Barke will try to deliver SEMO athletics to sustained success

Over the past 11 months, then-interim athletic director Brady Barke has been asked time and again whether Southeast Missouri State University can have success at the Division I level.

As a Division II institution decades ago, Southeast had much success. Since the conversion to Division I, there have been more downs than ups. Consistent winning has not followed splashes of success, at least in men's basketball and football.

So Barke has been asked the question.

"The answer is we can and we will," Barke said.

Barke was announced as the school's athletic director Wednesday. He will officially take over July 1. He has been serving in the interim capacity since Mark Alnutt vacated the post to take a deputy AD job at the University of Memphis.

According to reporting by Southeast Missourian sports writer Erin Unerstall, there were more than 50 applicants, seven of whom participated in Skype interviews before being narrowed down to three finalists -- Barke, University of New Mexico senior associate athletic director Kurt Esser and Archdiocese of Los Angeles executive director of development Dan Coonan.

Barke has a long history of athletics and is clearly qualified for the post. He played basketball and golf at Webster University, where he received his bachelor's degree in biology. He earned a juris doctoral degree from Southern Illinois University School of Law and his master's in business administration from Southeast. He came to Southeast in 2008 as assistant director of athletics for compliance and eligibility and later served as interim associate director of athletics for compliance and student support services.

In 2013 he was named senior associate to the president and secretary to the Southeast Board of Regents before moving back to the athletics department as interim AD in 2015.

Barke clearly understands athletics; he has a background in law and business; he knows the culture of Southeast Missouri State and Cape Girardeau. He certainly has a clear picture of the potential and challenges before him.

So when he says "the answer is we can and we will," we take his words sincerely. He knows the ins and outs and the mistakes and successes of the athletic department, and he has a vision of how to get Southeast athletics to take the next steps.

He said part of his job in the first 100 or so days of his official duties, a major priority will be to articulate that vision publicly. Obviously, he's been taking notes over the past 11 months. We look forward to seeing how he plans to move the needle. He has said his vision includes giving coaches the resources needed to recruit the right players, providing competitive salaries and upgrading facilities.

Some upgrades are already on the books or in the works, including a new weight room, improvements at Capaha Field where the university plays baseball and upgrades at the Show Me Center.

Athletics can play a role in the overall health of a university. Good sports programs generate pride -- and a whole lot of fun -- for the school and can improve enrollment numbers and in some cases bring more money to the university.

For those who might think the search for AD was a dog-and-pony show and the job was Barke's all along, the university insists that was not the case. It was an open process, and Barke was the last man standing.

Barke is qualified for the post.

We wish him well as he directs the athletics department in a positive direction. We think he can and he will.