(June 19, 2006)
NEW ORLEANS ?- University of Arizona athletics director Jim Livengood was named Athletic Director of the Year for the west region in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announcement of 29 winners of the GeneralSports TURF Systems AD of the Year Award (ADOY) today.
NACDA divides its membership into four geographic regions -- northeast, southeast, central and west -- and awards separate honors to athletics leaders in seven categories - Division I-A; Division I-AA; Division I-AAA; Division II; Division III; NAIA; and Junior/Community Colleges. One winner was selected in each of the seven categories, along with a cross-divisional International winner for a total of 29 honorees.
Livengood, Arizona's AD since January 1994, earned the honor for the Division I-A west. Winners will receive their awards during the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon at NACDA’s 41st Annual Convention at New Orleans Marriott and Sheraton New Orleans this Wednesday, June 22.
NACDA Executive Director Mike Cleary says the ADOY Award is essential because it highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to campuses and their surrounding communities.
“Our Honors and Awards Committee recognized a need for an award such as the AD of the Year,” said Cleary, who oversaw implementation of the program to allow all NACDA Officers and Honors and Awards Committee members to participate in the awards process, should they be elected. “The program brings to light the exceptional jobs done by athletics directors across the country. These 29 winners exemplify that, providing us with a group of outstanding athletics directors who excel at their jobs.”
Livengood has helped lead the Arizona athletics program to a number of highlights including this year's NCAA softball championship and solid post-season representation across the board this year by its 19 sports programs in an effort that should help UA record its 10th finish in the Director's Cup standings Top 10 since his hiring.
The UA program has recorded 12th successive positive fund balances during his tenure, changed a relatively modest fund-raising program into a process that has generated some $120 million in Campaign Arizona funds, and spearheaded academic and athlete support programs that have helped UA student-athlete graduation rates climb above general student-body performance. He is a national leader in collegiate sports television issues, coaching and product contracts, and has long served as a national figure in championship issues including a six-year run as member of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee.
This is Livengood's second honor in the ADOY program, having earned the I-A award in 1999 from NACDA.
Winners of the 2005-06 GeneralSports TURF Systems AD of the Year Award are:
Division I-A
Laing Kennedy Kent State University Northeast
Jim Livengood University of Arizona West
Terry Don Phillips Clemson University Southeast
Kevin White University of Notre Dame Central
Division I-AA
Paul Kowalczyk Southern Illinois University Central
Francis McLaughlin Fordham University Northeast
Steve Sloan University of Tennessee Chattanooga Southeast
Larry Teis Texas State University West
Division I-AAA
Joni Comstock American University Southeast
Lynn Hickey University of Texas San Antonio West
Cheryl Levick Saint Louis University Central
Pat Meiser-McKnett University of Hartford Northeast
Division II
Bill Goldring Ashland University Northeast
Lynda Goodrich Western Washington University West
Dan Kenney University of North Carolina Pembroke Southeast
Michael Kovalchik Hillsdale College Central
Division III
Holly Gera Montclair State University Southeast
Leon Lunder Carleton College West
Larry Scheiderer Denison University Central
Don Tencher Rhode Island College Northeast
NAIA
Bob Burns John Brown University Central
Jim Dennison Walsh University Northeast
Steve Knight William Carey College Southeast
Joel Schuldheisz Concordia University West
Junior/Community College
Ron Case Gloucester County College Northeast
Gregg Wolfe Gulf Coast Community College Southeast
Sue Sinclair Illinois Central College Central
Joe Tubb South Plains College West
International
Bob Philip University of British Columbia
All NACDA-member directors of athletics in the United States, Canada and Mexico who met the criteria were eligible for the award. Among the criteria were service as an AD for a minimum of five academic years; demonstration of commitment to higher education and student-athletes; continuous teamwork, loyalty and excellence; and the ability to inspire individuals or groups to high levels of accomplishments. Additionally, each AD’s institution must have passed a compliance check through its appropriate governing body (i.e., NCAA, NAIA, etc.), in which the institution could not have been on probation or cited for a lack of institutional control within the last five years during the tenure of the current athletics director.
Nominators were NACDA-member directors of athletics, institutional presidents and conference commissioners. Special Selection Committees composed of current and former directors of athletics, present and past NCAA and NAIA presidents, current and former commissioners and other key athletics administrators voted on nominees for the award. A complete listing of Selection Committee members can be found on NACDA’s web site at www.nacda.com.
