Evjue Centennial Professor Doug McLeod has been appointed by UW–Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin as Chair of the UW–Madison Athletic Board. McLeod has served on the Athletic Board since 2018 and has held leadership roles as the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Faculty Representative and the Faculty Co-Chair of the Academics and Compliance Sub-Committee as well as served as a member on each of the Board’s four subcommittees. McLeod replaced Ann Sheehy, an associate professor and division head of Hospital Medicine in the Department of Medicine.
As a longtime Badger sports fan and lifelong hockey fan, McLeod was ecstatic when he was appointed to the board six years ago. Being content with his role, McLeod never imagined he would be receiving a call from the Chancellor to become the chair, an immense responsibility for UW Athletics.
“At first, I was a little apprehensive. It’s a lot of extra responsibility and a lot of travel. It’s a big investment in athletics, in terms of my time,” McLeod said. “I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing in academia for a long time now. And so it’s kind of like, okay, cool, a new challenge.”
The UW Athletic Board works with the UW Athletic Department through four different subcommittees: Academics and Compliance, Personnel, Finance and Facilities, and Education and Student Welfare. Since accepting the position, McLeod has chaired full Athletic Board meetings and set goals for himself as to where he wants to take the Board in support of athletes and the university.
“I want us as a board to play an active role in representing the interests of the university when it comes to athletics, helping athletics help the university,” McLeod said.
McLeod understands that many students start their journeys at UW–Madison because of the emphasis on athletics, making sports a powerful and visible marketing and public relations tool in the recruitment of future Badgers.
With the recent conference realignment underway, there is a great deal of uncertainty in regards to how all sports and athletes are going to be impacted. In the realignment, multiple teams from the west coast joined the Big Ten conference, which meant new rivalries, the need for more resources and further travel. While McLeod is unsure of what the effects of the realignment will be, he does have goals he plans to tackle.
“Title IX was an amazing piece of legislation that really helped advance women’s sports and protect female athletes to give them the same kinds of privilege that the male athletes get,” McLeod said. “I want to make sure that that progress continues to grow and not be undone. I don’t know how much I can have to do with that, but I want to be asking those questions, ‘What are we doing to protect the non-revenue sports?’ ‘What are we doing to protect the growth of women’s sports?’”
McLeod is looking forward to taking on new challenges and having a “front seat” to the ever-changing world of college athletics.
The connections McLeod has made since joining the Board have greatly influenced the students in the SJMC. McLeod’s relationships and common interests even led to the creation of the Sports Communication certificate that was recently named the 3rd hottest certificate at UW. With many students having internships, full time positions and a variety of involvement in athletics, McLeod sees how athletics serves his own students and is eager to reciprocate the support.
“[UW Athletics] has been very generous about involving our students in activities and then employing those students sometimes down the road,” McLeod said. “They’re an amazing asset, and so I’m happy to be part of athletics and give back to them and maintain that healthy relationship. I’m excited for athletics. I’m excited for our students.”