How My Academic Background Shapes My Leadership in Higher Education and Intercollegiate Athletics
My leadership approach in higher education and intercollegiate athletics has been shaped not only by experience, but by the academic foundation that prepared me to understand universities from every angle—financial, operational, cultural, and educational. I believe leaders are most effective when they understand the full ecosystem of higher education, and my degrees have allowed me to navigate that complexity with confidence, clarity, and purpose.
I completed:
B.S. in Business Administration (Finance)
MBA in Management
M.S. in Sports Administration
Ed.D. in Higher Educational Leadership
This academic pathway gave me a blend of business discipline, management depth, athletics-specific knowledge, and doctoral-level insight into how universities function. It’s a combination that has directly strengthened my leadership philosophy and decision-making throughout my career.
A Foundation in Finance: Seeing the Whole Picture
My undergraduate degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance taught me how to evaluate budgets, understand market realities, assess risk, and allocate resources wisely.
Athletic departments—especially today—operate like medium-sized businesses.
Financial literacy allows me to:
Build realistic multi-year budgets
Evaluate return on investment
Prioritize funding toward what impacts student-athletes most
Strengthen financial efficiency
Communicate financial needs clearly to institutional leadership
Oversee complex contracts and vendor negotiations
This foundation ensures every decision is grounded in fiscal responsibility and strategic value.
MBA in Management: Leading People and Systems
My MBA in Management strengthened my understanding of leadership systems, organizational behavior, and complex decision-making. Athletic departments are intricate, interconnected organizations that require coordinated leadership across staff, coaches, academics, compliance, operations, donors, and university partners.
My MBA prepared me to:
Communicate effectively across diverse teams
Implement organizational structure
Navigate conflict and change
Build high-functioning leadership teams
Motivate staff and align them with institutional goals
Manage crises with clarity and calm
The MBA gave me the leadership and management framework needed to run a modern athletics department.
M.S. in Sports Administration: Understanding Athletics From the Inside
My Master of Science in Sports Administration gave me the technical expertise to lead competitive athletic programs. This degree connected the business side of athletics with the unique demands of college sports.
It strengthened my ability to:
Understand NCAA frameworks
Evaluate coaching needs
Manage performance operations
Oversee sport-specific budgets
Navigate compliance
Enhance student-athlete support
It was during this degree that I began forming my philosophy that athletics must be mission-driven, ethical, student-centered, and aligned with institutional values.
Ed.D. in Higher Educational Leadership: Seeing Athletics Through a University Lens
Earning my Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Higher Educational Leadership gave me a deeper understanding of the academic enterprise, shared governance, accreditation, institutional pressures, and how athletics fits into the broader mission of a university.
This degree prepared me to:
Work seamlessly with presidents, provosts, and deans
Understand faculty concerns and academic priorities
Align athletics with enrollment strategies
Evaluate academic impact
Lead with cultural awareness, equity, and student-focused leadership
Serve as an institutional ambassador, not only an athletics administrator
The Ed.D. connected everything—business, management, and sports administration—and positioned me to lead at the highest level of higher education.
Why My Academic Path Makes Me a More Effective Leader
Higher education leadership requires someone who can:
Understand budgets
Manage organizations
Lead people
Elevate athletics
Protect academic integrity
Strengthen student success
Communicate across campus
Navigate complex governance
My academic journey prepared me to do all of this with both analytical discipline and human-centered leadership.
It allows me to approach athletics not as a separate entity, but as a critical, integrated component of the institution—one that drives enrollment, spirit, reputation, fundraising, and community engagement.
My degrees didn’t just give me credentials.
They gave me perspective.
And that perspective continues to shape the way I lead every single day. To learn more about my background or read my other articles, click one of the below links:
https://www.dr-brian-wickstrom.com/about https://www.dr-brian-wickstrom.com/articles
