A Letter from Michigan State AD Dan Bartholomae
10/7/2026
Spartans,
It’s Homecoming in East Lansing. Across the Michigan State campus, staff and students are preparing to welcome Spartan alums back home. My family and I are excited to be part of all the festivities, including the parade, the tailgates, and the football game. I can’t wait to meet Spartans from all eras.
Homecoming celebrates the past, with an eye towards the future, building on the firm foundation established by generations of Spartans. With that serving as a backdrop, it’s important that I share some early impressions from my first month on campus.
At my introduction, I shared why Michigan State was a dream job and an athletic department where we can compete at the highest level. I highlighted the fabulous people, the amazing foundation of success, and a mentality of outworking the competition. Those initial impressions have proven to be accurate and create the foundation for our vision: Spartan Excellence Without Exception.
Spartan Excellence has been on display across the department over the last month. Five teams are currently nationally ranked in the Top 25 (No. 2 women’s soccer, No. 3 hockey, No. 18 men’s cross country, No. 19 men’s soccer, and No. 22 volleyball), and we know our winter sports will add to that number. Our loyal Spartan Athletic Foundation donors have followed a record-breaking year with continued exceptional generosity in support of our programs. Most recently Joe and Julie Serra made a $10 million commitment towards Spartan Stadium renovations. On and off the field, Spartans are pushing forward in pursuit of excellence.
At the same time, I’ve identified three areas for my immediate focus as we establish a blueprint for sustained department excellence: transparency, consistency and competitiveness.
TRANSPARENCY
To truly achieve our goals as an athletic department, we need all Spartans pulling in the same direction. Buy-in from our community will only be achieved if we are clear about our vision and explain our decisions. Transparency will allow staff and fans to feel invested in our initiatives. From there, success will follow.
The two most pressing areas that need more explanation are Spartan Ventures and FOR SPARTA. While both initiatives serve to benefit Spartan Athletics, there’s a great opportunity for more transparency, direction and clarity. And while I sense urgency in the need for that, it needs to be genuine, true to my own leadership style and in strategic alignment with our goals. As we formalize the direction for our future, I look forward to offering more information in the months ahead.
CONSISTENCY
Michigan State Athletics has incredible people doing incredible work. What’s even more impressive is when you consider what has been accomplished given the amount of leadership turnover that’s existed with four athletic directors and three football coaches in the last five-plus years. Through it all, the coaches and staff throughout the department have teamed up in support of Spartan student-athletes.
That’s not the way to thrive, however. There have been differing philosophies guiding decision making, and leadership transition naturally results in initiatives that are started, only to never be seen to fruition. Stops and starts are frustrating, something I’m well aware of given my own experience with leadership change. I recognize the hesitancy when in the past your commitment hasn’t always been reciprocated. That’s why transparency is so important. Earning your trust is a continual process, one that requires consistency and showing up. I’m fully committed to both for the long-term.
COMPETITIVENESS
We will compete to win. Michigan State has a proud history of winning championships, both at the Big Ten and national level. That has been and remains our standard. Looking across the department, there are plenty of current examples of programs performing at that level.
Competitiveness and championship aspirations require support. And while it’s not required to spend the most to win, we must be competitive in providing resources to the programs we expect to compete for championships. This means resourcing those programs in the top 1/3 of the conference.
I have three guideposts as I look to assign resources:
- Creating the best student-athlete experience in the country
- Investing in programs with a demonstrated return on that investment
- Opportunity for success
Coach Fitzgerald and our football program are priorities that align with all three. Football must be resourced to be competitive immediately, and they will be. Providing those resources as we build towards the future is my primary focus every day. This includes resources for roster development AND other football priorities such as Spartan Stadium renovations. We can’t just pick one – they both must be addressed.
Prioritizing football success still allows the department to resource and support other programs. Comprehensive investment in football will ultimately benefit everyone invested in MSU Athletics. Clear, well-placed priorities create additional opportunities for department-wide success. It’s paramount to creating the culture we desire – one where every student-athlete and every program feels valued. We should aspire to win multiple national championships. It’s a fact that affinity, giving and support increase departmentally and in all areas when our programs win at the highest level. I’ve witnessed this firsthand at previous stops. That’s our challenge and our focus.
THE JOURNEY AHEAD
Working with our department’s senior leadership team and in listening to your feedback, we’re defining success for MSU Athletics for the next five years. It’s a process that will inform both our immediate and long-term priorities. We are creating a plan that inspires and unites our community, establishes ambitious goals, and provides a clear path for how we will accomplish them. We will need to balance strategic thinking with a sense of urgency to create results that can be sustained. And when our pathway is established, we’ll make sure to share it with our Spartan community.
You’ll hear me talk often about Dream Energy. I believe it’s the most powerful force on the planet. As Spartans unite around a shared vision, I truly believe anything is possible. And that vision must be transparent, consistent, and with a commitment to being competitive at the highest level. There are no shortcuts here.
Michigan State is a program where we can achieve excellence, without exception. When we experience challenges, we will use them as motivation to constantly push to improve. Along the journey, we will be sure to celebrate our success and the people who make it possible. And when we win, we’re going to have a lot of fun.
To all the Spartans returning to campus this weekend, Welcome Home. This is a time to reconnect with friends and a setting which most assuredly had a transformational impact on your life. We hope that MSU Athletics can be even a small part of your Homecoming. Five of our teams are at home this weekend, and where else other than Spartan Stadium can you be with tens of thousands of fellow loyal Spartans, all enjoying a beautiful day for football.
This weekend is sure to be a powerful reminder that it’s always a great day to be a Spartan!
With your support, we will create a culture of Spartan Excellence without Exception. The standards will be high and the expectations will match them. We can achieve extraordinary things at Michigan State University by challenging the status quo and continuously aiming higher. Most importantly, we will do it together.
Go Green!
Dan Bartholomae
Vice President and Director of Athletics
Michigan State University
