Marquette, MI – August 20th, 2026 – Just one year into his tenure leading Michigan State’s athletic department, J Batt announced his decision to leave the university and accept the athletic director position at the University of Kentucky. Batt’s departure came during a tumultuous stretch for Michigan State, which had already faced uncertainty surrounding the university’s leadership.
In May, Michigan State President Kevin Guskiewicz was announced as the next president of Clemson University, only to reverse course in July and announce that he would remain at Michigan State. In the midst of that upheaval, Batt departed for Kentucky, while the university’s Board of Trustees faced growing criticism over its handling of the situation.
In a letter to faculty announcing his decision to leave for Clemson, Guskiewicz criticized the board’s “discouraging behavior,” including what he described as “the actions of some to abuse their access to privileged and confidential information to misrepresent facts.”
Guskiewicz ultimately remained at Michigan State and helped lead the search for Batt’s replacement, which resulted in the hiring of Western Michigan Athletic Director Dan Bartholomae. Bartholomae, who has served as Western Michigan’s athletic director since Jan. 1, 2022, was officially introduced as Michigan State’s new athletic director Wednesday.
“It is a dream come true and a tremendous honor for my family and I to join the Spartan community,” Bartholomae said during his introductory press conference. “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 arrived at Western Michigan after spending five years as the executive deputy athletic director at Oregon State. He joined Oregon State in 2017 after a 15-year career at the University of Pittsburgh, where he worked his way through eight different positions after beginning his career in 2002 as a compliance and game operations assistant.
During his time leading the Broncos, Western Michigan won 37 conference championships, made 35 NCAA postseason appearances and produced 17 All-Americans and 38 conference award recipients. The biggest highlight came in 2025, when Western Michigan men’s ice hockey captured the first NCAA championship in program history. The national championship was the school’s first in 60 years.
That accomplishment was followed by Western Michigan winning only its fourth conference football championship, making the school just the third Division I institution to win a national championship in hockey and an FBS conference championship in the same calendar year.
In 2026, Bartholomae was named a finalist for the Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year award. Bartholomae also brings extensive experience in fundraising, an increasingly important responsibility for athletic directors in the modern college sports landscape. During the 2025-26 academic year, Western Michigan raised a school-record $21.8 million. Since Bartholomae arrived in Kalamazoo, average annual giving has increased by 473%, while the number of unique donors has increased by 105%. His track record of fundraising, athletic success and administrative experience will now be put to the test at one of the nation’s most prominent college athletic departments. For Bartholomae, however, Michigan State has been more than simply another opportunity.
“It’s been a bucket-list job from the moment that I walked into the office at Western Michigan in 2022,” Bartholomae said.
Bartholomae spoke highly of his time at Western Michigan, making it clear that leaving Kalamazoo was not an easy decision.
“That is not a place you just walk away from. It is special,” he said. “There’s a reason why we’ve had the success we’ve had, and it’s not just because of me. But again, I go back to the people and the foundation and the opportunity.”
While building Western Michigan into one of the nation’s more successful mid-major athletic departments, Bartholomae said he always kept an eye on Michigan State.
“I’ve had my eye on this place. Kevin knows that, others know that, too,” he said. “I’ve walked around these events, we’ve played here, and I’ve taken notes. And this was the one I wanted, always has been. And I’m really glad to be here.”
Bartholomae also has a history with Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo dating back to his first months at Western Michigan.
“My relationship with Coach Izzo started during my first few months on the job at Western Michigan in 2022,” Bartholomae said. “I was sitting in my office, and I get a random call from a 517 number. And I thought, oh, maybe I’ll pick this up. It was coach.”
Bartholomae said Izzo reached out simply to get to know him and offer advice and support as a new athletic director in the state.
“Coach, I answered the call then, and I will always answer it moving forward,” Bartholomae said. “I very much appreciate your counsel, and we are gonna be great teammates.”
For Bartholomae, becoming a Division I athletic director at the highest level has been a goal since the beginning of his career. He began in college athletics in 2002 as an administrative graduate assistant, where one of his first responsibilities was helping connect student-athletes with members of the community to find employment after graduation. More than two decades and numerous administrative positions later, Bartholomae said that same mission of serving student-athletes and building connections within the community remains at the center of his career.
“I’ve had hundreds of responsibilities since that moment, but that mission, serving student-athletes, building community through connection and advancement, that has never left me,” Bartholomae said.
“And in those first few weeks on the job, I knew that it was my dream, my dream, to become a Division I athletic director at the highest level. So, folks, I am living my dream today.”
Bartholomae holds a bachelor’s degree in policy analysis and public affairs from Indiana University and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He and his wife, Lauren, have two children, Dylan and Lily. His first day at Michigan State will be Monday, Aug. 31. The MSU Board of Trustees is expected to formally approve Bartholomae’s contract at its upcoming Sept. 11 meeting.
If you’d like to watch Bartholomae’s introductory press conference in its entirety, click the link below.
