Matt Harmon: On this episode of Monmouth weekly, we discuss mama's historic move to the colonial athletic association, what it means for the university as a whole, both now, and in the future with the university president Dr. Patrick Lehe, this is faculty member. Matt Horman will be joined by director of athletics. Jeff Stapleton, lots to discuss on this episode of Monmouth weekly. Thanks is for listening Matt Harmon: Little chilly outside on a January Thursday, looking forward to being back up and running here with our Monmouth weekly podcast. It is the 38th episode since when we started back in, uh, March of 2020. So almost about two years running in our first episode here in the new year with university president Patrick Lehe, I am faculty member, Matt Harmon, looking forward to this one, Monmouth with big news yesterday, joining the CAA. Uh, but we've got lots of other stuff to get up and going today as well. President Lehe. I wish you a very good morning. I know it's been a, uh, very busy couple of days with the announcement yesterday, but, um, we've got some other business before we talk athletics and the move to the CAA from an overall institutional standpoint. Um, the 2022 spring semester is up and going and I would be among those as a faculty member back in the classroom. It's been a welcome return, especially this week to get back inside and face to face with students. Patrick Leahy: Well, is it too late in the month to say happy new year to you, Matt? Matt Harmon: It's it's on the verge. I mean, again, it's, , you're the president. So I guess you can say happy new year in February, if you really wanted to. Patrick Leahy: I always feel like up to February 1st and then at that point, you know, forget it, but, uh, it's nice to be with you again, to kick off our Monmouth weekly. Uh, maybe we need to go to Monmouth biweekly. We need to rebrand because we're seeming to fall into an every two week, uh, pattern here. But, um, I'm so pleased that, uh, semester is up and running. As you know, we had, uh, one week of remote instruction that was by design so that we could get all the testing done of our residential students, of our in season athletes and the like give them the few minute, those few days to isolate if necessary. And then, um, come back here in person this week so far so good. You're you're the professor. So you've been in and out of the classroom more than I have, but I think so far so good. And we're hopeful that, uh, this gives us the best chance to have a complete in person semester. You Matt Harmon: Know, what I think is is interesting from all the different vantage points of it. Um, talking with one of my classes, as recently as, as yesterday, you know, we were talking about the different modalities and being face to face versus online, um, a hybrid method, which I think has now become almost, um, um, an easy way for students to get a little bit of both. So I think that's worked out, but what I would say is that I think, I think even the students would agree that two years ago when this happened in March of 2020, it was almost like, oh, this is kind of interesting and, and almost fun in a way to be able to stay home. But now almost two years in, I think everyone is so ready to just be back on campus, back in the classroom, in the student center, uh, in the dining hall, just kind of feeling like life is a little bit back to normal. And I, I don't, I don't think anybody would say we're there yet, but it is nice to see that we're getting back to that a little bit. Patrick Leahy: Yeah. I think all of our activities, uh, from now I hope through the end of the semester will be, uh, in person on campus. We do have to stay masked up as you know, uh, in the classroom and outside the classroom. And I know people are tiring of that, but, uh, we have to keep masked up for now and properly masked up. I might add, you know, covering the, the nose and the mouth because it is our best way to ensure that we can keep from having to go, uh, emergency remote at some point throughout the semester. So I'm hoping it feels a, a little bit more like normal. I think people are so accustomed to wearing masks that that is even feeling, um, a, a little bit normal. Um, we, we are, as I've mentioned in an announcement, uh, both at the end of last semester, and at the beginning of this semester, we are gonna require the booster shot to categorize someone as fully vaccinated. That's simply because Matt, that there's waning immunity protection from the first two shots. And so that booster really is helpful to elevate that immunity protection. So we're gonna require that if, if, if a member of the community's not interested in getting that booster, then we would just ask them to be part of our, uh, surveillance testing protocol that's in place at that time. So hopefully not deemed to be too onerous, but, uh, the single best way to, to, to keep the protection is to get that, that booster. So I'm encouraging everyone to get that by March 1st. And Matt Harmon: