Karen Weaver is an expert on college sports as they intersect with higher education management, media, and policy. A former Division I and Division III head coach and athletics administrator, Dr. Weaver examines college athletics from the perspectives of university presidents and trustees, athletic conference organization, higher education scholars, and sports finance. Her research includes mid majors and FBS Division I institutions, public finance and facility debt policies, and the role that college senior leaders can and should play in managing athletics.

Dr. Weaver has been a part of Penn GSE since 2007, when she began her doctoral studies in higher education management. After graduation, she left a 30+ year career in college athletics to join the faculty at Drexel University. Dr. Weaver began teaching at Penn GSE in 2012 and joined as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in 2020.

In addition to teaching in Penn GSE’s Higher Education programs, Dr. Weaver is the Academic Director and lead faculty member of the program Collegiate Athletics for Senior Campus Leaders through the Center for Professional Learning. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership, sports and digital media, marketing, and promotions. While at Drexel, Dr. Weaver was recognized by the Drexel Center for Academic Excellence for her work with undergraduate student media projects.

A long-time athletics administrator in NCAA Divisions I and III, Dr. Weaver has received numerous honors and appointments during her years in college athletics. She has worked for several Big Ten universities; she also oversaw the progression of building an athletics department program from club status into full NCAA Division III membership.

As a college athlete, she was an All-American and one of the first women ever to earn an athletics scholarship under Title IX. She was part of the United States National Training Squad in Field Hockey that qualified, but did not compete, in the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Her USA Field Hockey coaching experience includes US Olympic Training Center camps, and US Olympic Development Camps.

Dr. Weaver’s awards include:

Lock Haven University: Field Hockey Alumni Award (2016)
Penn State Abington: Chancellor’s Award of Merit (2012)
University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education: Young Alumni Award (2011)
USA Field Hockey International Coach Selection (1985-1995)
NCAA Post Season Appearances (1983-1986, 1994)
Salisbury University: Faculty of the Year (1987)
USA Today Coach of the Year (1986)
Salisbury University: NCAA Division III National Championship. Field Hockey (1986)

Research Interests and Current Projects

Dr. Weaver writes and teaches about how senior leaders in higher education can understand the role that college athletics will play as it evolves into a very different governance and financial model. Her new book, “Money, Power, Politics: What Senior Campus Leaders Need to Know about College Athletics,” will be published by Johns Hopkins Press in 2023.

For Forbes, she covers the intersection of higher education and college athletics.

Dr. Weaver hosts the podcast Trustees and Presidents: Managing Intercollegiate Athletics. Her guests have included trustees, presidents, state policy experts, media, technology and education writers, and higher education scholars, all focused on the state of affairs in college athletics.

Her first textbook, Sport Finance: Where The Money Comes From and Where The Money Goes, was published by Kendall Hunt Publishers in 2021.

Publications

Selected Publications

Weaver, K. (in press). Sports finance. Kendall Hunt Publishing.

Weaver, K. (2019, October 1). The Ash era is over, but Rutgers’ pain is not. Guest editorial, New Jersey Star Ledger.

Weaver, K. (2019, September 12). Maryland’s 5-year football review. Guest editorial, Baltimore Sun.

Weaver, K. (2019, May 13). Monarchs set example for young players, big leagues. Guest editorial, Sports Business Journal.

Weaver, K. (2019, January 15). Disney, Verizon have Philadelphia sports fans in a choke hold. Op-ed, Philadelphia Inquirer.

Weaver, K. (2018, October 22). Trial highlights how college athletes can be fed, trained and entertained-but isolated. Guest editorial, Sports Business Journal.

Weaver, K. (2018, August 31). Did big 10 pressure play a role in McNair’s death? Baltimore Sun.

Weaver, K. & Tegtmeyer, J. (2018). Big time athletic villages: Gated communities emerging on campus. Change: The Magazine for Higher Learning.

Weaver, K. (2017). Covering up murder: The death of Patrick Dennehy at Baylor University. In S. Harper, & J. Donnor (Eds.), Scandals in college sports. Routledge.

Weaver, K. (2015). Trophies, treasure and turmoil: College athletics at a tipping point. Change: The Magazine for Higher Learning.

Weaver, K. (2013). The NCAA’s best kept secret. College Sports Business News.

Weaver, K. (2013). Media deals, college football and governance: Who is in charge? Change: The Magazine for Higher Learning.

Weaver, K. (2013). Media literacy and the broadcast ‘nation’: Making sense of what we have signed on for. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport.

Weaver, K. (2013). Maryland’s board pulls a stunning move. College Sports Business News.

Weaver, K. (2011). A game change: Paying for big time college sports. Change: The Magazine for Higher Learning.

Weaver, K. (2011). Connecting fans and teams more intensively through social media. In C. Wankel (Ed.), Higher Education Administration with Social Media. Emerald Publishing.

