Box Promoted to Vice President; O'Connell Interim AD at SPU

O'Connell	Box

July 8, 2008

Erin O'Connell has been named the interim athletic director at Seattle Pacific University. She succeeds Tom Box, who has been promoted to vice president for university advancement.

O'Connell worked the last five years as an assistant athletic director for compliance at SPU, also serving as the department's senior woman administrator. She is the chair of the NCAA Division II women's rowing championship committee.

“After some great conversation with Erin O'Connell, she has agreed to assume the role of interim athletic director for the months ahead,” SPU President Philip Eaton said.

“I am grateful to Erin for accepting this position. She has done such a good job in her role in the department, and I know she will provide good and strong leadership for the transition.”

Prior to working with the Falcons, O'Connell spent seven seasons as an assistant coach with the University of Washington women's rowing team. She helped coach the Huskies' varsity four to three consecutive Pac-10 championships between 1999-2001.

A native of San Francisco, Calif., O'Connell received her bachelor's degree in English from Washington in 1996. She completed her master's degree in sports administration at Seattle Pacific.

O'Connell had an outstanding competitive career from 1993-96 as a coxswain on the Washington rowing team. She directed crews to three Pac-10 championships and collected a bronze medal at the NCAA Championships. As a senior, O'Connell was the team captain and a Pac-10 All-Conference selection.

“I'm excited to take over this position,” said O'Connell. “We have a great tradition of excellence, historically, and we have great coaches in place to continue that tradition in the future. Certainly, Tom Box has done a great job paving the way for me. I've learned a lot from him and am ready to take on this great challenge.”

Box will remain at Seattle Pacific in his new position. He previously worked 13 years managing the campus development staff before beginning his 10-year term as athletic director in 1998.

“I am so grateful to Tom for his strong, devoted leadership for Falcon Athletics,” said Eaton. “I could not have asked for a better person for this job over these last 10 years. He has led the program with clarity, passion, strength and vision. Tom has been an exemplary leader and I am grateful for his work in athletics. Now we look forward to this new chapter of work as we move forward.”

The SPU athletic department thrived under Box's leadership. Five Falcon teams were national runners-up during the last 10 years, including the women's cross country squad last fall. Individual athletes also excelled, collecting 14 national championships during that span.

SPU won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Sports award in 2006 and 2007 and captured the GNAC Women's Sports trophy in each of the last six seasons. Falcon athletes excelled in the classroom as well, winning the GNAC Academic All-Sports award three straight years, from 2003 to 2006.

Box had a pivotal part in the formation of the Great Northwest Conference in 2001.

“While I am personally excited for Tom, he will be greatly missed by everyone in the conference," GNAC Commissioner Richard Hannan said.

"During our formative years, Tom played an integral role in the leadership of the conference, a role that was significant in allowing us to develop into one of the top Division II conferences in the country.

“His active involvement in all facets of the conference operation has been valuable and his contributions will be missed.”

O'Connell's appointment begins immediately and will last until a new athletic director is in place.

Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks Rivalry Heats Up Alaska's Frozen Tundra

July 11, 2008

Having spent most of his life in Alabama, Steve Cobb knows a great sports rivalry when he sees one.

Like every young man raised in the Yellowhammer State, Cobb grew up in the sweltering inferno of the Auburn-Alabama rivalry -- universally hailed as one of the most bitter in-state feuds in the country.

So as he puts it, "It takes a pretty good [rivalry] to get my attention."

Saint Martin's Names Interim President

June 17, 2008

David R. Spangler, Ph.D., will return to the helm of Saint Martin's University as interim president, board of trustees Chair Ken F. Parsons, Sr. announced Monday.

Spangler, who was president of Saint Martin's from 1984 to 2005, will serve as interim president while the University seeks a replacement for Bryan M. Johnston.

Johnston was to begin his tenure as the University's ninth president next month. He died suddenly June 7. Spangler's interim post will begin July 1.

NACMA: Western Washington, UAF Receive Awards

June 10, 2008

Western Washington and the University of Alaska Fairbanks have received awards from the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA).

WWU received a bronze award for Promotional/Schedule Poster for football.

UAF received nine awards including Golds for Single-Day Attendance Promotion-Olympic Sports, Ticket Sales Piece and Video Board segment.

The Nanooks also received a Silver for TV Commercial and Bronzes for Sponsorship Program, Single-Day Attendance Promotion-Men's Basketball, Promotional T-Shirt design, Single Newspaper Display Ad and Radio Commercial.

NCAA: UAA Receives Diversity Award

Steve Cobb

The University of Alaska Anchorage's Department of Athletics has been selected to receive two NCAA Diversity in Athletics Awards -- in the categories of ‘Overall Excellence in Diversity' and ‘Gender Diversity'.

The awards will be presented June 11 at the 2008 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics convention in Dallas .

Using independent research conducted by the Laboratory for Diversity in Sport at Texas A&M and supported by the NCAA, the award winners are those that have achieved the highest total combined scores in the areas of diversity strategy, gender diversity of departmental employees, racial diversity of departmental employees, value and attitudinal diversity of departmental employees, graduation of African-American female and male student-athletes, and gender equity compliance.

“UAA is honored to be recognized for both gender diversity and overall excellence in diversity,” Dr. Steve Cobb, UAA athletic director, said. “It has been our policy at UAA to attempt to recruit the most talented individuals we can find in order to serve our student-athletes. This policy has led to a very strong and diverse staff.”

This marks the third year of the Diversity Awards, however it is the first time that Division II programs were up for consideration.