When Elon Athletics released its new program initiative Phoenix Rising, it was with the intention of establishing a refreshed vision of the athletic program through a five-year strategic course plan.
With elements such as name, image, and likeness, the transfer portal, and the House v. NCAA settlement ruling in favor of colleges to pay athletes, Phoenix Rising is an opportunity for Elon Athletics to become more innovative in their approach toward navigating the college athletics.
One of the core principles is growing a more competitive mindset. Athletic Director Jennifer Strawley said that while there has always been a competitive approach, she believes there is more room to go about it differently based on some of the feedback she received.
“I think we always valued it, but maybe we talk about it differently than before,” Strawley said.
Since 2021, Elon has won at least 12 CAA championships with men’s and women’s tennis, along with golf winning at least once. Track and field has won three outdoor championships while men’s and women’s cross country have won a combined six times.
As far as making progress, Strawley said she wants to set certain standards that would allow Elon Athletics to work its way up toward reaching their goals such as the amount of money they fundraise. Strawley believes it will be more realistic if the athletic department can succeed gradually with different expectations each year.
“It won’t be just going from point A to Z, you’re going to incrementally increase along the way,” Strawley said. “The way I thought about it is how do we each year set the goals that allow us to drive the plan forward in that five year period.”
The initiative will also measure the amount of money Elon can fundraise going forward. Strawley said she hopes that Elon Athletics can eventually double their current amount to compete against other colleges who have previously spent more money.
“We had to lay the foundation and the framework of a fundraising model that hopefully allows us to grow in that area and double what we’re raising annually to enhance the student athlete experience,” Strawley said.
Going forward, Strawley noted the importance of actually applying the Phoenix Rising initiative. She said the athletic department must carry out its vision to create engagement while driving up revenue to be successful. Strawley hopes that will be the final part of the plan.
“We have to bring it to life through the student athletes, coaches, and the people in our department, and engagement with the campus,” Strawley said. “A vision and a plan is great. Now we just have to live it.”
Strawley also listed engagement as one of the athletic program’s biggest priorities. She emphasized the need for the athletic program to interact with multiple student groups, Burlington residents and Elon alumni among others. Strawley believes that reaching out to more people would allow Elon Athletics to expand some of their strategies.
Some of the people Strawley mentioned included university offices and groups such as Student Life, Student Government Association and greek life organizations. Strawley said that partnerships between those organizations along with athletics groups such as Phoenix Fanatics could significantly boost student engagement.
“Engagement is a prong of this plan that I think is really important,” Strawley said. “We can really focus on being intentional in those spaces and creating engagement with our constituents.”
For Strawley, this plan was in the making for a while.
Strawley said that after she took the job in July 2023, she wanted to incorporate as much feedback as possible from people working in athletics. In doing so, Strawley hoped to gain a better perspective of Elon’s athletic program, along with letting people know their ideas were valuable.
“I took almost an entire year to listen and understand Elon, and be sure that different voices were all a part of this process,” Strawley said. “Then we started to get ideas together and create a plan that is about all of athletics.”
Strawley said that she used this process to create a program that is suitable for the changing landscape of college sports.
“What Phoenix Rising does is that it gives us a values-based proposition to be innovative,” Strawley said. “We have to change. We can’t stay static to a changing world.”