Batt's Early Agenda Should Have Spartan Fans Encouraged

Michigan State athletic director J Batt isn't going to take his time getting to work as the university's new vice president and director of athletics.

Batt, who made it very clear at his introductory press conference on Wednesday that he is going to work tirelessly to accomplish what he was brought in to do, already has the first items on his agenda laid out for when his tenure officially begins the week of June 16.

A large reason Batt was hired, of course, was due to his prior success in fundraising, a quality that was high on Michigan State's list of priorities during its search for its next athletic director.

Batt already has plans to get acquainted with donors. And not only that, he's going to make a point to learn about Michigan State.

"My first priority is to listen, to ask a bunch of questions," Batt said when he addressed the media after his presser. "So, I'll meet with all of our head coaches, I'll meet with all of our staff, and then, I'll hit the road. I don't sit still well. And so, I'll be on the road to meet with donors and supporters, our trustees, and I'll learn, I'll learn a lot.

"And I think it's the most important thing, particularly when you start one of these new opportunities. This is an incredible place. It's an incredible place with great tradition and history, and my job one, is to learn all of that."

Michigan State has fallen behind in efforts to fund its name, image and likeness (NIL) initiative, which has hindered its ability to stay competitive in some areas, particularly football.

Batt is confident things will turn around as far as NIL fundraising goes.

"We're going to be extremely successful and competitive in that space," he said during the presser. "We're going to be intentional about providing all of our coaches the resources to be successful at a championship level. I'll tell you, I believe as we head into the revenue share of the post house settlement, hopefully, what that requires will change, and how we approach that space will change.

"But I can tell we'll have a great plan. We'll be united in that plan. We'll be aligned in that plan from President (Kevin) Guskiewicz to our coaches, and to our board as we head into that era."

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