Photo by: Northwestern Athletics
Northwestern Athletics and Recreation Update
7/23/2025 9:00:00 AM | General
Dear Wildcat Family,
Happy summer!
I want to thank you for your support during my first year at Northwestern. It has been a year highlighted by remarkable athletic and academic accomplishments, seismic changes in the NCAA landscape, and, most importantly, getting to know the incredible people in the NU community. I am truly honored to serve as your Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation and lead the 'Cats!
When I arrived in Evanston, I shared my vision for Northwestern Athletics and Recreation:
While we have much to celebrate, we still have a great deal of work ahead of us. The recent approval of the NCAA House settlement marks a future that includes revenue sharing and expanded scholarships for student-athletes. At NU, we are ready—and eager—to lead in this new environment, building on our tradition of excellence while charting a bold path forward.
With the onset of this settlement, the need to invest in the complete student-athlete experience is stronger than ever. Our Wildcat Fund, a tax-deductible annual fund, is an opportunity for our community to show their support for NU student-athletes. Your investment provides the robust resources our student-athletes need to compete and thrive at the highest level of both college athletics and academics. We are committed to our student-athletes and know that you are too.
The Wildcat Fund is also now the primary way for you to support our student-athletes, a role previously complemented by our NIL collective, TrueNU. We are incredibly grateful to Executive Director Jacob Schmidt and the TrueNU Board of Directors for their tireless efforts. They made an incredible impact on our programs, our student-athletes and our community during a critical time for Northwestern Athletics.
To position our department for long-term success in this new era of college athletics, I have finalized my C-Suite team. Christian Sarkisian has been hired as General Manager to oversee our revenue-share and NIL operations. I've also promoted Jesse Marks to Chief Revenue Officer, appointed former Interim Senior Deputy Director of Athletics Pat Goss as Chief Operating Officer, named Savanna Wood as Chief Branding and Communications Officer, and elevated Janna Blais to Chief Administrative Officer.
As we continue to focus on graduating complete student-athletes and winning championships, we are steadfast in our commitment to providing a world-class experience for our student-athletes and fans. This includes enhancing our already world-class portfolio of athletic facilities.
Please know that our doors are always open to the entire Wildcat Family, and I cannot thank you enough for welcoming me into this wonderful community.
Go 'Cats!
Mark Jackson, Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation
Happy summer!
I want to thank you for your support during my first year at Northwestern. It has been a year highlighted by remarkable athletic and academic accomplishments, seismic changes in the NCAA landscape, and, most importantly, getting to know the incredible people in the NU community. I am truly honored to serve as your Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation and lead the 'Cats!
When I arrived in Evanston, I shared my vision for Northwestern Athletics and Recreation:
- Align with the goals and mission of the larger university.
- Graduate complete student-athletes with a lifetime love and connection to Northwestern.
- Win championships.
- Create a culture of compliance and community.
- Be fiscally sound and generate revenue.
- Tell our story with impact.
- NU's 98% NCAA Graduation Success Rate leads the Big Ten for the 20th consecutive year and ranks second nationally among all FBS institutions.
- The cumulative GPA for our more than 500 student-athletes was an impressive 3.56.
- With national championships in field hockey and women's golf, and a runner-up national championship finish for women's lacrosse, we continued to prove we have the strongest platform for women's sports in the country.
- Individual accolades for our esteemed student-athletes and coaches are too numerous to list, but they indicate that we are thriving in the Big Ten - the premier and most competitive athletic conference in the country.
While we have much to celebrate, we still have a great deal of work ahead of us. The recent approval of the NCAA House settlement marks a future that includes revenue sharing and expanded scholarships for student-athletes. At NU, we are ready—and eager—to lead in this new environment, building on our tradition of excellence while charting a bold path forward.
With the onset of this settlement, the need to invest in the complete student-athlete experience is stronger than ever. Our Wildcat Fund, a tax-deductible annual fund, is an opportunity for our community to show their support for NU student-athletes. Your investment provides the robust resources our student-athletes need to compete and thrive at the highest level of both college athletics and academics. We are committed to our student-athletes and know that you are too.
The Wildcat Fund is also now the primary way for you to support our student-athletes, a role previously complemented by our NIL collective, TrueNU. We are incredibly grateful to Executive Director Jacob Schmidt and the TrueNU Board of Directors for their tireless efforts. They made an incredible impact on our programs, our student-athletes and our community during a critical time for Northwestern Athletics.
To position our department for long-term success in this new era of college athletics, I have finalized my C-Suite team. Christian Sarkisian has been hired as General Manager to oversee our revenue-share and NIL operations. I've also promoted Jesse Marks to Chief Revenue Officer, appointed former Interim Senior Deputy Director of Athletics Pat Goss as Chief Operating Officer, named Savanna Wood as Chief Branding and Communications Officer, and elevated Janna Blais to Chief Administrative Officer.
As we continue to focus on graduating complete student-athletes and winning championships, we are steadfast in our commitment to providing a world-class experience for our student-athletes and fans. This includes enhancing our already world-class portfolio of athletic facilities.
- The new Ryan Field will be unlike anything college football has ever seen and will serve as a showcase not only for our campus but also for the entire Chicagoland community.
- We are preparing to break ground on Kip and Sara Kirkpatrick Stadium - a transformative project for our deserving softball program. The design will feature a team clubhouse with a players' lounge and new locker rooms. In the new layout, softball student-athlete support areas for training, team development, practice and competition will be centrally located and easier for the student-athletes to access. The renovated stadium will greatly enhance our fan experience with chairback seats in the bowl, lights, and a new sound system.
- We are also excited to welcome you back to the lake front later this summer—nothing beats catching a game on the water with the NU spirit at full volume.
Please know that our doors are always open to the entire Wildcat Family, and I cannot thank you enough for welcoming me into this wonderful community.
Go 'Cats!
Mark Jackson, Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation
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