MCAA Staff, Director of Collegiate Recruitment and Retention
Biography
Dr. James Forkum joined the Concordia University Master’s in Coaching and Athletic Administration team in 2013 after a seven-year tenure as the Dean of Instruction in Kinesiology, Athletics, and Dance and Director of Athletics at Santa Rosa Junior College. His current responsibilities include teaching the MCAA 595 Portfolio course, the MCAA 563 Intercollegiate Athletics in America, the MCAA 550 Research Methods and Analysis, and the MCAA 510 Coaching and Leadership. Jim, as he is most commonly known, has amassed a stellar career as a teacher, professor, men’s basketball coach, academics and athletics administrator, college admissions director, graduate school recruiter, and speaker on adult learning theory, generational differences, and athletics administration at all levels.
This past July Jim joined the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, California which is part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. His new role is instructor in the Transitions program which prepares inmates nearing release with skills for successful entrance back into the general population.
Last August, Jim joined the staff at St. Augustine Catholic High School in Tucson, taking over leadership of the school’s Academic Learning Lab. In addition, he coaches the varsity boy’s basketball team and also leads the boy’s and girl’s swimming program. The Wolves compete in the Div. 2A-South Region of the Arizona Interscholastic Association.
In 2021-22 Jim worked in the Vail School District in Tucson, Arizona where he and his wife moved on June 1, 2021. He coached the boys’ varsity basketball team and was a full-time teacher in Academic Support helping students needing direction in managing missed homework assignments while out on extended absences for COVID and many other issues causing work to not be submitted. In addition, he provided proctoring for AP exams and acted as an on-call sub teacher in all disciplines.
Last June, before relocating to Arizona, Jim completed his fourth year as the Associate Director of Athletics, boys JV basketball coach, and student adviser at the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California. Stevenson is a co-ed private boarding school serving a k-12 student population of 800 with a focus on a college prep curriculum. Jim was involved with all phases of a 25-sport program, one of the largest in California, which also offered over 50 intramural and individualized sport options including sailing, surfing, golfing, equestrian, and mountain biking classes. Prior to joining Stevenson Jim served as a middle school teacher in PE at Seaside Middle School and as a special education teacher at Marina High School. He coached the boys JV basketball teams at both schools.
At Santa Rosa Junior College, Jim administrated a large academic program offering over 230 different course offerings and supervised a staff of fifteen full time teaching faculty and over fifty adjunct instructors. In his role as the dean of instruction, Jim routinely supervised all facets of the total operation of the division including major and certificate development, curriculum development, course scheduling, faculty and staff evaluations, completion of student learning outcomes, assessment projects, budgeting, public relations, faculty and staff hiring, and career and technical training.
On the athletics administration side of the house at SRJC, Jim had responsibility for a twenty-sport program, one of the largest and most successful in California community colleges. In total, Jim administered to the needs of over 400 student-athletes who competed in the Big 8 Conference, arguably the most competitive athletics conference in California and perhaps the nation.
Jim’s teams won over 35 Big 8 Conference championships, ten Nor Cal titles and five state championships during his seven-year tenure. The Bear Cubs finished in the state top three fifteen times in seven different sports. Men’s and women’s swimming produced numerous individual state champions and the Bear Cubs produced the NSCA National Women’s Soccer Player of the Year. In addition, numerous Bear Cub coaches have been named state coaches of the year in their respective sports. In NATYCAA Cup standings, the Bear Cubs finished in the top ten nationally every single year in the All State’s Division, and finished out of the top five only once. SRJC finished runner up to Mount San Antonio College, California in 2011. In 2012, the inaugural Learfield Sports Directors Cup was awarded to the top community/junior college athletics programs in the nation where SRJC finished in fifth place. Jim was recognized in 2014 by the California Community College Athletics Director’s Association for his leadership and service to California community college athletics. In June, 2017 in Lake Tahoe, Jim was inducted into the CCCADA Hall of Fame at the annual Honoring Our Own luncheon. In 2016 he was inducted into the NATYCAA Hall of Fame as an AD and in 2018 Jim was honored with the L. William Miller Award in Washington, DC, the highest award given by the organization in recognition of administrative excellence, professionalism, and integrity.
Of these impressive accomplishments, Jim counts among the most significant the academic and sportsmanship recognition of his Bear Cub teams. Given Jim’s strong academic background, it is no wonder the Bear Cubs excelled in the classroom as well as on the field of play. SRJC’s student-athletes were recognized with numerous conference and state individual and team academic awards, including NATYCAA’s National Male Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2010.
Jim is a member of ten different Halls of Fame, as a player, a coach, teacher, administrator, and for lifetime achievement. He was honored as California Community College Health and PE Educator of the Year in 2005. In June of 2014 in Orlando, Jim was named the Under Armour National Two-Year College Athletics Director of the Year. This award is given annually by NACDA and recognizes administrative excellence at both the two- and four-year levels. In November of 2018 Jim was inducted into the Hartnell College Athletics Hall of Fame as a men’s basketball coach, and his nationally 5th ranked 1994-95 team was also inducted. In June of 2019 Jim was inducted into the NACDA Hall of Fame for athletics administration.