It does seem like president Lehe w with, COVID still, obviously out there looking right now at the COVID dashboard as of yesterday 28 active cases, um, that the university has done to me, a really very good job of staying up to date with, do you need a test, uh, having vaccination clinics on campus when possible, letting people get the booster shot on campus, it's become almost the norm where if you need a test, you go get a test. If you need a plan, getting a booster, you're able to get that and you're able to get it all within the confines of the campus community. Patrick Leahy: You know, we have, I think, I think the number was like 4300 4300 tests stockpiled to help get us through the semester. So testing should not be a problem if anyone wants to get tested in our community, uh, as you point out there it's, it's easily available. We keep trying to make the vaccine, uh, available on campus, through partnerships with other community, uh, operations we'll have additional booster vaccine, uh, opportunities on campus. Uh, our hope is we can fall into this, into this routine. And if we all commit to complying to the protocols, it's our best, best shot at that quote normal semester that we all hope Matt Harmon: As we turn the page into 2022, I know at the end of 2021, you kind of, uh, took the social media and had some fun. You had your best of 21 list in terms of Monmouth university. It was kind of interesting to see you. What, what makes the top 10? There's so many things that, that take place on a yearly basis, even in a COVID year, um, some amazing accomplishments for the university. Patrick Leahy: And you would know cuz you're a loyal Twitter follower. I am. So thank you, Matt. You saw those. I just, I, I, you know, I've done this before and I just, toward the end of the year, you know, the end of the calendar, you start seeing top 10 lists or, or the best moments of the past year. And it just dawned on me, uh, as I was, um, trying to get a break, uh, between, um, you know, at the winter break, just dawned on me that despite the challenges of having to operate the university through a pandemic, we actually had a lot of really positive developments throughout the course of that calendar year. You know, we often think of the university, uh, the fiscal and academic year, but for the calendar year 2021, there were a lot of really positive developments. So I started listing them. So I thought maybe, uh, one final time since this was our first podcast of 2022 wrap up 2021, by running through that list. One final time. Were Matt Harmon: You going like Letterman ask like the old Dave Letterman late night show with his top 10? Patrick Leahy: Yes, exactly. Thank you for remembering that. Cause uh, you know, I want the SU suspense to build as we get to three, two and one. All right, Matt Harmon: Here we go. Top 10 ways that Monmouth university was great in 2021 here to deliver university president Dr. Patrick Lehe Patrick Leahy: One, disclaimer, these, these are my, uh, this is my opinion and my opinion alone, if I've omitted anything or offend anyone, they have me and me alone to blame. Okay. But, but here we go. Number 10 was the official launch of excellence access ambition, the strategic plan for Monmouth university. And as you know, Matt, this aims to make us a national leader at integrating excellence at access within just five years. Number 10. So number, number nine, in order to execute on that plan, we brought in new leadership among others. We welcome to Monmouth two distinguished academic administrators, Dr. Pamela Scott Johnson as our senior vice president in provost and Dr. Raj dev AGA as the Dean of our Leon Hess business school. And I'm so pleased to have them as colleagues here at Monmouth in the coming years. Number eight, the creation of the social justice academy you'll remember that this is graciously funded by the grin foundation and led by, uh, our very own Nicole Pullum Dr. Nicole, Pullum out of our school of education. And this is a program that directly supports the K to 12 system in Mouton ocean counties on their, on ongoing efforts around DEI initiatives. Number seven, the Springsteen live exhibit opens as you well know, we are the official home of the Springsteen archives and center for American music. And they put together this, uh, live exhibit, which Chronicles the history of what we're calling the greatest live performer of all time. And if someone wants to challenge me on that, I'm happy to engage that debate, but this show opened in Newark before it moves on to LA and then onto Europe where it's where, uh, uh, there are countries in Europe that are desperate to have this live show. So great exposure for the Springsteen archives and for Monmouth university. Are you still with me? Matt Harmon: I'm there, I'm hanging in. I, I just turned down born to run. So we we're still right there, right where we need to be Patrick Leahy: Number six and this previews, our special guest coming up in just a moment, athletic excellence