SPRINGFIELD, IL --- One year ago, I began my leadership role as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at UIS.  I have enjoyed my first year and learned a great deal about the athletics department, the University, and the Springfield community.  We have great potential and our vision is to be the be the premier, public NCAA Division II program in the Midwest Region. The foundation for this vision and the success of our program are built upon three objectives:

To be Student-Athlete Driven: We strive to build an infrastructure of support and services within the Department of Athletics which positively impacts the lives of our student-athletes every day.  A program assessment was completed which determined our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT). From that research, I found that student-athlete resources are our greatest need, which includes athletic facilities and student services.  Facilities are a priority as we continue our quest to be the premier public Division II athletics program. 
 
In our first step towards meeting this objective, we just completed our baseball infield turf project this summer. We also have determined that we need to replace the turf on Kiwanis field, which will benefit not only soccer, but all our programs. Another priority will be to move softball to an on-campus site and build an environment that will complement our baseball facility.
 
This past year, we provided nutrition assistance to our student-athletes, and we look to continue growing our nutrition offerings.We also plan to add an additional academic counselor to assist our student-athletes toward graduation.Our partnership with Springfield Clinic will continue to improve our sports medicine coverage.
 
I am especially proud of the work our student-athletes put in the classroom, achieving a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) in the spring semester. 163 student-athletes achieved a GPA of at least 3.0 and of those, 25 achieved a perfect 4.0. On top of that, a total of 113 student-athletes were recognized with Academic All-Conference accolades, which is awarded to students who maintain a 3.30 GPA for the entire 2016-17 academic year.
 
To Develop a Winning Program: We continue to build a Championship Culture in our athletics department.  After completing a SWOT analysis, we are 80% through completion of our strategic plan – a BLUEprint for excellence. The development of this plan will identify goals and objectives for the department, as well as each sport.  An overarching goal is to establish a winning culture and make steady progress and improvement with every team, every year.  During the 2016-2017 year, we improved two spots in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Commissioner's Cup and All-Sports Trophy.
 
To Establish a Community Connection: It is important that we build lasting relationships within the community and give back.  Athletics must be a continuous positive extension of the University.  This past year, we had a focused effort on all fronts and increased our community connection throughout the Athletic Department in the following ways:
 

• Every student-athlete completed 10 hours of community service for a total of 2,353 hours.
• The Department of Athletics staff and coaches participated, and continues to work with the "Meals on Wheels" program.
• We continued to partner with local businesses to support athletics.
• We activated the "Stars Around Town" program to thank our sponsors.
• I was able to meet with multiple community leaders and speak at community events.

 
Our next steps will be to put the final touches on the comprehensive strategic plan and begin implementing the objectives for FY18. The focus will continue to be on our student-athletes and their overall experience; however, with focused attention on the development of our facilities to a championship level.

A final thought - last year, I quoted Lincoln – "The best way to predict the future is to create it."  I am proud to state that we are creating a dynamic future for UIS athletics though a focused strategic plan, energetic and committed staff and coaches, and a very talented group of student-athletes.

We Are Stars!