Dear Friends of William & Mary Athletics,
St. Patrick's Day, which celebrates the wearing of the green, is definitely a favorite of those who love the Green & Gold. This year we will have twice the reason to celebrate on March 17 as Tribe swimmer Missy Cundiff will be competing in the 50m freestyle at the NCAA Championships.
Missy is the first W&M woman to compete at the NCAA's since 2010. Good luck, Missy!
Not So Fast, Shakespeare!
Shakespeare's fans have already noted that today is the Ides of March, made famous in Act 1, Scene 2 of
Julius Caesar. During that scene a soothsayer warns Caesar that the future holds danger for him, and we all know that was a bit of an understatement. Luckily in Tribe Athletics, March 15 is just another day full of promise and potential!
Doing Our Best for Tribe Student-Athletes
One area that is critical in creating the best possible Athletics Department for all 500 student-athletes is our ongoing work in diversity, equity and inclusion, both at the university level and within Athletics. For a quick refresh on our work in gender equity,
here is the report we released last summer .
Next week will be the start of an ongoing process to survey annually all of our students to make sure we are meeting their interests in varsity athletics and comply with Title IX. On March 20, students will find a short survey in their inboxes, followed in April with a similar survey of admitted students. As we strive to make sure all our athletes receive equitable treatment, we've learned that overall, we are making good progress, but this is an area that requires continuous attention.
Across campus there are multiple efforts to make sure that W&M is diverse and inclusive. By the end of this week, faculty and staff will have finished a mandatory online course on "Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging." I took the course a few weeks ago and it was a positive and enriching experience. It also reinforced that ongoing learning and growth are critical as we work together in creating a brighter future.
Society of 1918 Supports Women Student-Athletes
It seems only appropriate that on March 18 (March is Women's History Month), the
Society of 1918 will be making a gift in support of
Women in Action, which supports women student-athletes and alumnae engagement in women's athletics. I will be at the Alumni House, along with several of our coaches and student-athletes, to accept the gift and to thank the Society for their ongoing generosity.
Thanks "Coach" Pulley!
Since I arrived, I've been continuously impressed by the strong support Athletics receives from campus partners. One of our great friends, longtime dean of the Raymond A. Mason School of Business, Larry Pulley, has announced he will retire on June 30, after more than three decades. Dean Pulley is well known throughout the athletics community; of our 500 student-athletes, 127 are connected to the business school. We wanted to do something to commemorate his long years of service, so we asked him to be an honorary coach during a recent men's game with Drexel. After 30 hours of film study, meetings and monitoring the shoot-around, he was more than convinced that the Mason School had been the right path for him!
Hope to See You Soon
As you make plans for the next few weeks, please take note of these dates. On March 24, we will be celebrating the first anniversary of our
All In campaign. More to come in the next
Mannuscript!
Also, from March 31- April 3, W&M is hosting the Colonial Relays and on April 2, men's gymnastics is hosting the Eastern College Athletics Conference championship, which ends with the winner advancing to the NCAA Championship. We will also be celebrating 40 years of women's soccer around campus on April 1-3 and hosting a special women's lacrosse golf outing on April 3 hosted by Ronde Barber and Mike Tomlin '95
https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=sbYMqh.
Finally, April 12 is
One Tribe One Day, a day to celebrate and support W&M in its entirety. Please save the dates!
Go Tribe!
Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics
