Congratulations to Jennifer McCarthy Templeton who on Thursday, March 19, 2026, successfully defended her dissertation.
The title of Jennifer’s dissertation is, "A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTORS’ LEADERSHIP DURING TURBULENT TIMES."
Overview of Problem: Athletic directors continue to experience turbulent times due to the internal and external factors of college sports, ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic, which created unprecedented challenges such as lost revenue, staff attrition and schedule disruption, to current socio-political challenges, such as the U.S. president administration. Additionally, with recent changes in name, image, and likeness rules, as well as student-athlete mental health and the transfer portal, athletic directors must navigate increasingly complex and uncertain environments.
Research Purpose: The purpose for this qualitative study is to describe how collegiate athletic directors provided leadership and executed their responsibilities during turbulent times and describe how leaders (athletic directors) adapted to the uncertain and disruptive situations that they encountered.
Research Design: This qualitative study employed an interpretive lens to investigate how collegiate athletic administrators managed their leadership roles and responsibilities during turbulent times. The concept of turbulence is drawn from the theoretical lens for this study, Gross’ (1998) Turbulence Theory.
Sample: The study’s sample included 15 NCAA Division III athletic directors, each with at least five years’ experience in the role within the northeast/mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Participants were recruited or referred to by colleagues of mine, social media, and snowball sampling methods.
Data Collection and Analysis: Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the participants and analyzed using Yin’s (2016) phases of qualitative analysis. The interviews explored their decision-making processes, communication strategies, relationship management, and crisis management techniques, among other leadership aspects. This led to the emergence of three themes: (a) COVID-19: “Can we get through this?”; (b) Uncertain Times Ahead: “The next catastrophe”; and (c) Triumphs: “We all made it”.
Findings/Results: This study found that athletic directors managed their leadership roles by navigating complex organizational challenges, fostering strong relationships, and adjusting leadership practices in response to turbulent conditions.
Conclusions/Implications: This informs future research, policy development, and practice by emphasizing the need for leadership preparation that equips athletic administrators to manage complex organizational challenges and sustained instability.
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CHAIR:
Dr. Susan V. Iverson
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Dr. Yiping Wan
Dr. Kevin McGinniss
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