UCF Athletic Director Todd Stansbury. Credit: Gary W. Green / Orlando Sentinel.
New UCF Athletic Director Todd Stansbury said he has been working long hours, devouring every bit of information he can gather about the Knights.
Stansbury has completed dozens of interviews and has hundreds more lined up, meeting with coaches, athletes, staff members, professors, general students, community members and anyone else who can help give him a clear picture of UCF’s strengths and weaknesses.
“Right now, it’s really look, listen and learn,” Stansbury said in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel. “I’m just kind of churning through all these different groups, and it has given me different perspectives.
“I’m asking them as we refine our UCF brand, what are the things we should be hanging our hat on? That’s sort of given me an idea what all sorts of different people here think we should emphasize. I find it’s the best way for me to get my arms around the culture and how people view the program.”
Here are bonus excerpts from the interview, which included some questions asked directly by readers:
OS: How have you been received by the people you have met so far?
Stansbury: “It’s been great. People are excited. There are a lot of people who really support this program emotionally. So it’s really been a great way to kind of immerse myself in the community. People have been really open. They really respect this institution and they’re excited about the future.”
OS: Do you have any construction and renovation priorities?
Stansbury: “Last week, I actually scheduled two-and-a-half hours to tour our athletic facilities and I only got half way through. I just finished another two-and-a-hour tour to see the other half and there’s still one other facility I need to see and that’s the boat house at Lake Pickett.
“I haven’t really had the opportunity to really sit down and think through where we’re at and also meet with our facility folks. They have a huge impact on what we decide to do moving forward.”
OS: Have you suggested any amendments to the self imposed penalties and general response UCF has submitted to the NCAA following the investigation into recruiting practices?
Stansbury: “Out of respect for the process and the work put in by a lot of other people, I really don’t want to comment on that until after we appear before the NCAA in the next couple of weeks.”
OS: There has been a lot of talk this offseason about potential changes to the automatic qualifying Bowl Championship Series postseason format. Are you concerned about the impact potential changes could have on the Big East UCF?
Stansbury: “There’s so many different models out there about what may or may not happen with automatic qualifiers out there – bowls plus one or plus two. Ultimately, you want to be in the strongest conference possible and the one that makes sense for your program. I think regardless of what happens postseason-wise as far as the structure, us being in the Big East is going to be a huge positive.
“The scheduling, having a presence in the Northeast, being broadcast on a national platform. It’s definitely going to be a positive for UCF.”
OS: A lot of fans have asked when UCF will get new, unique Nike football uniforms. Do you know if there are any plans to get new uniforms?
Stansbury: I can’t speak to that issue yet. It’s something I’ll look at in the future.
OS: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Stansbury: “One of my main priorities is that ultimately this program is going to be defined by the success of the student athletes on the field, in the classroom and in the community. They’re already doing a remarkable job, so I want to look at how we tell that story and make sure people are aware of the great they do.
“I am often asked, `What do you want to define your administration?’ One is that the program will defined by the success of our student athletes and the second is that we become an indispensable partner to the university in helping them achieve their goals.
“So those are the two things that I want to accomplish at UCF.”
