It’s time to go behind the curtain of the director role and have honest discussions with leaders in the campus recreation industry.
In this episode, host Grady Sheffield, director of Campus Recreation at Towson University and senior advisor to Campus Rec Magazine, chats with Zarko Krkeljas, the athletic director at Duke Kunshan University (DKU) in Suzhou, China.
Krkeljas’ career path is anything but traditional. Now leading at a rapidly growing institution in China, he’s helping shape a program that balances wellness, athletics and student experience in a cross-cultural setting.
Sheffield and Krkeljas explore what it means to lead with transparency, adaptability, and a long view of student development — all while navigating rapid institutional growth and limited resources.
Campus Rec Magazine · Episode 44: Global Campus Rec Leadership with Zarko Krkeljas
Show Notes from the Conversation on Global Campus Rec Leadership:
- The unusual trajectory that brought him to campus recreation leadership in China.
- How DKU balances Western-style athletics with local and regional expectations.
- Why building trust with students, faculty and administrators is key to success in international campus rec.
- The creative ways he’s building programs with limited space and staffing.
- His philosophy on managing up, down and across in a globally diverse university setting.
- What leadership looks like when your entire playbook is in flux — and how he stays focused on mission and service.
If you’re a campus rec professional curious about global operations, creative problem solving or what it takes to build from the ground up, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.
