We end the week with some hits of good news.
In the midst of the turmoil in college athletics, the University of Wisconsin keeps their steady hand for at least the next five years.
McIntosh, UW finalize 5-year contract extension | University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin–Madison Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh has signed a 5-year contract extension to continue leading the Badgers until at least 2029.
“Chris is an extremely effective leader at a time of unprecedented change across the collegiate athletics landscape,” says Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin. “In the midst of this shift, he continues to position the Badgers for long-term success in the top tier of college sports. I’m thrilled he’ll continue to be a Badger and look forward to his leadership in the years to come.”
“Serving as Director of Athletics at Wisconsin continues to be a privilege and I am grateful to Chancellor Mnookin for her support and confidence in me,” says McIntosh.
“The college athletics landscape is changing quickly, and I am committed to helping our student-athletes achieve both academic and athletic success in this new environment. Along with our administrative team, coaches and staff, I look forward to tackling the challenges ahead and creating more opportunities for success.”
The agreement revises and extends McIntosh’s initial contract — a five-year deal with base compensation of $1 million in 2024 — for five additional years, through June 30, 2029.
In recognition of his service and accomplishments, the contract revision increases McIntosh’s base compensation to the median of his Big Ten peers, $1.45 million, with an annual $50,000 escalator clause. The contract will continue to be funded through a mix of Athletics program revenues and gift funds designated for Athletics held by UW Foundation. The extension also includes opportunities for additional incentives-based compensation, also standard among peers.
Since being named athletic director in 2021, McIntosh has experienced successes across multiple areas of the program.
He hired Football Head Coach Luke Fickell and Men’s Hockey Head Coach Mike Hastings, has led the development of a new football practice facility (the largest capital project in UW Athletics history) to replace the McClain Center and has overseen renovations to additional facilities, including the Kohl Center. During his tenure, Women’s Hockey and Volleyball have won national titles and a wide range of teams and individual student-athletes have experienced national successes.
More broadly, McIntosh is guiding the Badgers through seismic shifts in the collegiate athletics landscape that include the expansion of the Big Ten Conference, new media rights contracts; the implementation of name, image and likeness (NIL) policies; major changes to student athlete transfer rules, along with litigation and legislation that could further affect the future of collegiate athletics.
Under his leadership, the health and success of Badger student-athletes has been a key priority. In the latest Academic Progress Rate (APR) data, Wisconsin’s all-sport multiyear average was 992, which is above the national average of 984 and meets one of the academic achievement unit benchmarks for the NCAA.
“It has been a privilege to work with Chris McIntosh over the past several years and I am grateful he will continue to lead UW Athletics,” says Ann Sheehy, Athletic Board chair and professor in the School of Medicine and Public Health. “The collegiate athletics landscape is changing quickly, but Mac’s strong commitment to student athlete academics, equity, health and wellness is unchanged.”
McIntosh joined the Athletic Department in 2014 and served in multiple roles, including deputy athletic director. As part of his athletic career, he captained the 1999 and 2000 Rose Bowl teams, two of the most storied teams in Badgers history. He was a consensus NCAA All American in 1999 and 22nd pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, playing professionally for the Seattle Seahawks until 2004. He is a member of the Badgers Hall of Fame.
He holds a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy analysis and a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and applied economics, both from UW–Madison.
These referenda are important. It’s nice to see people stepping up promote their passage
Commercials coming to make case for Wisconsin August amendments | The Center Square
Voters in Wisconsin are going to hear a lot more about the coming vote on a pair of constitutional amendments.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, along with the Institute for Reforming Government, on Thursday announced an ad campaign aimed at making sure voters know what they’ll be seeing on their Aug. 13 ballot.
“Going to be engaging in an educational program to inform the public about these amendments and what they really do and why they are important so there will be some broadcast communications digital media things of that character,” WILL president Rick Esenberg told News talk 1130 WISN’s Jay Weber on Thursday.
Republican lawmakers voted to add the two amendments to the August primary ballot as a counter to how Gov. Tony Evers spent more than $4 billion in COVID relief money.
Evers had unlimited power to spend the money, and unlike state dollars, Wisconsin lawmakers could not weigh-in on how it should be spent.
Republican lawmakers passed legislation to give themselves oversight, but the governor repeatedly vetoed those plans.
“There was money spent on soccer stadiums, there was money spent on all sorts of minor things, but then there was a lot of money that was directed to groups like Planned Parenthood or other entities where Gov. Evers could expect to find support,” Esenberg said. “This isn’t just a partisan issue. Any governor given this authority is going to act politically. And so, I think that one of the points that we want to make with our partners at The Institute for Reforming Government, is that everybody should support this because nobody should want this much authority to be vested in the governor.”
Esenberg said eventually even Evers’ supporters will embrace the idea of having lawmakers weigh-in on the governor’s ability to spend federal dollars because “there will be at some point in the future a federal government that is controlled by the party that you don’t like, and the governor whose decisions you will not support.”
WILL and IRG’s ad campaign, Esenberg said, is not going to be politically focused. Instead, Esenberg said they intend to make the constitutional case to place some limits on how Wisconsin’s governor can spend billions of dollars from Washington, D.C. each and every year.
“Opponents of this amendment, and there’s a group that calls themselves Protect Our Constitution which largely consists of special interests who want this unilaterally controlled largesse to continue, are getting it exactly wrong,” Esenberg said. “Our constitution, both on the federal and the state level, are designed out of a mistrust of the concentration of power. And so ,we have checks and balances, we have separation of powers to get consensus. And what’s happening here is that the governor is being allowed to accept federal money and then spend it however, with no input from the legislature. And that’s inconsistent with our constitution.”
There are several Wisconsinites competing in the Olympics in Paris. Here’s a nice story about four of them, who will be rowing for the red, white and blue.
4 women from UW-Madison’s rowing team will compete for gold at Paris Olympics | WPR
[Lauren] O’Connor, who is from the village of Belleville — population 2,591 — is one of four women from the University of Wisconsin-Madison who will be competing in rowing at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
…This year’s rowers — O’Connor, Sophia Vitas from Franklin, Maddie Wanamaker from Neenah, and Grace Joyce from Northfield, Illinois — carry on a long tradition for the Badgers. There has been at least one UW-Madison women’s or men’s rower in every Olympics since 1968.
It’s a weekend to celebrate Milwaukee Iron, and one of the icons of Harley Davidson.
Harley-Davidson’s 121st Homecoming Festival honors Willie G. Davidson | WISN
The festival’s theme this year is centered around paying tribute to the life work of Willie G. Davidson, the 91-year-old grandson of co-founder William A. Davidson.
…Willie G. Davidson served as the company’s senior vice president and chief styling officer for nearly 50 years, first joining the company in 1963. An exhibit dedicated to his life’s work is now on display at the museum for the 121st Harley-Davidson Homecoming.
“Well this is a history of Willie and some of the art that he’s created from T-shirt artwork to complete motorcycles there’s a lot of pictures of him from when he joined the company to present day,” Bill Davidson explained during a walk and talk in the exhibit.
There is so much to do in Wisconsin this weekend, it’s going to make it hard to concentrate at work today. But we have faith in you. Good luck.
We’ll be back, Monday.
