Jeff Schulman’s athletic administration career was almost over before it even started, especially if the Boston Bruins had their way.
In a dark, cold, no-heating basement on Cape Cod, where the then-Eastern College Athletic Conference offices were headquartered, a young Schulman was a newly minted intern when he was confronted by the commissioner.
Schulman recalled the commissioner walking downstairs, handing him the Boston Globe sports section, and telling him, “Is there something we should be talking about?”
A story centered on Bruins camp noted that the only no-show was “Vermont defenseman Jeff Schulman, who was locked in a contract dispute.”
There was one problem with that framing … Schulman was not holding out at all.
“I said, well, there’s no contract dispute,” he said. “I’m where I want to be, and excited for this next chapter of my life.”
He was exactly where he wanted to be.
That choice, unlikely as it may have seemed for a hockey player drafted by the Bruins in 1989, became the defining decision of Schulman’s professional life. Instead of chasing pro hockey, he chose athletic administration and kept finding his way back to Vermont.
In an era when Division I athletic directors often move from stop to stop, Schulman’s path stands out for its loyalty. President Tom Sullivan appointed him Vermont’s director of athletics in April 2016, and he officially assumed the role on July 1, becoming the ninth athletic director in the modern era of UVM Athletics and only the fourth since 1973.
Long before that promotion, Schulman had already become part of the department’s foundation. A Vermont hockey alum who graduated in 1989, he completed the Asa Bushnell Internship with the ECAC, worked in athletics at Bates College from 1990 to 1993, and then returned to UVM as an assistant athletic director. He later rose to senior associate athletic director, helping oversee a wide range of management areas, including finances, sport oversight, fundraising, and capital projects.
What was initially supposed to be a short return turned into a career.
“I was thrilled to be hired by then athletic director Rick Farnahm, who was an amazing mentor and friend,” Schulman said of the Vermont opening in the early 1990s. “I was 26 years old, and thought I’d likely be in the role for four or five years, get my master’s, gain some experience, and then move on, as most young athletic administrators do.. And that four or five years has turned into almost 34 years.”
That kind of longevity is rare in college athletics. Staying at one place is rarer still.
“I certainly recognize how unique it is, particularly for Division One athletic directors to essentially have a whole career at one institution,” Schulman said. “And for me, especially, to have it be my alma mater has been particularly gratifying.”
That does not mean it was always the blueprint.
“It definitely wasn’t my plan to stay at UVM for my entire career,” he said.
But Vermont kept making sense. Burlington felt like home. The institution aligned with his values. And the work kept evolving.
“I love Burlington, I love UVM, my wife Deb and I have raised three amazing kids here, and it’s an honor to serve at a place that means so much to me, personally and professionally,” Schulman said.
That connection comes through when he talks about Vermont Athletics, not as a pitchman searching for a slogan, but as someone who has lived in nearly every part of the department. He was a student-athlete, an administrator rising through the ranks, and a leader on major facilities projects. He has served on multiple national and conference committees, including a recent stint as the Chair of the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Committee, and worked internationally at the Olympic Games and Maccabiah Games. He has seen college athletics from many angles, but Vermont has remained at the center.
So when coaches or student-athletes are considering the Catamounts, Schulman does not try to boil the place down into a gimmick.
“I’m probably not the best at elevator pitches,” he said. “When I’m telling the story of Vermont athletics, it’s not something that fits easily into a sound bite.”
Instead, he tells them what Vermont is.
“We’re the only Division One school in the state,” Schulman said. “The community is incredibly supportive of what we do, and I think we have a good sense of who we are and where we fit into the evolving landscape of college athletics.”
That clarity has helped Vermont stay competitive without losing itself. Schulman points to the balance the department has tried to strike between maintaining a high level of competitive success while remaining true to long-standing values.
“I think we’ve been able to strike a really healthy balance where we’ve been able to achieve a very high level of competitive success while doing things the right way, and ensuring that academics, graduation, and student-athlete wellbeing always remain front and center,” he said.
The results back that up. Over the last four years, Vermont has won 29 regular or postseason championships and had 10 different programs compete in NCAA postseason play, including a men’s soccer national title in 2024, the school’s first-ever in a sport other than skiing. At the same time, the Catamounts have excelled in the classroom, winning three straight academic cups in the America East.
That combination matters to him. So does resisting the temptation to panic in a fast-changing landscape.
“I certainly have my own personal opinions about the direction of college athletics,” Schulman said, “but I also know I can’t bury my head in the sand and pretend it isn’t happening.”
That may be the most revealing window into how Schulman leads.
The current era of college athletics has tested every department in the country. The transfer portal, athlete compensation, shifting governance models, and growing financial pressures have created a constant churn. Vermont is not immune. Schulman acknowledged that this past year, particularly in men’s basketball, was the first time the portal and NIL has “really impacted us.”
Still, his answer is not to chase every trend at any cost.
“I’m a super competitive person,” Schulman said. “I love to see our teams and student-athletes have success and win games and championships, but I also know I have a responsibility to operate our program in a way that’s financially responsible and sustainable for the long term.”
That balancing act, he believes, is central to the job. Vermont has to keep pace. It also has to stay Vermont.
“For us, that’s about putting our student-athletes front and center, academically and as people,” he said. “And obviously ensuring that they have an opportunity to be successful competitively.”
Sustainability has become one of the key words in his approach. Not because Vermont lacks ambition, but because Schulman has been around long enough to know that overextending in the arms race of college athletics typically does not end well.
“While it’s tempting to chase, my goal is to keep pace, but do it in a way that aligns with our values and that is financially responsible,” he said.
That philosophy shapes how he manages coaches. Vermont’s success has not come from one singular formula or one leadership style replicated across every program. Schulman knows different coaches need different things.
“When I think about creating a championship culture, I always start with having the right head coaches in place,” he said.
From there, it becomes an exercise in trust.
“I try really hard to hire and retain coaches that I believe in,” Schulman said. “I know I’m not perfect and I don’t expect them to be. I want them to feel supported by me and by our department.”
Some want constant dialogue. Others want distance. Schulman has learned the art of recognizing the difference.
“One of the things that I find fascinating about my job is how different coaches can be,” he said. “We have highly successful, championship-winning coaches who want to talk through every aspect of their program, which is great, and others who are equally as accomplished that prefer to operate far more independently, which can also work really well.”
That flexibility matters as much as any policy manual.
“I think part of the art of being a good administrator is to understand that each individual coach or staff member needs something different from you as a leader,” he said.
The next chapter for Vermont is not abstract. It is visible in steel, concrete, and unfinished plans.
Schulman said the department remains focused on completing a transformational facility project, one that was originally approved before the pandemic and included a new on-campus basketball/events venue, major renovations to UVM’s iconic Gutterson Fieldhouse, home for the hockey programs, and a new recreation and fitness space. The project was paused during COVID, but not abandoned.
“That’s top of mind for me all the time,” Schulman said.
He said Vermont has recently gained momentum through proposed state support and major philanthropic commitments, and he is working closely with the university’s leadership and board to bring the project across the finish line.
Even amid all the uncertainty in college athletics, Schulman does not sound worn down by the challenge.
“I actually find myself feeling energized by it,” he said. “There have been major watershed moments in college athletics in the past. Maybe nothing quite as dramatic as what we’re going through right now, but I find it exciting.”
That perspective makes more sense when you remember where his own story pivoted: not under bright lights, but in a basement office, reading a newspaper clip that got the headline wrong.
The Bruins may have thought they were missing a hockey player. In reality, college athletics had just found a lifer.
