While a law student in the late 1990s at the University of Tennessee, Molly Hudgins envisioned a career working on a college campus in NCAA athletics compliance.
But a few years later, while working on a master’s degree at Florida State University, Hudgins got an introduction to the academic side of higher education, teaching a course in sports law.
Two decades later, Hudgins hasn’t stopped teaching and today is dean of Lindenwood University’s Plaster School of Business and Entrepreneurship, a role she’s held since 2020. In addition to her teaching background, Hudgins has experience as an entrepreneur. She formerly was the owner of The Future College Golf Association, a business that worked with junior golfers and their parents to consult with them on their junior golf and college recruiting experiences.
You’re not from St. Louis originally. How did you end up here? I moved back to the Midwest for two reasons. I had an entrepreneurial spirit, so I started my consulting business that mentored junior golfers through the whole junior golf and college recruiting process. Right about the same time, I had reached out to Lindenwood's golf coach who also happened to be a faculty member in their school of business. From there, I was introduced to the fact that Lindenwood had a vision to start a sport management program. I started my career in St. Louis with a consulting business and helping form the sport management program in the school of business at Lindenwood all at the same time. For my first 13 years at Lindenwood, I had the best of both worlds. I had the opportunity to stay a little bit in that passion of athletics and entrepreneurship and get a taste of what it was like to work in higher education as well.
When you entered higher education, did you envision yourself working up the ranks of administration? I honestly did not. I really thought the teaching thing at some point would probably be what I would always do in addition to my consulting business. I continued to take on some additional administrative duties as a faculty member. I was the department head and where I ended up in my career is that I really either needed to go all in on my business, or there was an opportunity in our college of business when our associate Dean's position came open. I made a pretty conscious decision at that point that I really wanted to see what life would be like as an academic administrator. I scaled back my recruiting business and scaled up my toe in the water in higher education.
How did your company work with junior golfers? Every golfer for the most part has a swing coach and the role of FCGA was really everything outside of the golf swing the student-athlete would need to do to go on to play college golf — ACT/SAT prep, academic and resume building and the tournament schedule that you need to play to have the experience needed to play college golf. I really came in with all things outside of the physical aspect of swinging the golf club and helped supplement that. If you play club volleyball or club soccer, that's what those club coaches are doing. I was supplementing what a golf professional would do for a student-athlete. I was really fortunate to work with some of the best junior golfers in the area. PGA Tour player Adam Long was one of my clients. (Retired golfer) Scott Langley was one of my clients.
As dean, what’s your vision for Lindenwood’s business school? My vision for the college of business, and in all honesty this should spread throughout the university, is a culture of entrepreneurship. That's really a mindset. It is not for me about the number of students we have majoring in entrepreneurship. It is, are we creating a culture where our students are able to walk out and into whatever career they choose with the problem solving and critical thinking ability that comes with that entrepreneurial mindset? Part of my vision for our college of business from the day I took over our dean's role has been to grow our E. We've been the plaster college of business and entrepreneurship for a lot of years. And I've said our E is small and it needs to become a capital E.
What do you like to do outside of work? I'm definitely an outside person. I like to be on a golf course. I like to be on a ski slope. I like to be on a lake or on the water. You can put me on a mountain, you can put me by the water and I'm happy.
Who’s your hero? My parents were probably the biggest mentors and heroes I had. They taught me the value of hard work, but they also gave me every opportunity to succeed if I worked hard. I feel very fortunate to have grown up in a childhood where I had the opportunity to travel. I had the opportunity to be a high school athlete and then a college athlete. I know that they gave me those opportunities but I also know that they forged in both myself and my brothers the value of hard work and the value of how it pays off.
More about Molly Hudgins
Title: Dean of Lindenwood’s Plaster School of Business & Entrepreneurship
Age: 48
Family: Wife, Tracy
Education: Hudgins has her undergraduate degree in finance from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, a master’s degree in sport management from Florida State University and her juris doctorate from the University of Tennessee.
Favorite places in St. Louis: “I live in south city. I'm a big fan of The Hill. I love to sit outside and have lunch at Gioia's Deli and eat a hot salami sandwich. I have the opportunity to walk to Trattoria Marcella."
