JUST IN: Director Anne McCoy Responses to the 10 questions for new WSU athletic

Ninety minutes after Kirk Schulz made the announcement on Tuesday that Anne McCoy will take over as Washington State’s new athletic director, McCoy was quickly answering calls, including one from Cougfan.com, during her three-month interim position. Here are some excerpts from a condensed, ten-question chat, somewhat adjusted for clarity:

1. Now that you are the official athletic director, what is your top priority?

As the acting AD, my goal has been to really instill stability and happiness in our staff while carefully considering all of the alternatives that would be best for Cougar sports in the future. The fact that the appointment (to AD) is official now only gives me more time to work on it. In all honesty, I believe that things are still the same for our staff, coaches, and fans—that is, stability, positivism, and enthusiasm.

2. Let’s talk budget. The fiscal year that starts in a week pares $11 million, down to $74 million, from last year’s athletic department budget. How does that square with Kirk Schulz’s statements that WSU will continue to invest at a power-conference level. Take us through the budget.

We feel really good about where we’re at right now and continuing to operate at that Power Five level and prioritizing things like cost of attendance, travel, just everything that exemplifies what that means.

We have always outperformed our competitors in terms of output while using less resources, and we have always used our financial resources wisely and efficiently. The Board of Regents has approved the budget for the upcoming year, and we are currently working with it because we are extremely happy with it. Establishing financial credibility with our budget, revenue, and expenses, as well as being mindful of our spending and decision-making, are, in my opinion, our top priorities at the moment. Having made some difficult budget adjustments, we feel confident in our ability to compete.

3. Let’s delve a little more into the details of income. How are sales of season tickets going? That’s the top item. Second, is it possible to sell alcohol in the public sitting areas of Martin Stadium? This is an issue that has been discussed for ten years.

In terms of percentage, our season ticket sales are where they would have been at this time last year. In my opinion, the best way to characterize us is as somewhat alike, and we genuinely feel quite pleased about that.

You know, I’m getting up to date on beer sales, but as far as the football season goes, I don’t see much altering for this autumn in terms of beer sales.

4. If you look at the average athletic director’s tenure at a school, six to seven years seems the rough ballpark of longevity. So if we look ahead six or seven years, what would you like your tenure to be characterized as?

You’ve got the clock ticking already on me! Honestly, I think if people look back in six or seven years or even next January or next Friday — at any point in time — I would hope, people feel like I’ve done what I thought was best for Washington State University and our athletic department. You know, I think that’s the greatest thing I can hope to accomplish is to just keep that priority number one: to always do what I can to represent the university and to put us in the best position possible.

I think that’s how I’ve always operated throughout my career … What will happen over the next six or seven years, or the next 24 months, is somewhat unknown so I think as long as my True North stays on making the best possible decisions I would love if people look back and that’s what they had to say.

5. Now let’s discuss the upcoming year. Although there is a two-year NCAA window to reestablish the league, in practice, it would take just about a year to get everything in place. Bring us up to date on the available choices and the outlook for the next year to two years.

First of all, I believe that ideally we would know more by this time next year, even if the timeframe is just two years. I believe that individuals will find it more difficult to deal with the uncertainties after next year simply because of scheduling, recruitment, and other factors.

In regards to the changes that have occurred since our previous conversation [Does Anne McCoy have Brett Yormark on fast dial?], genuinely.

6. How frequently do you speak with OSU AD Scott Barnes and Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould?

Every single time. I will have really spoken with each of them today. Everybody talks many times a day, whether through emails, messages, or phone conversations. We still get together, speak, discuss tactics, and discuss everything.

7. Let’s return to the budget for a moment. Was any of the money available to assist tide over the budget for the following fiscal year, out of the pool of money that Oregon State and Washington State can divide (due to the settlement with the exiting 10 conference schools)? Is that exclusive to this fiscal year?

There’s a variety of ways we could look to stretch the money out … We’re still working through the final numbers of distributions from the Pac-12 as different financial pieces close in their fiscal year … Our CFO and I were just talking earlier today about how it’s just a lot in a short amount of time … So to answer your question, yes, that money is available to Oregon State and Washington State through potential conference distribution avenues — but then how much and when they that get distributed is still a little bit in flux.

8. You’ve been at Washington State for 23 years. You worked with Jim Sterk, Bill Moos and Pat Chun, each of whom had notable achievements while at Washington State, but all very different personalities with different strengths. What have you learned from each of them?

Oh boy, you know, they are so different. They all did a lot of really great things for Washington State … Jim and I worked together at three different schools so it’s hard for me to put him into words to be honest because the Sterk and McCoy families have been close for a long, long time. From Jim I learned a lot about building relationships and being there for people.

And I think with Bill he did a lot of really great things that needed to be done at the time, whether it be facilities or advocating within the Pac-12 Conference. And then Pat did a really good job of focusing national attention on Washington State University and putting us in a lot of different meeting rooms or conversations.

WSU AD ANNE McCOY”

For more than 23 years, Washington State University has played a significant role in our family. It is an incredible and unique institution. It is where I’m at home. I consider it a pleasure to serve this institution, which has such a rich history. I express my gratitude to President Schulz and the Board of Regents for giving me the responsibility of overseeing this exceptional team of coaches, employees, and student-athletes. There is no else I would rather be than WSU since it provides an opportunity unrivaled in the nation.”