Weaver, K. (2010). College conference realignment offers lessons in survival. Sports Business Journal.

Weaver, K. (2010). Say goodnight, Cinderella. Guest editorial, Indianapolis Star. Reprinted in Orlando Sentinel (2010).

Weaver, K. (2010). On offense. Athletic Management Magazine.

Weaver, K. (2009). At your fingertips: Using social media in athletics. Athletic Management Magazine.

Courses

EDUC 694 Organization and Administration of Intercollegiate Athletics

EDUC 800 Managing Intercollegiate Athletics for Senior Leaders

News & Media

Penn GSE News

What does the NCAA’s new constitution mean for schools and athletes? Penn GSE’s Karen Weaver, an expert on college athletics, provides some insight

The NCAA is hosting a Constitutional Convention to consider “sweeping” changes to how it governs college athletics. What's at stake? What does it mean for the future of college athletics?

January 18, 2022

College athletes deserve a bigger voice, says Karen Weaver

Penn GSE’s Karen Weaver argues that legislation pending in Congress points to the need for college athletes’ voices to be a bigger part of the conversation.

June 4, 2021

Advancing racial justice through college sports

‘It’s time for college athletics to put their considerable wealth and purchasing power behind supporting black-owned businesses,’ Karen Weaver writes in Forbes.

February 22, 2021

Are college sports sustainable after the pandemic?

There is no universal answer. But Penn GSE’s Karen Weaver says the colleges facing the toughest choices might not be the ones you’d think.

December 14, 2020

William & Mary provides a testing ground for faculty involvement in college sports

Karen Weaver, an expert on college sports in higher education, argues that perhaps the disruption of 2020 is the perfect time for faculty to reengage with college athletics.

October 23, 2020

In the Media

Apple TV wants Pac 12 broadcast rights despite loss of UCLA and USC

Karen Weaver says that the Big Ten were forward thinking when they created their own network from offerings for all their athletic programs.

Los Angelos Magazine | February 22, 2023

How to spend a billion dollars and other lessons from college-sports class

College sports are an integral part of the university experience. They help with recruiting and retention — and they help the bottom line. Penn GSE’s Karen Weaver teaches one of the country's only courses to prepare university presidents to manage the related complexities.

Washington Post | October 27, 2022

The Pros and Cons of Non-Conference ‘Pay Games’

Karen Weaver, sports finance expert, shares that Group of 5 schools use money games to supplement income instead of raising student athletic fees — which can be highly controversial, told Front Office Sports.

Front Office Sports | October 3, 2022

‘There’s so many questions’: sports-realignment shocker could mean a sea change for higher ed

Karen Weaver estimated that UCLA and USC each stood to make as much as $30 million more per year as members of the Big Ten.

The Chronicle of Higher Education | July 1, 2022

In NCAA Division I, new data shows burnout is rampant among administrators

While many former athletes, business majors and even some sports fans aspire to work in college sports, it doesn’t take long to realize that it cannot be defined as a typical 40 hour a week job, says Karen Weaver.

Forbes.com | June 5, 2022

A state higher education system struggles to create a new template for college athletics

Karen Weaver wrote about how the merging of six of Pennsylvania’s state colleges will affect student athletes.

Forbes | April 30, 2021

One of these NCAA Tournaments is not like the other

Karen Weaver spoke about gender inequity in the NCAA. “There’s a number of inequitable decisions that have been made in addition to the ones we talked about this year that just haven't drawn the same amount of attention,” she said.

KYW (Philadelphia) | March 28, 2021

Mid-major conferences brace for inevitable cuts in sports budgets because of pandemic

Karen Weaver discussed how enrollment totals may impact sports budgets for colleges and universities.

LA Times | June 20, 2020

Big questions about COVID-19 and athletics before college sports come back

Karen Weaver discussed the college sports landscape and the big questions universities and athletics programs are tackling during the coronavirus pandemic.

KWY News Radio | June 11, 2020

Cut sports? Trim coaches’ pay? A look at Gophers’ financial solutions amid coronavirus

Karen Weaver said she has seen some ideas to address the crisis, but real strategies are still lacking.

Twin Cities Pioneer Press | May 22, 2020

Can college athletes really play in the fall without a vaccine? One big 10 coaching vet thinks it’s crazy talk

Karen Weaver is interviewed about the issues surrounding college athletics returning in the fall in the face of coronavirus pandemic.

PennLive Sports Insider | May 17, 2020

Overtime: College athletic programs will have to operate differently due to COVID-19

Karen Weaver talks about the importance of college sports on campuses and the impact on college athletics from the pandemic.

Full Court Press | May 14, 2020

With football in flux, how Michigan could weather a financial downturn

Karen Weaver discussed some issues that colleges athletics programs are facing during the coronavirus pandemic.