Cougars former administrator has challenging new job
Retired administrator looks to help ease transition at national organization
So much for a quiet retirement.
Former University of Regina Cougars administrator Dick White recently agreed to become interim CEO of U Sports — the governing body for university athletics in Canada — after the departure of former president/ceo Graham Brown.
White was officially hired on June 2, just six days before U Sports announced the cancellation of its fall schedule due to COVID -19. He now faces a unique challenge in helping guide the organization during a time of unparalleled adversity.
“It’s a difficult circumstance, but it is an organization I care deeply for,” White said. “I’m not trying to do it all by myself. There’s lots of support and lots of help. The decision-making is very collegial (through a board of directors) … so I don’t feel a huge stress or burden in that regard. It’s more a matter of how I can help this organization during a difficult time.”
Although most of the work regarding COVID-19 was done before his appointment, White agrees with the cancellation of team competitions this fall. He noted that several factors went into the decision, but it’s ultimately about the “health and safety of the athletes.”
“It’s absolutely heartbreaking but, in saying all that, it’s absolutely the best decision,” he said. “I would almost go as far to say it was probably the only decision that could be made.”
White is holding out some level of hope that sports like basketball, volleyball and hockey can resume after Jan. 1.
However, he’s “not hugely optimistic if we don’t have a vaccine.”
“Things change daily, but is it going to change enough?” he wondered. “Even now, with some of the health restrictions, I don’t believe we could put our two basketball teams on a bus and go to Edmonton. I was joking with somebody and said: ‘Holy geez, if our football team was to go somewhere, we’d need seven buses.’
“It’s very challenging to think, without a vaccine, that we can safely move forward. But I’m willing to wait and see. I’d sure love to see some championships in the winter.”
White has dedicated much of his career to university sport, spending 34 years at the U of R — 20 as athletic director — before retiring in 2014. He was inducted last year into the Canada West hall of fame and is a former recipient of the Austin-matthews Award for service to university sports.
White has also been inducted into the Regina Sports Hall of Fame (2013) and Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (2015). During his time at the U of R, White held various other leadership positions, including stints as president of the CIS and Canada West boards.
He even stayed involved in retirement, working on various initiatives and committees, including as chair of men’s hockey.
Over the coming months, White hopes to tackle some projects that have been on the back burner at the U Sports level.
However, his primary task is to ensure the organization remains stable and is prepared to “hit the ground running” when sports are able to resume.
“(The board) felt they may need a bridge between the former CEO and the next one during this time when it’s not ideal to be out recruiting somebody,” explained White, who accepted the job with a condition that he could remain in Regina.
“They felt I could provide some leadership for the organization in a difficult time.”
White hopes to eventually hand off the position in a more normalized environment. He’s expected to remain in place for roughly 9 to 12 months.
“I basically said, as we get closer to a year, I need to see some action or I’m going to fire myself,” he added with a laugh.
“I’m not saying I wouldn’t, if needed, add a month or two. But I’m not interested in a brand new career and a full-time CEO position moving forward. Part of my role will be to create what kind of qualities we’re looking for in the next CEO and get a bit of recruitment going on that.
“There’s going to be some hard days for sure, but I think I have enough energy to handle them.”