Column: Mung Chiang can shape Northwestern athletics' future. He needs to if NU wants to be competitive
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Northwestern made a massive offseason splash, hiring Chip Kelly as its offensive coordinator. He was introduced on Wednesday.
Tucked down near the end of Northwestern’s press release on Monday announcing Mung Chiang as NU’s next president-elect was a paragraph noting success somewhere other than the impressive graduation rates, academic achievements and more.
"Under Chiang’s presidency, Purdue’s men’s basketball team reached the national championship game," the press release said. "And during the 2024-25 school year, 248 Purdue athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten honors."
It’s subtle. It’s also important.
Northwestern’s next president will join the university at a critical time. NIL legislatures and ever-changing developments mean Chiang will need to make decisions about athletic finances.
There’s so much Northwestern boasts as a university. Chiang knows this, too.
"I am honored and thrilled to be Northwestern’s next president," Chiang said in a statement. "I have long admired Northwestern for its dedication to interdisciplinary scholarship, artistic creation and impactful research, its tremendous healthcare system, and its palpable school spirit.
Northwestern University names Mung Chiang as next president
Northwestern University named Mung Chiang, the president of Purdue University since 2023, as its new president on Monday.
But, some of his biggest decisions will affect athletics.
That’s something NU coaches have already been thinking about. Chiang’s hire will shape the future of Northwestern athletics.
Northwestern has already shown it has the leadership, coaches and facilities to compete for national titles. NU needs more if it wants to compete on the biggest stages.
Big picture view:
After Purdue beat Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament, ‘Cats men’s basketball coach Chris Collins delivered end-of-the-season thoughts.
He eulogized a difficult season. The young Wildcats struggled, as expected with a lineup mostly of freshmen. Unprompted, Collins brought up the impending presidential hire.
"This is going to be a huge hire when it comes to athletics," Collins said in March. "Does our new president that we bring in, is that going to be a commitment?"
That remains to be seen. But, there’s an understanding at least. Chiang oversaw multiple years of Purdue basketball where the Boilermakers retained Braden Smith and other stars, played for a national championship and won a Big Ten championship.
The Wildcats already compete for titles, too. They're competing for their second national lacrosse title in four years this weekend, they've won three women's field hockey titles since 2021 and won a women's golf national title in 2025. That's proof they can compete.
It's proof they have the means to make champions.
Collins noted this because teams are beyond asking presidents and college administrations to invest in their programs. These teams need that investment, or else they’re going to be left behind.
It's a lot to ask, but every university is asking the same of its presidents, chancellors and leaders.
"It's got to trickle down to the administration and coaching, and everybody's got to be in alignment in order to win because the programs that are winning, that's what they're doing," Collins said. "They're aligned. There's a commitment to winning with resources, with investment. There's no reason that we can't be one of those places in my mind. I'm fully convinced. But it's going to take everybody together to want to do that."
The Bottom Line:
It’s only fair that Northwestern athletics gets some answers here.
Investing in athletics can lead to the promised land. The two all-time losing programs in Big Ten football history have been Indiana and Northwestern. The former just won the national championship by investing in a player who would win the Heisman Trophy and a roster of experienced players.
Indiana obviously has a primary benefactor in Mark Cuban who, putting it lightly, can change the game with the amount of funds he can provide the IU football program. If Northwestern has a Cuban-adjacent benefactor in its backyard, yesterday would have been a good time to find them. But, Chiang will be the person leading the charge.
The bottom line is that the Hoosiers, with an assist from Cuban and others, have evolved.
That’s what Collins said the incoming president needs to do for Northwestern.
"This is going to be a huge off-season from top to bottom," Collins said then. "We've got to really examine because you have to evolve. Maybe some of the things that I'm doing and what I thought and maybe some of the ways – maybe that's not what needs to be done. I want to win. I want to win. I'm a competitor. You guys know that. I want to win the right way. I want to win with good people. I want to compete in this league."
Chiang will be the one to answer these questions. It’s a lot to put at the feet of a president whose first day on the job is in June, but his decisions will shape the immediate and long-term future of Northwestern athletics.
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NU has already felt this pain basketball-wise. Tre Singleton and Tyler Kropp, two of the highest-rated recruits in program history, transferred out for other programs.
The coaches put it on themselves to be better.
"I'm anxious and excited to get a new president, to get together and everybody and hopefully have a commitment to saying, you know what, we want to do this," Collins said. "I'm all in on doing everything in my power. I've got to be better."
They need more, though. This present-day environment requires more from administrations in the NIL landscape. They need more from the new administration if NU wants to win championships, like football coach David Braun has aspired to do.
Again, NU already competes for titles.
If Northwestern wants to say it aspires to win championships on the biggest stages, then it needs investment from Chiang’s incoming leadership.
"There's a standard of excellence," Collins said. "We should want that, and we have the means to do that."