Q&A With FSU AD Spetman

Q: What is your ultimate goal as Florida State's AD?
A: These students at Florida State set the bars for others in the nation to emulate. My goal is to continue to build on this storied tradition and to make sure we serve this university well. We will continue to compete for national championships, and we will see that our student-athletes graduate with a meaningful degree; we will build on an existing team of professionals that serve this university, our alumni, and this wonderful community with honor, integrity and character.

Q: In the short term, what will be your focus?
A: In the next month, I'm going to get around and meet everybody. One of the first trips I'm going to make on my first week here is to go and meet the deans of all the colleges here, so they know who I am and try to make sure they know I am committed to academics. I have a lot of boosters, alumni and fans that I need to meet and greet with. I need them to know who I am. Of course, we've got to continue with the NCAA and make sure that is all closed.

Q: What is your message to FSU's student-athletes?
A: I thought the student-athletes gave me the most-direct and hardest questions. One of the young golfers asked me, 'You are coming from a university that does not have the resources we have, why are they bringing you here? How are you going to help us win national championships? As I told him, you do it by building a great team of professionals to provide the resources so he can be successful and contribute to the program.

Q: You have spent the majority of your athletic administration career out West. How familiar are you with ACC officials?
A: The other athletic directors in the conference, they know me. I'm not a stranger to them. At the [National Association of Collegiate Director of Athletics] meetings a week ago Monday, there must have been six of the ACC ADs there in meetings with me. That was pretty exciting. I know I can call them up and they can help me in this new conference.

Q: What are your thoughts on working closely with FSU football coach Bobby Bowden?
A: Fisher DeBerry [former Air Force coach] read on the Internet where I was a candidate for this job. He called me. Bobby Bowden is one of his dear friends who he respects most. We had quite a conversation about the great chance I have to work with one of the icons and legends of the business. I am really excited about that.