Marshall University Athletics
10/27/2026 1:48:00 PM | General, Student-Athlete Health and Wellness
Marshall VP/AD joins panel to discuss importance of ‘From the Mountains, Not the Sidelines’ and the impact of mental wellness on human performance in sport
From The Mountains, Not The Sidelines – White Paper
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Vice President and Director of Athletics Gerald J. Harrison will be speaking alongside national leaders at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit on Wednesday afternoon at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Harrison is one of 350+ leaders globally from within the collegiate and professional realms of athletics to make their way to Chicago for the summit, which will discuss the evolving nature of sports on many different levels while looking into issues to build for the future.
Harrison joins the likes of prominent sports figures such as Tim Tebow, Len Elmore and Muffet McGraw, former and current presidents and athletic directors like Gordon Gee, Candice Lee Story, Nina King and Bubba Cunningham, media members such as Mike Tirico and Sarah Spain and other prominent sports personnel like former NCAA Chief Medical Officer Brian Hainline and former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, along with the co-founders of the ASU+GSV Summit – Michael Cohn, Michael Moe and Deborah Quazzo – as esteemed panelists at the Obama Presidential Center.
"I am excited to represent Marshall University and be in the room where it happens, alongside thought leaders from across so many fields, to help discuss and shape the future of college athletics," Harrison said. "I appreciate Michael Cohn and GSV Sports for bringing this group together in Chicago for a conversation that matters to our student-athletes, our universities and our communities."
Harrison will serve on a panel for a discussion titled, "Sports as the Engine of Mental Wellness & Human Performance … Defining the New Paradigm."
Since coming to Marshall, Harrison has focused on the student-athlete experience and mental health well-being for student-athletes, and this discussion tackles the mental health crisis within sport from all angles with Harrison joining a world-renowned sports medicine leader, an Olympic researcher on resilience and a performance scientist to dive into how to proactively make athlete well-being the foundation of performance in sports instead of it being a reactive emergency response.
Harrison's portion of the discussion will also touch on several principles previously discussed within 'From the Mountains, Not the Sidelines' - Marshall University's white paper that discussed the quickly-changing landscape of collegiate athletics while outlining how financial pressures have widened the gap between the power conference schools and those within the Group of Six category.
The summit gives Harrison an opportunity to not only showcase the research and efforts made here at Marshall University and Marshall's approach to its future, but also to discuss its contents with some of the greatest sports leaders in the world for an exciting groupthink session that can lead to a bigger and brighter tomorrow for Marshall University, Marshall Athletics and the student-athletes, staff and community which represent it.
"'From the Mountains, Not the Sidelines' - the title of the white paper President Brad Smith, Board of Governors Chair Kathy Eddy and I authored – reflects how we intend to lead Marshall: with a voice, with ideas and with a willingness to help build solutions," Harrison said. "This summit is an opportunity to put that commitment to action, learn from others and work together to preserve the opportunities that make college athletics so meaningful."
Harrison's discussion panel on mental health is one facet of a bigger afternoon session of the summit called "8 Rooms, 1 Future" that provides eight focal points seen as the pillars of success for the future of global sports from the youth level to professional.
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