during this calendar year of 2021, mammoth one seven conference titles and another Mac commissioner's cup. We promoted our next guest, uh, Jeff Stapleton to athletic director and hired Jenny boas as our new, uh, head coach of women's basketball. The average GPA of our student athletes throughout the last calendar year was up to 3.29. Number five dedications throughout the last year. We've dedicated numerous spaces that enhance the student experience, the buyer, financial markets lab, the McNeil arena, the part and broadcasting center, the able room and the Parton cafe, uh, the Parson cafe in the newly outfitted, great hall, all that in just 2021, number four new doctoral programs at Mammouth during the last year mamma's third doctoral program in occupational therapy enrolled its first students and our fourth program in social work was approved by the state. Patrick Leahy: And this is very important. And we'll talk about this a little later. This now means that with the, the number of doctoral programs that we now offer the next time our classifications are updated in our industry, we will in fact, jump to doctoral status, which will put us on the list of national universities. Number three, financial strength during the past year, an independent organization, the north, the, uh, Bergen record conducted an independent assessment of the financial health of the private co uh, uh, the private colleges and universities in New Jersey. And they deemed us the second healthiest behind only Princeton. And, uh, there's, uh, great source of pride to be the second healthiest behind Princeton with all their resources. Number two, on the top 10 list is despite the challenges of the last year Monmouth enrolled its finest first year class ever. It was a large class at 9 54, not our largest, but nonetheless, a large class, the most talented ever as measured by GPA the most geographically widespread, the second most diverse ever to be able to enroll our finest first year class in the midst of a global pandemic, when most of the recruiting work was done, virtually is a huge, huge achievement. And the number one highlight for 2021, is there a drum role? Do you have a drum role? Bet. There you go. The number one is over 1700 new graduates during this calendar year of 2021, the university hosted eight different COVID compliant, outdoor ceremonies to recognize the achievements of its graduates who are now officially Monmouth alumni. And that's number one on any list, because what in fact is more important than that at a university. So there you have it, the top 10 of 20 21 1 last time. It, Matt Harmon: Uh, clearly is, is, uh, a very impressive list and I'm sure, um, coming, coming and getting down to 10 was probably difficult because there's so many things that, that take place. And again, wanna remind all of our listeners, if you have a complaint that you didn't make the list, it goes right to the president, do not funnel it through the podcast category. It goes right to the president, but that is a great list. And so exciting to see that even in a, in a COVID year, Monmouth has done so well in 2021. And I have to say, 2022 is off to a pretty good start. We just talked about the semester getting back up and going, and I was fortunate enough. We're gonna welcome in our guest, uh, here today, who is director of athletics, Jeff Stapleton with yesterday's announcement, it had been rumored for, I don't know the better part of at least a couple of weeks, maybe even a couple of months than Monmouth was thinking about, um, moving to and becoming a member of the CAA. Uh, that news made official yesterday with a fantastic, uh, ceremony plus our live broadcast that we did on ESPN plus. And, um, president LA, I, I know for you with this on your mind, the last five, six months, it's been a challenge in a lot of ways, because here you are with your 20, 21 top 10 list, you kind of have to sell the university to a lot of people that are involved with the schools in the CA. And we'll talk about that list. Um, but you really have to do put Mammoth's best foot forward to say, you're gonna want us as much as we want you. Patrick Leahy: And when you have a top, you know, top 10 like that in a, you know, in a tough year there, there's, there's good evidence that, uh, I hope they, they saw that Monmouth university would be a really welcome addition to the CAA because of the ways in which we are continuing to enhance our academic reputation because of the quality of the, of the, uh, athletics program and the on field performance. It's it is, it's a, it's a, it's a, as our com new commissioner said, it's a, it's a totality of issues that go into, um, considering whether the, their school is the right school for a conference and whether the conference is the right thing for school. Uh, this is a, uh, a marriage. I think that, um, will really pay off for both entities over the long run. Matt Harmon: And I thought you eloquently yesterday gave credit where credit was due. There's a lot of people