SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The Summit League has partnered with Athletics Admin to better understand the League’s current use of artificial intelligence, identify opportunities to enhance existing workflows and develop thoughtful strategies for using emerging technology to support its staff and member institutions.
As part of the partnership, Athletics Admin will work alongside Summit League staff to evaluate current processes, identify opportunities to save time and improve efficiency through artificial intelligence, and help develop AI-related resources and tools as needed.
“I know artificial intelligence will never fully replace human capital, judgment or creativity, but it can enhance each of them,” Summit League Commissioner Josh Fenton said. “As we continue to be surrounded by emerging technology and new platforms, there is a lot of value in understanding how we can best use these tools as a league and how they may ultimately benefit our member institutions.”
“We are thrilled to partner again with The Summit League as they continue to look for ways to expand the box in how they operate,” said KC Smurthwaite, COO and lead consultant for Athletics Admin. “AI is not about replacing people; it is about giving talented people better tools. When used thoughtfully, AI can reduce repetitive work, strengthen decision-making, improve workflows and create more time for staff to focus on the areas where human expertise, creativity and relationships matter most. The Summit League has been intentional about understanding both the opportunities and limitations of AI, and that mindset is what makes this partnership exciting.”
Athletics Admin has already begun meeting with members of the Summit League staff better to understand current workflows and opportunities across the conference office.
“The Athletics Admin team has already met with members of our staff, and we are already seeing progress in some of our workflows,” Fenton said. “Those efforts will only continue to be augmented as we get deeper into the year.”
The partnership overall is designed to enhance human expertise through technology while identifying practical and responsible ways in which artificial intelligence can support the day-to-day operations of a conference office.
ABOUT THE SUMMIT LEAGUE:
Headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D., The Summit League is embarking on its 45th year at the NCAA Division I level and offers 18 championship sports. The League’s eight institutions have a combined enrollment of nearly 100,000 and include four located in top-60 U.S. metropolitan areas and two land-grant universities. Full-time member institutions are the University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of North Dakota, North Dakota State University, University of Nebraska Omaha, Oral Roberts University, University of St. Thomas, University of South Dakota, and South Dakota State University.
ABOUT ATHLETICS ADMIN:
Athletics Admin is an award-winning collegiate athletics consulting firm providing practical, affordable solutions to institutions, conferences and industry partners. The firm supports clients across executive search, external operations, revenue generation, benchmarking, feasibility studies, organizational strategy and emerging technology. Athletics Admin works alongside existing staff to identify opportunities, provide added expertise and develop solutions tailored to each organization. Its approach is centered on expanding capacity without unnecessary complexity or cost
