(What follows is shared from the Journal of NCAA Compliance, a subscription-based publication produced by Hackney Publications.)
Good photographers typically see a picture before anyone else sees it.
It’s a skill that also benefits talented compliance professionals, who must recognize potential bylaw violations before the NCAA gets wind of them.
Not surprisingly, Jacob Mullins is both – the Associate Athletic Director for Compliance for Elizabeth City State University and a long-time NASCAR photographer for a racing website.
After he was recommended to us as an interview subject, we sought out Mullins and he graciously sat in for an interview, which follows below.
Question: When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in sports management and why?
Answer: I have always been involved in sports from my time being an athlete as child all the way through college. Growing up, just like every many other kids, I wanted to become a professional athlete. However, I knew that being a professional athlete wasn’t in the cards, so I decided the second-best way to be a part of sports was to work in the field. When I enrolled as a first-year student at the University of Lynchburg, I had ambitions of being an athletic trainer, but it wasn’t until my sophomore year that I decided I wanted to be an administrator and changed my major to sports management. On a track and field team trip, I had the opportunity to have a great conversation with my head coach, Dr. Jack Toms, who was also the athletic director at the University at the time. We spoke at length about what his role as an AD entails, why he does his job, and the passion that he had was the same passion that I had to help people reach their goals and ambitions. It was that conversation that spiked my interest in becoming a college athletic administrator. Over the next couple of years, I tried to learn as much as I could about college athletic administration, volunteered for experience, and did what I thought was needed to be successful. I enjoyed it so much that upon graduation from Lynchburg, I furthered my education at Ball State University where I earned my Masters in Athletic Administration for Higher Education. I enjoy helping people and sports, and this profession allows me to do just that.
Q: Have you had a mentor along the way and how have they helped?
A: I have had a few different mentors along my way to where I am today. I believe it’s important to have different mentors to help you grow as a complete administrator as each person brings a different perspective to the position. I have had mentors in both the professional and personal space to help me not only become a better professional, but a better person. My first mentor was Mr. Terry Beattie, the current athletic director at West Chester University. I had the opportunity to learn from Terry as an intern at West Chester University while I completed my master’s degree. I was able to gain a plethora of knowledge from him in facilities and event management. Another great mentor early in my career was Ms. Amy Sandt, the current Assistant Vice President of Recreational Services and Athletic Resources at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. I had the opportunity to also work with Amy at WCU, but she mentored me on the development and fundraising side of athletics. Other mentors include, but are not limited to Dr. Karrie G Dixon, chancellor at Elizabeth City State University; Jody Law, former athletic director at Bryn Mawr College; Joan Braid, current head men’s volleyball coach at Neumann University; Harry Stinson, athletic director at Lincoln University (PA); George Bright, athletic director at Elizabeth City State; and Cathie Rutledge, registrar at Lincoln University (PA). Having a strong group of mentors and the knowledge that I gained from each of them listed and others, has helped me in my professional career and is the foundation of how I present myself as a professional.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job?
A: The most rewarding part of my job is being able assist students in their endeavors in the classroom and on the playing field. I had a phenomenal support system while at Lynchburg where my professors, coaches and athletic administrators pushed me to succeed. They provided different avenues for me to be the best I can, and that is how I carry myself now. I enjoy working with the students and getting to know them as a whole because they are so much more than just an athlete. I enjoy seeing how the student progresses personally while in college from an incoming student to graduation. One of my favorite days of the year is graduation as I’m able to see the students reach a monumental goal in their life. To see what they have been able to accomplish in just a small time is amazing and truly shows that if they set their mind to accomplish a goal, they can do it. I had a student-athlete once tell me right before graduation that they wanted to dropout when they were a sophomore for personal reasons, but after talking to me about my personal struggles in life and background, they decided to stay in school. In my role, I believe its all about what you do, not who you are.
Q: What is the most challenging aspect of it?
A: Since I’m student centric, the most challenging part of my job are those times when you are unable to help a student. Since you spend so much time with these students, you get to know them and their family, and they become of your extended family, it’s hard when you exhaust all resources and are still unable to help them succeed.
Q: How has NIL impacted compliance professionals?
A: I feel that NIL has impacted the compliance profession in various ways depending on your involvement with NIL and your role on your campus. For larger institutions that have the means to have dedicated staff members in their office to monitor NIL activities will be different from smaller or one-person compliance offices, like myself. As a one-person shop for a DII institution, NIL impacts me differently as I’m tasked with staying up-to-date with the different rules, the education of my student-athletes and the assistance I’m able to provide them. Personally, I haven’t dealt with NIL endorsements on my campus as much as I thought I would, but my challenge is keeping the students constantly educated with the different rules state-to-state, and helping them understand the impact these deals will have for them. I utilize my pre-season meetings with teams to talk about NIL and provide information that is not only beneficial, but timely. I encourage them if they have questions to contact me individually as each case is different. I try to help the students understand tax implications, how it impacts need-based aid, and the overall understanding what the contact means or provides and their responsibility. I ultimately see NIL in the coming years playing a larger role in the recruitment of student-athletes and making sure we are not crossing the pay-for-play line, which we have seen recently in the news at FBS schools. We, as compliance professionals, just need to be diligent and educated as things are ever changing.
Q: What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the compliance profession?
A: There is a lot of advice I would give someone just starting out in the compliance profession, but there isn’t enough time in this interview to go over them all.
One of the most important things someone told me when I was getting started in compliance was not to take things personal because during your career you are going to be the bearer of bad news. If you are delivering bad news, be ready for anger and frustration from the other party, but know they are upset with the information being provided, not necessarily you. I have learned over time that if you are able to present solutions and offer other avenues for success, the conversation will go differently. I didn’t know how true this would be until the first time I had to break the news to a student they were ineligible. I came prepared, had a plan of action, and some ideas on how they might be able to right their deficit, and although the student was upset and mad, we were ultimately able to get the student back on track and eligible the next semester.
Another bit of advice is to not be afraid to step outside your comfort zone, ask questions, and meet new people. One of the hardest things to do is ask for help, but in this profession, you must as you are not the only person to go through this. You can’t also think that your question is not relevant/dumb/or it’s the first time it has ever been asked, because I can assure you, it is relevant, isn’t dumb and has been asked before. The last thing is to meet new people – colleagues in the profession, professionals on your campus, and the students at your school. I encourage this because you will work your colleagues and the better relationship you have with them, the easier is to ask those questions and seek help when needed. Get to know the student body, not just athletes. I personally try to meet someone new on campus every week. That helps me get out of the office, but more importantly, shows the campus I’m here as an ally and resource, not just the “rules” guy. You’d be surprised on how far that goes when dealing with other departments, faculty/staff, and the students.
