Bartholomae’s contract will formally be approved by the Board of Trustees at their upcoming Sept. meeting, but his tenure will officially begin on Aug. 31.

In the release, Bartholomae pledged his commitment to his new position at MSU.

“It is a dream come true and a tremendous honor for my family and I to join the Spartan community! Michigan State Athletics has everything required to thrive in this new era of college sports: top-level student-athletes, outstanding coaches, a global alumni network and a university leadership team committed to excellence,” Bartholomae said. “Throughout my career, I have been drawn to institutions that believe athletics can elevate a university and unite a community. That is certainly true at Michigan State. I am excited to get to work, listen, learn and help elevate Spartan Athletics to new standards together with all of you.”

Bartholomae has been leading Western Michigan University (WMU) as vice president and director of athletics since 2022.

At WMU, Bartholomae oversaw historic growth in various programs. The Broncos football team won the 2025 MAC Championship, and its hockey team won its first-ever national championship in the same year.

Bartholomae also led record-breaking fundraising efforts for the department. According to the release, average annual giving has increased by 473% and the number of unique donors has increased by 105% since his arrival at WMU.

Also mentioned in the release, President Guskiewicz took note of Bartholomae’s experience building new facilities, both at WMU and Oregon State University (OSU).

After an August 2025 contract extension and pay increase, Bartholomae was set to stay in Kalamazoo through 2031, earning $750,000 a year in base salary, according to documents obtained by The Detroit News.

Details of his MSU contract haven't been disclosed, but his previous WMU contract included a $5.1 million buyout in year one of the new contract. In year two, it would drop to $4.25 million, and in the third year, it would fall to $3.4 million.

After the loss of former Athletic Director J. Batt in June, Bartholomae will inherit Batt’s Spartan Ventures initiative and a hefty $401 million athletic donation from Greg and Dawn Williams.

Batt departed from MSU after one year in his position to take on the athletic director position at the University of Kentucky. This followed President Guskiewicz’ announced plans to become president of Clemson University in May, which was then reversed in July.

A news conference introducing Bartholomae to the community is set to take place on Wed., Aug. 19 at 1 p.m.