that had a hand in this, uh, right at the top of the list is our guest. Today. He is director of athletics, Jeff Stapleton, who I was able probably last night to get a good night's sleep for the first time in the last few months, knowing that this move is official. Jeff, appreciate you coming on. Um, and, and giving us a couple of minutes, obviously, um, I'll, I'll say like me, who's been involved with the university, you for 30 plus years. It, it, it had to have been a day that you will never forget because you've seen mama continue to move up and evolve as an athletics program. Jeff Stapleton: Well, thanks for having me, Matt and president. He, I, I really appreciate the time. Um, it, it was an exciting day for us, you know, I've, I've been here long enough that, um, when we first got here, we were in the Northeast conference. And then, and then, uh, along with Marilyn McNeil, we made the move to the Mac and now the CAA, and in four short months, we'll be a full, a full member and voting member. And, and start in July, July one is the official first day. And Matt Harmon: I think of that, and I think that's one of the most exciting parts about this because, and either one of you can, can hop onto this, be becoming a full member right away. You oftentimes see schools that are gonna change leagues from one to the next. They have to wait almost a full calendar year before they can actually be either a member or qualify for championships or be involved with playoffs, president Lehe. I'll let you talk about that first. How important was it for the university to write from the get, go say we are a full member, July 1st. There's no waiting period. There's none of that transition that goes in, in, in kind of the normal world right now of college athletics. Patrick Leahy: It was very important to us. I mean, if, once we psychologically get there, um, we want to go ahead and make the move as quickly as we can. And in the CAA there's, you know, full membership outside of football. And then there's a separate governing board for football, CAA football, because there are so many associate members and the like, and we got the invitation from both of those bodies that allows us to become a full member of the, the CAA allows us to consolidate 23 of our 24 sports into one conference under one roof, if you will. And, uh, to, to delay that over a period of years, doesn't do anyone any good doesn't do our community any good. Doesn't do the conferences, um, in which, uh, you know, that we're currently in or that we're moving to any good. So I hand it to our board for their, uh, their unanimous support to make this move and to make it, uh, right away. Matt Harmon: And in addition to Monmouth, you've got, um, a couple other schools that are coming on board, Stony Brook being one of them, um, Hampton being another Jeff H how much maybe did you talk with those two institutions specifically? I know the relationship with Hampton because there was, there was a, a mesh point within the big south from a football standpoint and Stony Brook, not that far away, them going through the same process, did you reach out to those schools individually and kind of talk about, okay, we know we're all trying to do this maybe together, how are we positioning ourselves as a group of three? Jeff Stapleton: Yeah, we did. You know, it's, it's interesting because it is, you know, there, you, you're kind of an individual in this process and you never know where the offers are going. And we didn't know if they were looking to offer three schools at that point. So you're real, you, you wanna get information from the other institutions, but you're also hedging your bet that you may be the only one. Maybe they're only gonna take one school outta that group in. And so that's a little, nerve-wracking be quite honest with you and you never know that, but I did talk with those two ADSS because of, of the wi during that, that rumor mill, uh, I was able to talk with those ADSS and just feel where, what they felt, uh, was their best move at the time and, uh, was the CAA in their picture, in their future. And, um, it's a hard, it's a hard conversation because I don't think any athletic director wants to just say the, the, the conference that they're in, that it's not a good fit for them. And so you're, you're really talking about, but what's a better fit. What's the better fit for the next 20 years, 25 years, 30 years. And I think that's the way everyone looks at this, what is the best move for your institution as a whole? And that's where we, that's where we wanted to go with our, our decisions. And, um, but I think all, all the, a ADSS, we were all going through the same angst of not knowing if you were going to get an invitation. Patrick Leahy: So were those presidents incidentally going through that same anxiety, you Matt Harmon: Know, president Lee, he here's the list of what the colonial athletic association offers in terms of schools. And I want to, and I want to transition quickly into this