Oregon State University’s Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury says athletics “is one of the most misunderstood enterprises. We’re not in the entertainment business, we’re in the education business.” “Our mission is to develop young people who will make positive changes in the world”.
Success for many is based on what zip code they come from,” Stansbury said The great thing about athletics is that it is a meritocracy. When you’re in the huddle it doesn’t matter what your zip code is.” Thus, in the beginning every student is treated the same regardless of their family history, according to Stansbury.
“We have their attention for four years, so we have to use that leverage to make sure they have tenacity and are hard working and develop skill sets that will make them successful”.
Stansbury emphasized that OSU has a “Portland strategy. Portland needs to be our focus because that’s where the jobs are so we need to be connected to the Portland area.” “We are developing athletes that are ready to contribute,” he concluded. (OSUBEAVERS)
