Director of Athletics (Lock Haven)

The Department of Athletics Faculty at Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania invites applications for Director of Athletics (Faculty) for Lock Haven.

The home campus for this position is Lock Haven.

The Lock Haven Athletic Department provides a holistic experience for nearly 500 student athletes (unduplicated count) who make up greater than 20 percent of Lock Haven’s full-time undergraduate degree seeking student enrollment and participate on one of our 21 teams. All teams have membership in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) with 19 teams competing in Division II and two in Division I (men’s wrestling and field hockey). Wrestling is an affiliate member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and field hockey is an affiliate member of the Atlantic-10 (A-10), while all other sports compete in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Holding membership on two different levels of the NCAA and three different conference affiliations places Lock Haven Athletics in a very unique and exclusive position because there are less than a handful of institutions nationally that share this distinction.

Lock Haven student athletes excel in the classroom. Their federal graduation rate, NCAA Academic Success Rates (ASR – Division II sports), and Academic Performance Rates (APR – Division I sports) all illustrate our student athletes regularly obtain their bachelor’s degrees at a much higher rate (approximately 15-20%) than the general student population. Similarly, our annual athletic department grade point average, is well above the national average. Over 150 of our student athletes annually earn national and conference individual scholar athlete honors.

In competition, Lock haven Teams have won 17 National Championships, 113 Conference Championships and 38 individual student athlete National Titles; while numerous student athletes annually earn All-Conference, All-Region and All-American honors and/or PSAC, A-10 and MAC weekly allocates. Our student athletes also made it possible for the athletic department to win the Dixon Cup Trophy three times. The Dixon Cup symbolizes the best overall finish in PSAC standings.

The Bald Eagles also make a difference by contributing over 7,000 community service/engagement service hours annually, which ensures their holistic development, while learning lifelong qualities and values such as perseverance, teamwork and honor, as well as other values that reflect the mission of the University. Other important information can be found www.golhu.com

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Lock Haven Campus Administrator, the Director of Athletics is responsible for providing visionary leadership, organization, budgeting, and evaluation of 21 intercollegiate athletic teams. which compete at both Division I and Division II levels. In addition, the Director works in collaboration with the Lock Haven Foundation to raise external funding for intercollegiate athletics and serves as the principal liaison and representative for athletics with the campus community, conference, and national affiliations. The Director is a faculty position, represented by the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) and a member of an academic department. The Director will have a lead role in program assessment and in athletics facilities development and is expected to achieve high expectations with accountability for bottom line results.

The Director of Athletics is a faculty member in the Department of Athletics Faculty and as such shall be a fully functioning member of the department as defined in the APSCUF CBA. The incumbent shall have a dotted reporting line to the Lock Haven Foundation for duties and responsibilities assigned as the Director of Athletics.

The Director provides leadership and oversees all aspects of the intercollegiate athletics program including the supervision of all programs and personnel, budgeting, contest scheduling, transportation, scheduling of facilities, fundraising, the recruitment of academically and athletically talented student-athletes, and the recruitment and evaluation of coaches. In addition, the Director ensures the athletic program achieves campus, conference and NCAA rules compliance. The Director will delegate specific responsibilities to assure the efficient and productive operation of all academic, administrative, business and fiscal activities of the department.

• Schedules and manages all contests and their arrangements
• Administers regulations of appropriate athletics governing bodies
• Participates in selection of coaching staff
• Represents Lock Haven athletics in an official capacity at events and to appropriate state, regional, and national organizations
• Prepares budgets, monitor expenditures and ensures fiscal stewardship
• Initiates, designs and implements long-range plans for the athletic program
• Promotes Athletics within the mission of CU
• Works collaboratively with health care professionals to ensure proper medical/health care is provided for student athletes
• Directs efforts to equalize opportunities for men and women in sport
• Promotes an inclusive environment for student-athletes, coaches and staff
• Serves as a representative to campus and CU committees as appropriate
• Fulfills the duties required of the Director of Athletics by the Agreement between APSCUF and PASSHE for Non-Faculty Athletic Coaches
• Develops and implements a strategy for achieving fund-raising goals that progressively increases alumni and donor financial support for the athletic department
• Develops and implements a strategy for securing corporate sponsorships that progressively increases financial support for Lock Haven athletics
• Actively builds and maintains positive relationships that benefit the athletic department in local and regional community
• Serves as the primary representative of Lock Haven Athletics to the Commonwealth University community and with external constituents and stakeholders
• Monitor and maintain NCAA compliance requirements, with extensive knowledge of intercollegiate sports and athletics rules and regulations.
• Develops collaborative relationships with other campus offices to ensure compliance, quality of service, and institutional integrity.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree
• Applicants must have a commitment to and responsibility for adhering to all rules and regulations of the PSAC and the NCAA.
• Minimum 5-8 years of progressively responsible experience as an administrator in an NCAA environment (institution, conference, or National Office) or relevant professional experience
• Knowledge of NCAA rules, budget practices, personnel supervision, and event management
• Proven highly effective interpersonal, leadership, consensus-building skills
• Demonstrated commitment to broad-based sports programming and to the principles of diversity and equity, and academic priorities are required
• Documented athletic fundraising ability

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a collective bargaining environment

For full position requirements and description, including application procedures, please visit https://commonwealthu.peopleadmin.com/postings/3412. EEO Employer.