is more than an, an athletic move. This is a university move that from an academic portfolio and profile of the school is going to do one would think pretty amazing things. College of Charleston, university of Delaware, Drexel, Elon Hofstra, Northeastern Towson, university of North Carolina Wilmington, and William and Mary. That is a pretty impressive list in addition to Hampton and Stony Brook that are joining in terms of being full members from an academic standpoint. And, and let's throw a disclaimer out there. This is not meant in a disrespectful way to any school that Momu is affiliated with in another conference, but that is a very impressive list that Monmouth is now joining. Patrick Leahy: That is an amazing, uh, list Matt. I mean, we, we've been really blessed here at Monmouth to be associated with really fine schools for a long time, uh, but to, um, associate with those institutions. Most of which, frankly, I think all of which are national doctoral universities, as I mentioned earlier, you know, we will be become a national doctoral university in the next, uh, couple years that I think allows us, uh, to, to feel even more like those institutions will be one of the smaller schools in terms of enrollment in the CAA. But, uh, we will be classified the very same way as those other really fine schools. I'm really looking forward to the academic collaboration that's possible among the schools. They actually have created an, uh, colonial academic Alliance that allows for, you know, some, some joint collaborative academic work among the, uh, CAA member schools. I I'm looking forward to that almost as much as I am the athletic, uh, collaboration. So it's a great step up. And I always say, as I said yesterday, you just can't underestimate how an athletic affiliation can help to burnish your academic reputation. And I think the CAA gives us yet another opportunity to do that. Matt Harmon: All right, Jeff, here's one for you from an athletic standpoint. And some of the coaches that we spoke with yesterday, all made mention of this. I think king rice actually said it, maybe the best of the coaches we had on the ESPN broadcast. He said, it's gonna be a little bit of a heavy lift making the transition from the Mac to the CAA for the common every day fan. Explain what that means. The transition from the Mac to the CAA from an athletic standpoint, Jeff Stapleton: That's a great question, um, to try to get it to the normal fan, you know, I guess leagues have leagues are kind of categorized the type of athlete you can recruit. Okay, there's a Northeast conference, there's a Mac, there's a CAA, there's a, you know, a, a big east athlete there's. So there's categories that you can recruit in into, and the CAA is a different category than the Mac. So, and it's a, it's a higher level athlete that you can recruit into the CAA. And I think that's what your coaches are talking about that now they're gonna go out and recruit a, a different looking athlete. Okay. They're they may be a little bit bigger. They're probably a little bit stronger, a little bit faster. It's just another level of athlete. And, um, just like we went from the Northeast conference to the Mac, there was a different level of athlete. So now it will take another step. And in that time, our coaches will be able to recruit those athletes because now your affiliation is with the CAA, Matt Harmon: How similar is this transition having gone through it, Jeff, from the NEC to the Mac, to now the Mac to the CAA, Jeff Stapleton: It it's, it's very, it's similar, but college athletics has changed a lot in the last nine years. So in that sense, it's very different, but, um, it's, it's similar. Um, I was . I woke up this morning to about six emails from the commissioner of the CAA to get us all up to speed. And there's a meeting tomorrow morning at eight in the morning, uh, with the ad. So that's gonna be very beneficial to be able to sit in on those conversations now for the next four months until until July one. But now we can get up to speed, listen to what they're talking about and be a part of those conversations. We can't vote on anything, but we can listen and, and be a part and, and, uh, engage with them. Matt Harmon: President Lehi. I'm gonna transition back to you because as exciting as yesterday was, if I wanted to, um, be a, a, a thorn in the ointment, and I said to you, what's the worry with this move? What would be the worry? What would be a concern for mammoth or the mammoth community coming out of this Patrick Leahy: Over time, ensuring that we can properly resource athletics to compete at a higher level. Let's just be candid about it. I think the good news is a couple things, Matt, first of all, I think the CAA saw in Monmouth, a high functioning athletics department already, you know, we're already fully funding our athletic teams with scholarships. No change there. We already have top shelf facilities. No, no real change there. We, we already have pretty good staffing levels in