Athletics Transition

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 17:00:24 -0400

Dear Members of the UMBC Community,

As the campus begins to search for our next Director of Athletics, the momentum of our Athletics program has never been stronger. Athletics colleagues have achieved milestones no one could have predicted ten years ago, including a men’s soccer Final Four appearance and historic NCAA Basketball Tournament victory. In addition, we have witnessed both women’s and men’s teams winning conference championships and impressive post-season play. Most important, our student-athletes demonstrate consistently strong academic performance.

As we congratulate Tim Hall on his new position as Director of Athletics at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, I want to recognize the collective contributions of the coaches and other staff he led for six years. I also want to express my appreciation for the broad leadership Vice President for Student Affairs Nancy Young and her colleagues have brought to the development of Athletics. Under her stewardship, our Event Center has come to life, we are poised to break ground on significant stadium improvements, and the campus fully understands the important role Athletics plays in creating a vibrant campus community. I especially appreciate how deeply she and her colleagues care about the experiences of our student-athletes and the Athletics staff.

When we learned Tim would be leaving, I talked with a number of faculty, staff, and student leaders to discuss the important connection between Athletics and the President’s Office. Based on these conversations, I have decided to move Athletics from the Division of Student Affairs to the Division of Institutional Advancement under the leadership of Vice President Greg Simmons. The Institutional Advancement team is an extension of the President’s Office, and Greg and I will work closely in supporting Athletics. Our first priority will always be the safety, well-being, and academic performance of our students. This organizational change will underscore our institutional commitment to Athletics, raise visibility that will help drive enrollment, continue to build school spirit and pride, and build our relationship with the larger community—especially alumni, sponsors, and donors.

I am delighted that Jessica Hammond-Graf has agreed to serve as Acting Athletic Director. Jessica has most recently served as Senior Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator for Student-Athlete Well-being. For more than fifteen years, she has had a significant impact on the lives of student-athletes, coaches, and administrators through her passion for student success and mentorship. She led the advising and support of nearly four hundred students in the Academic Center for Student-Athletes, with 50 percent of student-athletes achieving above a 3.0 GPA each semester. She also created the Retriever Leadership Institute, which brings current and rising student-athletes together to hone leadership skills, such as working effectively in teams, managing conflict, and understanding their role as leaders on campus. The program was so successful it now serves as a model for other university groups.

I am also pleased that Jack Suess, vice president of the Division of Information Technology has agreed to lead our national search this fall for the next Athletic Director. The committee is currently being assembled and will begin its work shortly.

Please join me in thanking all of our colleagues and students who make us so proud of #RetrieverNation.

Freeman Hrabowski