GREEN BAY – It’s been one year since the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay hired Charles Guthrie as its athletic director.

Guthrie has been busy since his first day on the job.

In February, he signed women’s basketball coach Kevin Borseth to a contract extension through the 2024-25 season that likely allows the legendary coach to retire in Green Bay.

He put the finishing touches on a new contract with the Resch Center for men’s basketball in September that also calls for a handful of games to be played at the Kress Center on campus each season.

Guthrie hired full-time coaches for tennis and golf for the first time in school history. He named Abbey Sutherland as volleyball coach, and now is enjoying watching the team riding a nine-match winning streak entering a contest Friday at Youngstown State.

The school also has a new high definition digital board that is 40 feet wide by 20 feet tall and a digital scorer’s table at the Kress, a new radio partner for basketball in WDUZ (1400 AM, 107.5 FM), celebrated the grand opening of its new soccer stadium this summer and is improving its softball facility, expected to be completed by August.

“Coming in, I wanted to focus on delivering success in the classroom and in competition, to serve our student-athletes and to ensure our team of staff and coaches are the types of leaders we want our student-athletes to be,” Guthrie said. “I wanted to connect with the community, our fans and donors, not only to ensure we have the support we need, but to ensure I'm delivering the outcomes they expect.

“We have a loyal, enthusiastic and passionate fan base and I want to make sure they are truly enjoying the experiences and the interaction they have at any touchpoint they may have with the program, whether that's buying tickets, attending an event, following us on social media, buying UWGB gear. Whatever that engagement might be, my goal is to ensure it is a 100 percent positive experience.”

As the school approaches its 50th anniversary of athletics next fall, Guthrie answered questions for the Press-Gazette about what the future looks like, including whispers that the school could add a nonscholarship FCS football team.

There are several DI schools with nonscholarship football that make up the Pioneer League, including Valparaiso and Butler. Morehead State is the only public school in the conference.

From a university standpoint, enrollment and growing the campus is key. What things has, or can, athletics do to help with that? Is this where you see additional sports coming into play?

Facilities can certainly help. The new soccer stadium is a core example, as well as the student-athlete academic center. Prioritizing diversity can help, and yes, adding sports can be a factor in enrollment. We try to constantly assess how UWGB athletics can help contribute to the university's core goals, driving enrollment being one of those objectives.

As you continue to engage the UWGB student body, what things have been done to help with that area and what things are being considered?

Competitive success, facilities, engaging events such as Soctoberfest, moving men’s basketball games to the Kress Center and updating seating. The game atmosphere, (such as) student party deck and DJ at games.

Looking ahead to potentially adding new programs, what do you see as the challenges and the positives that come with it?

The primary challenge is the cost for new facilities, getting new programs off the ground and assessing how that plays out in comparison to the potential uptick in enrollment. The other challenge is conference affiliation of any additional sports that may not be offered by the Horizon League.

The positives are growing our program and adding new student-athletes. It not only drives overall enrollment, but it can bring new energy to the program as a whole. We’d grow our fan base and demonstrate UWGB's willingness to invest in a premiere fan and student experience by showing we aren't sitting still. We are always looking to be dynamic and help establish UWGB as a thriving Division I program.

What sort of things are discussed when considering new sports?

First and foremost, Title IX, as well as cost, facilities required and conference affiliation and scheduling.

Have you or are you considering hiring a consultant to study the possibility of adding FCS nonscholarship football? Do nonscholarship opportunities affect Title IX numbers?

We’ve had strategic conversations on what could the next 50 years of GB athletics look like. Any and all decisions will take into consideration critical Title IX implications and the greater strategic vision of the university.

The addition of new sports is always being discussed, but specifically to football because of its popularity in the Green Bay area, how serious are you about possibly adding football? How far along in this process would you say you are?

Obviously, we have ongoing, consistent discussions about what we can do to evolve and improve the existing athletic program and how any strategic decisions will impact the institution as a whole. Specific to football or the addition of any other sports, I'd characterize conversations as in the very early stages with no formal plans in process.

Based on what you know on the addition of football, what do you see as the early challenges or hurdles? What would be the benefits of having football at UWGB?

With the addition of any program, including what are considered more high-profile or revenue sports such as football or ice hockey, cost will play a critical role in any formal discussions or plans.

Enrollment is also a key consideration point. For example, studies show college football has an impact on driving enrollment, and that is a priority here at UWGB.

Moreover, the chancellor (Gary Miller) and new vice chancellor of campus climate and student affairs (Eric Arneson) are continually assessing how UWGB athletics can play a role in offering a robust student experience for the entire campus.

Why now in 2018 is UWGB considering the addition of a football team?

For me, it is based less on the timing of the discussion, and more my approach and my commitment to our program and our university. I'm constantly looking to bring forward ideas, opportunities and to think about the future success of UWGB athletics, so if we aren't at least putting the discussion of additional sports on the table, I'm not being the leader I need to be or meeting the expectations set forward by Chancellor Miller.

With yours and UWGB's direct connection to the Packers, will you use them or lean on them as a resource throughout this process?

The Packers are the most historic football organization in the world, and I don't think that is an exaggeration by any stretch of the imagination. When the world thinks about football, and even internationally 'American football' people know the Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi and Lambeau Field, as well as many of the Hall of Fame players who wore green and gold.

So, if we were to take discussions on bringing football to UWGB to a more formal phase, we would absolutely engage with the Packers as a resource at every step of that process.

Although this is in the very early stage of the process, have there been discussions on where the team would play? On campus? Existing facility in the Green Bay area?

Whether it is an existing program or a new program, ideally, we'd like all our programs to have an on-campus facility as an option.

What year do you see the first game being played? Next five years? Next 10 years? Sooner?

That depends on if we were to move into formal planning. From establishment of an official feasibility study to first game, I'd estimate it could be six years.

How feasible, with the state budget challenges already in place, is it to start and continuously run a successful football program? Successful from a budgetary standpoint.

If you add any sports in today’s college athletic climate, cost will be a huge determination. We would think about the end goals of a new team in the same way we evaluate the success of existing sports. We expect to compete for championships and provide a top-notch student-athlete experience, therefore any budget implications for a new program would take into account the cost of putting forward a competitive team. What that means is taking into account not only the operational costs, but the cost of top-tier facilities, uniforms, coaches and other elements that contribute to a competitive environment.

With any new addition to the program, I'd also want to ensure we had the buy-in of our community, both on campus, in Green Bay and extending outward from there. Fundraising would be an imperative to the success of adding sports, whatever those might be, so we'd want to be aligned with the people who contribute to our program.

Are there any other sports, men’s or women’s, that are being considered at this time?

When I joined, the previous administration was considering adding women's indoor and outdoor track and field. At this point, I'd characterize the addition of new programs as all in the very early stages. There are no new programs in the official planning stage at this time.