our, across our athletics, uh, uh, uh, teams. So no real major change. There, there will be upward pressure on those recruiting costs. As, as, as Jeff said, you would think there would be upward pressure on the travel costs. But the good news about that is we're spending so much money on, uh, flying our football team down south to compete in the big south that on day one, we're gonna save a ton of money on those costs, which we can then redistribute to the other teams in the colonial. Patrick Leahy: So there will be some upward pressure, no question about it, uh, over time, but the good news is we don't go in realizing uhoh. We need to start amping up scholarships, building facilities, adding a, a ton of staff members, et cetera. It'll be, I hope more sort of spot investing in our athletics program where it's needed as we get into the CAA, start competing regularly and then find out, uh, where the holes are, if that makes sense. Um, so I'm comforted by that. And I'm also comforted by the fact that from day one, commissioner D Antonio said to us that the goal here is to compete at the highest level possible, but to do it in a fiscally responsible way. So hopefully scheduling across all of our sports will be to the extent possible regionalized so that we can cut down on those travel costs. And those overnight stays and, and the like in order to keep our competition as, um, you know, fiscally responsible as possible. So, you know, it's, anytime you step up, you just have to admit that, you know, over time there might be added investments, but, uh, we're going into this with our eyes open and with the benefit of those things, I just mentioned Matt Harmon: Jeff, how much of, um, I'll say it a advantage, even if it's a small advantage, is it to know that, um, so many of the sports on campus from football to field hockey, from baseball to women's lacrosse, the basketballs, they play some of these schools already. So it's not as if you're walking into places that are so unfamiliar. Um, you know, we, we joke yesterday with, with, with king rice, about having to play Hofstra every year, that's become a nice little rivalry. It's been the same with women's soccer. They seem to play Hofstra all the time. Uh, Monmouth football has had the experience of traveling to JMU already playing at Delaware, playing against Villanova. Who's an associate member, so it's not completely unfamiliar territory. Is that, is that a good way to say it? Jeff Stapleton: Yeah, I think that's a, a, a perfect way to say it. Uh, we, we do have a lot of crossover with the CAA and our historically we've had a lot of crossover with, with the league and those institutions. So, uh, our athletes are, this is not something that is totally foreign to them. Uh, we compete against that league. Uh, a great deal. Baseball has a lot of crossover with them, softball. Yeah. You name it. We've been crossing over with, with Hofstra and Drexel and Delaware and even Stony Brook. Um, so that won't be a, that that's not a, that's not a hindrance at all. You know, our, our kids will be able to go in and compete right away. Matt Harmon: Curious to get, um, the take on this from both of you from a standpoint of energizing the school, energizing, the alumni base. Uh, and I mean, listen, any school would say they do fundraising all the time. That's a big part of being a university, whether it's public or private to now. And I, and I said this yesterday, and, and when we talked with coach Callahan on our ESPN show, he was, he was the one to kind of get this. Now you're, you're having all of your sports with the exception of women's bowling, which is that 24 sport. That's still gonna not participate in the CAA. You're gonna have everybody playing the same schools. And I think the one thing president Lehe first to you for a sport like football is being a member of the big south and playing different schools than everybody else is playing. And not overly regional has maybe been a little of, a bit of a bit of an issue that now gets solved, right? That's not a problem anymore. You're playing schools that in some cases are right in your own backyard. Patrick Leahy: I mean, just step back one, one moment. This is a strategic decision by the university to elevate Monmouth university. And it's all right there in our strategic plan, the kind of institution we want to be more residential institution. Uh, we want to use that residential experience to enhance our retention and our graduation rates, the quality of students that we can recruit, improve our career outcomes for students and the, like, we need to make sure that we energize the campus community so that we get more alums involved in the Stu you know, aiding the student experience. This. We want to be on a pathway to become more like Villanova. I, I'm not saying we're like Villanova. Okay. They are, they are, uh, you know, a much wealthier institution, much greater national exposure, more selective than we are, but we are on a pathway to be more like them. Patrick