Funk Associates Recruits Athletic Director for the University of South Carolina
December 10, 2024 – After an exhaustive process, Funk Associates’ sports recruiting division recently assisted in the recruitment of Jeremiah Donati as the new athletic director for the University of South Carolina. “I am thrilled to welcome Jeremiah Donati to Gamecock Nation,” said Michael Amiridis, president of the University of South Carolina. “Jeremiah’s accomplishments at TCU—across athletics, NIL, and facilities—speak for themselves. His leadership will be invaluable as we continue to build on the successes of Gamecock Athletics and ensure that our student-athletes have the support and resources they need to compete at the highest level.”
Mr. Donati’s appointment is expected to provide a major boost to South Carolina’s athletic programs, particularly as the university continues to expand its efforts with the house settlement result, facilities upgrades, and recruiting. “With his forward-thinking leadership, the University of South Carolina is poised for continued success in the nation’s most competitive athletic conference,” the school said.
Mr. Donati comes to the University of South Carolina from Texas Christian University (TCU), where he served as athletic director since 2017, overseeing one of the most successful and dynamic periods in the history of the Horned Frogs’ athletic programs. Under his leadership, TCU’s football team made consistent appearances in major bowl games, including becoming the first team from Texas to make the College Football Playoffs, and the first Big XII program to appear in a National Championship game. In addition, TCU’s basketball program has appeared in the last three NCAA Tournaments, while TCU’s baseball team won back-to-back Big XII championships and made an appearance in the College World Series. Women’s Soccer is one of only six programs to reach three consecutive Sweet 16s, and women’s basketball has established itself as a presence with the arrival of star guard and Olympian Hailey Van Lith.
“I’m honored to join the University of South Carolina, a school with a rich history of athletic excellence and passionate fans,” said Mr. Donati. “I look forward to working alongside our exceptional coaches, student-athletes, and staff to continue building on the tremendous success of Gamecock Athletics. Our goal is to be a national leader in both competitive excellence and student-athlete experience. We will compete for championships while ensuring our student athletes are supported in all aspects of their college careers.”
The University of South Carolina Gamecocks compete in 21 varsity sports with nearly all vying in the Southeastern Conference. The university’s athletic programs have earned eleven national team titles and produced many olympians.
Related: Funk Associates Recruits Dean for the University of South Alabama College of Engineering
Funk Associates is an executive search firm specializing in higher education executive recruitment. The firm has recruited chancellors/presidents for two-thirds of all public AAU universities. The firm has also recruited presidents or chancellors to more than one-half of U.S. News & World Report’s recently published “Top 30 National Universities.” Over time, it has conducted more than 425 searches for college and university presidents and chancellors as well as an even greater number of provosts, deans, and various vice presidents. The firm’s sports division, headed by Willie Funk and Scott Thompson, specializes in searches for athletic directors and coaches.
Recruiting Women and Minorities
The firm has been recognized by the Women’s Network of the American Council on Education (ACE) for its work in recruiting women and minorities to senior levels of higher education. Notably, the search firm has broken the color and/or gender line in president searches at more than 40 institutions around the country, making in one of the most highly sought after search firms across the sector.
Funk Associates Initiates Podcast Series “Voices of Leadership”
Funk Associates announced the premier of its podcast series, “Voices of Leadership”. The podcasts are intended to showcase important leaders in higher education discussing contemporary topics. Dr. Gordon Gee, president of West Virginia University, will kick-off the series, with Dr. Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University, and Dr. Mung Chiang, president of Purdue University following consecutively at one week intervals. Additional thought-leaders will be scheduled going forward. Listeners are invited to tune into the series on the firm’s new website (www.funkassociates.com) or on the Spotify and Apple podcast platforms. The series is hosted by Bill and Willie Funk. In addition to the podcast series, the firm is announcing its new offering in the recruitment of intercollegiate coaches and athletic directors, and introducing a new website format.
R. William “Bill” Funk, founder and president, is a widely respected search consultant serving higher education. He has been called the “guru of higher education recruiting” by The Chronicle of Higher Education and is listed as one of the 200 best executive recruiters in the world in The Global 200 Executive Recruiters: An Essential Guide to the Best Recruiters in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America (Jossey-Bass, Inc.). Prior to founding his own firm 16 years ago, Mr. Funk was the national practice leader of the education practice and office managing director of the Dallas office for Korn Ferry International for more than a decade.
Willie Funk has an extensive background recruiting a lengthy list of presidents, provosts and deans and has recently completed searches at Clemson University, University of California – Santa Cruz, University of South Carolina, TCU, Old Dominion University, College of Charleston, University of Kansas, and Radford University, among many others.
Related: Funk Associates Leading Searches for College of Charleston and University of Houston
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
