Director of Athletics Dr. Jeri Beggs discusses the changing landscape of college athletics on Redbird Buzz
Dr. Jeri Beggs was named Illinois State University’s director of Athletics in March after serving as the interim AD since May 2023.
Beggs is Illinois State’s 13th director of Athletics in the NCAA Division I era and the first woman to hold the position. She joins Redbird Buzz to discuss the path she has taken and her vision for the future of Illinois State Athletics.
In this episode, Beggs details how her 21 years in Illinois State’s College of Business as a professor of marketing and her role as faculty athletics representative prepared her for her current leadership position, and she shares what she hopes to accomplish as AD. Beggs also discusses her vision for Redbird Athletics amidst a rapidly evolving landscape in college athletics, with name, image, and likeness (NIL), the transfer portal, legal battles, and conference realignment greatly impacting mid-major institutions across the country.
Despite the challenges facing Beggs, her staff, and Redbird student-athletes, she shares the many wins, both on the playing field and in the classroom, that the department has achieved under her leadership, along with the opportunities ahead for Illinois State Athletics.
Redbird Buzz is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music. Transcripts of each episode are available online at Alumni.IllinoisState.edu/Podcast.
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