Leahy: This move to the CAA allows us to act more like a school like Villanova and directly to your point. That means Saturday, Saturdays in the fall are gonna change, uh, radically when we bring Villanova to, to Kessler. When we bring Delaware to, to Kessler, when we bring, you know, U N H to Kessler, uh, Stony Brook, you know, hopefully, uh, William and Mary Elon, we bring them here and I'm telling you, it's gonna energize our campus communities. It's gonna energ energize our, uh, alumni fan base. It's gonna energize the people in central New Jersey. I hope in ways that we've never been energized before, so that we can create more of that experience that mimics Villanova real quickly. I'm one of, I'm very excited about the possibility to play in the same conference as Elon. Why is that? Well, because we go around the country looking at institutions that are most like us. Patrick Leahy: And if you do the objective analysis to try to find an institution, that's our closest comparable. One of the institutions that always appears on that list is Elon university. They're a comparable size, a comparable program mix. They have a comparable investment in athletics. They support football at the FCS level. Now we can play in the same conference as they are and get people thinking, oh yeah, that's, that's Monmouth is a lot like Elon. And hopefully increasingly a lot like Villanova and a lot like Drexel and a lot more like, you know, Stony Brook and the like, so this is a strategic decision, uh, for us, uh, Matt and, and, uh, it is so consistent with our new strategic plan. Matt Harmon: And Jeff, obviously from a standpoint specifically to athletics, I, I I'll let you comment on it from a coaching perspective, cuz I know you've talked to all the coaches about this move and, and what it will mean. Um, uh, it's an important perspective from them as well to, to now be able to be all under that same and similar umbrella and know from one sport to the next, even lean on each other, even a little bit more in a, in an athletic department, that's pretty tight knit in the first place. Jeff Stapleton: Yeah. They are tight knit and they, and they can share experiences, you know, from, from institution to institution and, uh, exp you know, ex I think that type of experience will, will help, uh, our department and, uh, and just R you know, it's, it's nice to have rivalries, you know, and I think that's going to that be established. And those, sometimes those rivalries happen not between individual sports, but between the institutions and then the, the, the teams all gather into that. So that that's gonna be exciting. I mean, I can see natural rivalries with the schools that are closest to you, the hosts that the, uh, Delawares the, Drexels where your fans can get to very easily. And that's what, that's, what kind of builds those rivalries. They wanna beat their neighbor. Next door Matt Harmon: Full membership for Monmouth university starts July 1st, 2022. Being able to break it down here on our Monmouth weekly podcast. Jeff, appreciate you coming on and, and giving us, uh, such such great insight into this. I thought yesterday was such a rousing success for the athletic department and the university as a whole, and, uh, a, a, a full congratulations to you as the head of the athletic department for spearheading this move and getting it done. Jeff Stapleton: Well, thank you, Matt. And it's it. This is, we are just a part of this institution and we are so we're so excited to be a part of it. And this is a move for the institution, not just athletics, Matt Harmon: President Lehe, final word to you as, as we always do exciting times, uh, at Monmouth, I, I would imagine this probably will have a place on your 2022 top 10 list. Patrick Leahy: , I'm quite sure of it. Uh, yes, it will have. I hope also, uh, you know, our first few, uh, football wins in the CAA are make it to that, uh, top 20, uh, top 10 list for 20, 22 as well. I, it was so well said what Jeff said. This is, um, uh, this is a great move for our entire university. And, uh, I hope the entire university sees it as such. Um, this is an exciting time. Uh, this university is on the move, despite the challenges of the pandemic and the challenges that we face. We're not immune to the demographic, uh, changes out there and all the, like, um, we're not immune to those challenges, but, uh, this university is on the move and this, uh, decision yesterday, or this announcement yesterday is just the latest in a whole series of things we hope to get done in the next five years, Matt Harmon: It's become a catch freeze around campus and CA commissioner Joe D Antonio finished his remarks yesterday with it's a great day to be a Hawk. And clearly that is the case as Monmouth makes the move into the CAA for university president Patrick Lehi, our thanks to athletic director, Jeff Stapleton. This is Matt Harmon saying, thanks so much for listening to another episode. Ofout weekly. We'll be back pretty soon with episode number 39, go.