have that answer in short order.”
Emphasis on Olympic sports
While Beaver Stadium will draw the attention of the large Penn State football fan base, it’s the other venues on campus that have Kraft’s current attention.
The football facilities race has come to Penn State’s campus with the weight room renovations and other changes, but the athletic director doesn’t believe its other sports all have the resources they need to succeed at the highest level.
“Our Olympic facilities are way behind,” he said. “We’ve got to focus on our Olympic facilities. We’re building nutrition centers right now as we speak in East Hall and football is beautiful, this new addition that they’re doing is great. But we’ve got to get better in our Olympic facilities. We got the field hockey facility approved, which is huge. I had nothing to do with it. Coach (Charlene Morett-Curtiss) did everything masterful to raise that money and it’s awesome.”
Kraft sees many programs on campus that he believes can win national titles, and two in particular are lacking in a major way when it comes to facilities.
“I’ll tell you right now that the number one priority right now is men’s and women’s soccer,” he said. “They have no bathroom at their facility. It’s unacceptable. Both those teams can win national championships. Here’s the thing at Penn State, we can win national championship in everything. ... We’ve got to help them out from nutrition and all these other things to make their lives a lot easier. It’s a big campus. It’s tough to get from different place to different place. Olympic facility wise, we’re behind. And so we’ve got to really pick that up. We’ve got to focus on that piece right now. We’ve got good bones, but some of the things I’m just not happy with where we are.”
Quick hitters
- Kraft said there are things the athletic department needs to do to continue supporting Sanderson and wrestling, calling the head coach and the program special.
- The athletic director said he doesn’t know if 16 teams in the College Football Playoff is too many, but he does expect it to expand.
- Kraft said he’s made calls to the Big Ten about the school’s football program starting its conference slate on the road for nine straight years. “It stinks! ... I called the conference office and said ‘this is unacceptable!’”
