Spartan Stadium north end zone entrance in East Lansing, Mich., on July 14, 2026.
Michigan State University has landed its next athletic director following the sudden departure of J Batt in July.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, former Western Michigan Athletic Director Dan Bartholomae, is reported to be the university’s ninth athletic director since 1995.
At WMU, Bartholomae oversaw historic growth in various programs. The Broncos Football team won the 2025 MAC Championship and the Hockey team won its first ever national championship in the same year. After a August 2025 contract extension and pay increase, Bartholomae was set to stay in Kalamazoo through 2031, earning $750,000 a year in annual base salary, according to documents obtained by The Detroit News.
The contract includes a $5.1 million buyout in year one of the new contract, in year two it drops to $4.25 million and in the third year it falls to $3.4 million.
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