In his spare time, Jim, along with his wife Dr. Sherry Forkum, have presented from Florida to Hawaii and internationally on the topic of adult learning theory, generational differences, and effective communication with today’s Millennials including Millennial and upcoming Homeland student-athletes, given at the NATYCAA and NACDA Conventions in Orlando, Florida in 2009. In July of 2014 Jim conducted a workshop in Vancouver, Washington, for 83 members of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAC) winter convention which included commissioners, athletics directors and support staffs from 34 Oregon and Washington institutions, three times at the NACDA/NATYCAA national convention, and twice in Yakima, Washington to the Washington State Interscholastic Association Summer Coaches School attended by over 450 middle and high school coaches.
At the California community college state level, Jim provided strong leadership through a number of different positions including service on the CCCAA Management Council for two years as the sport of wrestling representative, three years as the chair of the Management Council, served on the CCCAA executive board of presidents for three years, president of the California Community College Athletic Directors Association for one year and a member of the executive officers for six years, three years as a member of the state Cost Containment Committee, and three years as an officer with the California Community College Physical Educators. While president of CCCADA, Jim was instrumental in drafting a Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for athletics directors which is now a part of the organization’s constitution and by-laws. This provided the first set of guidelines holding athletics directors accountable for a minimum level of performance.
Jim’s most impressive leadership roles were at the national level where he has been a member of NATYCAA for over fourteen years and currently serves as a past president of the organization. Jim began this leadership journey with NATYCAA as a District 8 representative and then became the 3rd vice president the year after. He successfully moved through the ranks to hold the position of president for the 2012-13 year. Jim was named in 2011 to serve on NACDA’s executive board representing two year colleges. In addition, Jim was instrumental in organizing the Legacy Fund for NATYCAA which has thus far generated over $25,000 for the organization. Jim attends NATYCAA’s conventions in Orlando, Dallas, and Washington, DC in his role as past president and remains on numerous committees including nominations, convention, the Legacy Fund, and Connections, where he currently serves as a co-chair, which is for retired ADs across America. Jim routinely attends the yearly NACDA Winter Planning Meetings in Marco Island. On November 1, 2019 Jim was invited to join the foundation board of the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) and is serving in as a board member and is a member of the finance committee. Overall, Jim has been a director of athletics for sixteen years at both the two- and four-year college levels.
Ever the adventurers, Jim and Sherry began a new chapter in 2014 moving to Alexandria, Egypt, to assume positions at Schutz American School. Jim had responsibility for the PE and the athletics department at Schutz and Sherry taught a first grade class in the primary school serving as a lab class for teacher observation and consulting through 12th grade. Jim’s major focus was on establishing and administering the first true interscholastic athletics league among Alexandria’s eleven schools sponsoring interscholastic sports. He was elected as the first president of the ISAAA where the annual President’s Cup is named in his honor. Schutz also competed in the International Schools of the Middle East Activities Association consisting of six schools in Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
When their Middle East adventure concluded, Jim and Sherry returned back to their favorite spot in the world, Carmel-by-the-Sea on the Monterey Peninsula where both volunteered for the Monterey Bay Aquarium where they have been charter members for many years. Additionally, Jim will continue to serve the CCCADA and NATYCAA as a retired past president and both will continue to speak on generational differences and athletics administration through their consulting firms. Both are now charter board of trustee members of Global Parity Foundation, providing health services to women and children in rural areas of Nepal. Jim also currently serves on the foundation board of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Panther Athletics Council at Hartnell College in Salinas, California. Finally, in their free time, both volunteered at various organizations around the Monterey Peninsula including the Church of the Wayfarer Scholarship Foundation, the Hartnell College Foundation Panther Athletics Council, the US Amateur Open Golf Tournament, and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Education
- BA Major-History Minor- Kinesiology Cal Baptist University
- MA Education- Emphasis in Athletics Administration Azusa Pacific University
- PhD Education- Professional Studies in Health Education Capella University
Honors & Accolades
- Ten-tme Hall of Fame member as a player, coach, athletics administrator, teacher, professor, and for lifetime achievement.
- MCAA Excellence in Teaching Award – Concordia University Irvine Graduate Program, May 2022
- California State Community College Physical and Health Educator of the Year- 2005
- Monterey County Harden Excellence in Teaching Award – Hartnell College – 1994
- Eleven Coach of the Year awards in a successful coaching career
- Overall won loss record of 645 – 498 (.576 winning percentage)
- Currently serve on the NJCAA Foundation Board of Directors
- Past President of NATYCCA- Currently on Board of Directors
- NACDA Hall of Fame 2019
- Past NACDA Executive Board Member
- Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year 2013
Courses Taught
- MCAA/MSCE 510 Principles of Coaching and Leadership
- MCAA/MSCE 550 Research Methods and Analytics
- MCAA 563 Intercollegiate Athletics in America
- MCAA/MSCE 595 Culminating Project