June 18, 2009
Dear Members and Friends of the Georgetown University Athletics Community,
I am writing to provide an update on recent events in the Athletics Department, including the transition in leadership. Last week Bernard Muir completed his tenure as Georgetown's Director of Athletics and, as he moves into the same position at the University of Delaware, we wish him the very best. President DeGioia has started the process of selecting an executive search firm to assist in the recruitment of the new leader in Athletics. As he announced last month, I will serve as Interim Director of Athletics until the permanent leader arrives, the timing of which will be influenced by the search process and the needs of the individual President DeGioia selects.
It is a great pleasure serving in the interim role. In recent years I've had the chance to work with our senior staff in Athletics on issues ranging from budget planning to fields and facilities needs to compliance with NCAA regulations. In 2006-07, I served as a member of a University Board of Directors committee that brought together faculty, alumni, coaches, senior leaders, and Board members to evaluate how Georgetown Athletics can best sustain our three-fold commitment to educational excellence, competitive success, and integrity in all that we do.
A broader reason the interim role excites me is that I deeply value the integral role that athletics plays in the Georgetown experience. As a member of the faculty, I have taught or mentored student-athletes from many of our teams. I have witnessed their discipline and admired their balanced dedication to studies, sports, teammates, and Georgetown. And I have been inspired by so many of their stories -- the four-year men's basketball player who never started but always led; the determined sprinter, inspired by her Georgetown coaches, who went on to help set a world record in the sprint medley relay several years after graduating; and the cornerback and economics major who laboriously rehabilitated a blown-out knee so that he could return to the playing field to fulfill what he described to me as his commitment to his teammates and to Georgetown. Our student-athletes often serve as role models on campus, and they go on to put lessons learned on the Hilltop to powerful use in life. It is for them that all who love Georgetown must strive to position our Athletics program for a bright future.
The Closing Month of the 2008-09 Sports Seasons
Although exams ended in early May, the 2008-09 Athletics season continued through last week, with additional notable successes. In early June, our Sailing Team finished third in the nation at the ICSA Team Racing National Championship in California. Sophomore sailor Charlie Buckingham was named the College Sailor of the Year, winning the Everett B. Morris Trophy. He is the first sophomore ever to win this award -- the second Hoya in a row to do so -- and one of six Georgetown All-Americans in sailing this season.
Last week, our Track and Field program competed in the NCAA championships in Arkansas. Highlights included three Hoya All-Americans finishing in the top eight in their respective races. Graduate student Liam Boylan-Pett finished sixth in the final round of the men's 1500 meter run, recording his best outdoor time in the event. Senior Maggie Infeld finished fifth in the final round of the women's 1500 meter run, setting a new personal record, while her sister Emily Infeld, a first-year student, finished eighth. The Infeld sisters are the first siblings in Georgetown history to score points at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the same event.
Junior Laura Donaldson, the lightweight Women's Rowing captain, was named to the 2009 Pocock Lightweight All-America Team last week. Donaldson was a member of Georgetown's varsity lightweight eight that finished fifth at the Grand Final during the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championship Regatta on June 7. Last weekend, Women's Lacrosse co-captain Jordan Trautman -- a senior All-American -- played for the South Region in the IWLCA/Under Armour North-South Senior All-Star game. Senior Stevie Bauer played in the North-South All Star game for Men's Lacrosse. Three Women's Lacrosse players were named All-Americans, along with one Men's Lacrosse player. And, from Women's Soccer, first-year student Kelly D'Ambrisi was one of 24 players recently invited to participate in the Under-20 Women's National Team training camp.
Priorities for Interim Athletics Leadership
As we prepare for the 2009-10 academic year, President DeGioia has asked me to emphasize two priorities for Athletics leadership. The first is to ensure continuity and excellence in all of our day-to-day activities. To that end, I have now met with coaches, senior staff, faculty leaders, and many of our alumni and stakeholders. The coaches have shared with me their 2009-10 goals and assessed the competitive context of their programs. The Athletics administration has in place strong plans for effective sports management, conference engagement, alumni outreach, philanthropy, NCAA rules education, and financial management. We also have recognized the requirement, in times of global financial challenge, to develop tightened budgets, and thus have reduced expenses in areas such as travel, events and promotions, while also -- as with all departments of the University -- delaying salary increases.
I anticipate an outstanding year in terms of academic and educational achievement. We welcome two distinguished faculty members into their first full year of service in key leadership roles in Athletics. Associate Professor and Director of the African Studies Program Scott Taylor will serve as our new NCAA Faculty Representative, and Professor of Economics Robert Cumby will serve as chair of the Athletics Advisory Board, positions previously held with distinction for many years by Assistant Professor of English Wayne Knoll and Paduano Distinguished Professor of Biology Joseph Neale, respectively. Together with Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson, this year we will continue focusing on providing optimal academic support to student-athletes. Our partnership with national experts Jeff Janssen and Greg Shelley will continue as we move into the second year of our Leadership Academy for student-athletes. We will work with the University's highly-successful Fellowship Office to help inspire student-athletes to consider, early in their careers, the opportunity -- and academic achievements needed -- to compete for the most prestigious post-graduate scholarships. In these and other ways, we will ensure that our student-athletes are challenged to grow holistically and are supported in their pursuit of an outstanding Georgetown education.
The second priority will be working with President DeGioia and others to ensure a successful search for our next Director of Athletics. During the recruitment, we will consult with coaches, faculty, students, alumni, and other stakeholders. The new Director of Athletics will be expected to carry out a set of strategic priorities that will require sustained leadership of the highest caliber. These priorities include setting clear expectations for sports based on their respective competitive frameworks and levels of institutional commitment, expeditiously improving our Athletics facilities infrastructure, and fostering excellence among our student-athletes. Our challenge is to recruit an exceptionally well-qualified leader who understands the history, values, strengths, and culture of Georgetown. President DeGioia and I are confident that we will meet that challenge.
Looking Forward: 2009-10
Many colleagues are hard at work now preparing for a successful 2009-10 academic and athletic year. Our coaches are planning, recruiting and, in some cases, coaching national teams. Our student-athletes are training hard, taking summer classes, and participating in summer leagues and camps. I would like to thank all coaches and students for the hard work in June, July and August that translates into academic and competitive success during the school year.
There are exciting moments just around the corner. Our Fall teams will begin practicing in early August and open their seasons later in the month. On Saturday, August 29, we will welcome incoming first-year and transfer athletes and their parents to Georgetown. The Homecoming football game will be held on Saturday, September 26, at 2:00 pm against Howard University. And, Midnight Madness will take place on Friday, October 16 -- kicking off the basketball season for two young teams that have the potential to make a great deal of noise on the national scene.
For all the ways that you contribute to Georgetown Athletics and Georgetown University, thank you for your support. Best wishes for an outstanding summer. Please feel free to be in touch with me directly at interimad@georgetown.edu.
All the best,
Daniel R. Porterfield, Ph.D.
Interim Director of Athletics
Senior Vice President for Strategic Development
