“This strategic plan is something I knew we needed to get developed here. It was about a seven-month-long process that used staff, student, campus, and community participation.” – Bryan Maggard, Louisiana Director of Athletics
Louisiana athletics unveiled a new three-year strategic plan on Wednesday.
“To go with three years was my decision. I’ve been involved in other plans before and in my experience the longer the outlook, the more likely it is they get put on a shelf to collect dust. A three-year plan holds us more accountable. It allows us to have a road map for the next three years,” Maggard explained to CollegeAD.
The strategic plan, dubbed “Let’s Geaux,” focuses on three areas: Student-Athlete Development, Fiscal and Facility Management, and Culture.
“For me, the establishment of a vision is maybe the most important thing we can accomplish. The vision can help explain the ‘why’ behind the ‘want’ to all of the different people we serve or are trying to engage with.”
The goal for student-athletes on campus is for the athletic department to create an invaluable experience that will inspire all student-athletes to reach their highest levels of academic, athletic, and personal success. Maggard and his team put an emphasis on success in the classroom and on the field with specific goals of 100% graduation of all student-athletes who exhaust athletic eligibility and achieve a Top 3 Sun Belt Conference finish amongst all sports programs.
For fiscal and facility management, Louisiana aims to generate the resources necessary to compete for and win championships. Specifically, increase Annual Fund revenue to $3 Million per year by the end of fiscal year 2022 and surpass $2.75 Million in annual ticket revenue by the end of fiscal year 2022.
On the facility side of things, they have a goal to develop a comprehensive facilities master plan that outlines capital priorities and associated costs over a 10-year period and they will establish a deferred maintenance plan that preserves championship-caliber facilities.
As for internal culture, or “cULture,” at UL, the department wants to promote an atmosphere of trust, communication, and inclusion that creates value for all members of the Department of Athletics.
“The culture side of things is something we felt was important to establish and grow,” explains Maggard.
That means an emphasis on engagement opportunities between departmental leadership and staff and student-athletes that foster an environment of authenticity and transparency and positioning the Ragin’ Cajuns as a prominent athletics program and industry leader by advancing the brand locally, regionally, and nationally.
Fan engagement is also under that umbrella; Maggard and his staff will develop a fan satisfaction survey and CRMs to create a personalized game-day experience that embraces the Louisiana cULture, while also, working on new campaigns, programming, and affinity groups to increase fan engagement.
“There are two parts to our culture goals, first internally we want to make sure our student-athletes, staff, and coaches have a good experience through trust. We also want that to translate to the fans. For us, culture is not just a buzzword; it’s something we will embrace tightly moving forward.”
This story first appeared in The NightCap, CollegeAD’s evening newsletter. The NightCap delivers the day’s college athletics news in simple bullet points, giving you what you need to know in just a few lines. Get The NightCap today.