As President Rowe announced yesterday, William & Mary has launched the
search for our next Director of Athletics. I'm pleased to be co-chairing this effort with Matthew Lambert, Vice President for University Advancement, and I look forward to welcoming our new leader to the Tribe.
In recent months, we have accomplished much together with even more in store. William & Mary is now in a strong position to attract exceptional candidates:
- As a community, we are committed to achieving greater financial stability for the department. You have shown passionate support for our programs, including several teams that have doubled, tripled, quadrupled or even quintupled the level of annual giving they receive.
- As a community, we are securing the resources for an Athletics Complex that will transform the daily experience of all our student-athletes, elevating our championship aspirations through the new Sports Performance Center and renovations in Kaplan Arena.
- As a community, we have fuller awareness of the challenges faced in equity, financial stability and excellence – and their magnitude. Our next athletics director will lead us in meeting these challenges.
In combination, there are very few instances that could match these opportunities for a new leader. Rarer still, there is only one university that will allow a leader to do those things while working with the incredible student-athletes, coaches and staff also drawn to William & Mary.
W&M Athletics will continue to support the strong group of coaches and staff awaiting our next leader. They have done remarkable work as a team in recent months, navigating a pandemic while caring for and preparing our student-athletes to compete.
Personally, I look forward to resuming my service as Chief of Staff upon the arrival of our new Director of Athletics, with whom I anticipate working closely as part of the president's senior team. I'm grateful to my colleagues in W&M Athletics for all that they do, to all the alumni and friends I've had the opportunity to work alongside toward solutions for William & Mary, and to President Rowe for entrusting me with leading the department during this time.
My deepest gratitude, however, is to my wife and kids for their support and understanding of the demands on my attention in recent months. W&M Athletics has been and will remain a big part of our family life. We can't wait to join the Tribe in cheering on our student-athletes and coaches – now with even greater respect for their achievements.
All the best,
Jeremy
