D2.ticker - Weekend Wrap-up from August 26-28, 2016

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Texas Woman's VB HC Barberee, who has been on a personal leavel of absence since August 12, announces her resignation. "Since that date, I have not attended or been a part of any of the TWU volleyball team workouts. When I learned that several student-athletes were admitted to the hospital, I was shocked and worried about them...I am working diligently to address matters in my personal life and need to place my focus there." Barberee is referring to the hospitalization of eight players with rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of muscle tissue which releases a damaging protein into the bloodstream. VP of Student Life Menendez-Grant says that while an investigation is underway, the school believes that "overexertion coupled with dehydration" caused the ailments. Seven of the eight student-athletes have so far been released from the hospital. - link

Important move at Spelman Johnson as former GLIAC Commish Robinson has joined to oversee its search business. Robinson says he'll be going after engagements with a "bold approach." Points to his "vast network" as a benefit for schools, also, "I am also a huge advocate for diverse pools of candidates so my historical involvement with groups of diverse backgrounds will enhance my work with Spelman Johnson on advancing this national need." More. - link

Saint Leo AD Reidy discusses the role facilities has played in the school's ascension from the bottom of the SSC to Learfield Directors' Cup runners-up. Facilities upgrades have included lights and additional parking at the soccer/lacrosse stadium and video boards and scoreboards at the Bowman Center and the baseball field. Projects underway include upgraded tennis courts, a new soccer scoreboard and new conditioning equipment in the fitness center. In addition to venue upgrades, Saint Leo has upgraded classrooms and opened a facility with office space for 11 HCs and 22ACs. (VIDEO). - link

The future of athletics at Alaska-Anchorage and Alaska-Fairbanks will be discussed in an open forum this week on the UAF campus. The system's Strategic Pathways Initiative designed to reorganize athletics and academics at the two schools amid a $25M budget cut from last year. Options discussed so far include the wholesale elimination of athletics, which would save about $2.6M of general fund money, a combination of athletics on the two campuses, possibly designating five different sports at each, or to make both programs completely DII with GNAC membership or allow UAF to keep its 10 sports while UAA would only have GNAC programs. GNAC Commish Haglund says the conference is keeping a close eye on the result's of Thursday's forum and beyond. "It would be a blow to lose one or both because they've been charter members and outstanding representatives who have their own distinguished histories." UA Prez Johnsen will discuss options and take questions during this week's forum. - link

The new $11.4M, 25K-sq-ft Sports Center at Cal State San Marcos, which will serve as the new home for the VB and BB teams, is getting rave reviews from those around campus. Student body prez Bogie says students "can't wait" to attend games in the new facility and adds that the "center will bring a huge sense of Cougar spirit and campus pride." It's the latest in a series of projects designed to strengthen the campus's identity that includes a new $44M University Student Union. Bogie: "It feels more like a college, more like a home." Dean of Students Perez says that fits in with the school's vision: "Our goal is to craft a sense of community, that the students belong here." In addition to hosting sporting events, the center will also serve as a space to hold summer camps for kids. AD Milo: "When you get 7-, 8-, and 9-year-olds on campus, they go, 'Wow, this is a college? I want to go here someday.' Getting them into our facility really will have a profound impact on North County youth." - link

Concordia St. Paul players admit to being hesitant about the hiring of new FB HC Currier, who has spent the last seven years away from football. Currier, who coached CSP from 2000-2003, decided to take a break from the game after being let go from his last HC stop at Truman State. "My life was out of control in terms of time commitment. You can say your family's most important, but the time you're committing to your day then has to show that. And my time was all about football." During his absence, which he attributes in part to burnout, Currier says he was able to come closer to finding balance in life, which he intends to maintain by having his children accompany him on campus -- his oldest daughter, a CSP freshman, will work in video recording for the team. As to whether the former coach would be able to reignite his passion for football, AD Rubbelke says it is something he weighed before ultimately making the decision. "He's a great guy, a great coach, someone who will never lie to you. Our kids needed some leadership and some discipline, and they'll get that with [Currier]." - link

As discussed last week, Kentucky Wesleyan has unveiled its new logo as part of a series of rebranding efforts. The logo, conceptualized by a committee of students, coaches, staff and alumni, was rendered by Owensboro-based design firm Tanner+West. AD Mallory: "We sought to create a new mark that would establish a consistent brand for Wesleyan athletics and connect the visual direction of the college...This brand identity provides more flexibility for use in a variety of media, uniforms, team apparel, print materials and multimedia applications." New branded apparel and use of the logo on the school's athletics website will be rolled out this fall. - link

Winona State unveils a new word mark logo which will serve as an alternate when a horizontal graphic is needed. AD Schoh says that while the school will continue using the "iconic" Warrior Head and Warrior Head Badge Logos as primary identifiers, WSU will use the new logo to "build our brand within our region and beyond." Asst AD Kautza adds that it was important to incorporate regional signifiers in the logo: "The people in and around Winona are great supporters of the Warriors, and we wanted them to feel part of the new alternate logo," which contains representations of railroad tracks, a bridge and a river. The framework for the design was based on uniforms worn by MBB national championship teams in 2006 and 2008. - link

The GSC announces a partnership with Raymond James for the latter to become the official financial advisor and primary sponsor of the GSC Champions Club. In addition to offering financial guidance for the league, Raymond James will serve as the primary hospitality sponsors at the MBB and WBB conference tournaments and provide the reception at the annual GSC Awards Banquet. Commish Wilson: "The introduction of the GSC Champions Club presented by Raymond James last year received an overwhelming positive response from our student-athletes and our administration. We are lucky to have partners like Raymond James." - link

Tuskegee FB may have to run the table in order to make it back to the playoffs this year. In addition to Stillman's discontinuance of its FB program, Tuskegee's game against DI-AA Florida A&M will have no bearing on the Golden Tigers' playoff position. The task becomes even more arduous considering the Golden Tigers play six of their nine countable games on the road. HC Slater: "Not having that game [is] going to make it tougher for us to get to the playoffs...The only way we'll be able to get [in] this time is by winning our conference. So a little pressure on us to win the conference." Senior DE Morgan disagrees. "The thing about nine games is you have to win out, and that's my goal anyway. So it really doesn't put any added pressure. It's almost like playing any other season. Even if we had 11 games, we'd still want to win them all. That's the goal." - link

In admin news:
+ Southern Arkansas names alumnus McCurdy asst AD for external operations. McCurdy just completed his master's degree in businesses administration at SAU. - link
+ Concordia St. Paul names Grimit asst AD for compliance. Grimit comes from St. Cloud State where she served as a grad assistant in the athletics department. - link
+ Concordia St. Paul AD McKenzie is returning to Team USA Baseball where he will help evaluate players for the 11U and 14U national teams. Team USA Baseball will once again serve as the US Olympic Development Program in conjunction with the return of baseball to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. - link

Despite Jacksonville State's move to FCS, it remains the biggest game on the schedule for most North Alabama fans. Still, UNA HC Wallace, while acknowledging its importance, notes that it's "not a do-or-die situation for us." As far as the history of the rivalry, which JSU leads 24-18-3, Wallace says both sides have had the upper hand at different points. "Unfortunately, when I got here in the '80s, Bill Burgess was there, and they were rolling. Then when we got rolling, they went to Division I. It's been a little bit of a disappointment for me not to have any success against Jacksonvillle State. A lot of that is timing." But perhaps not talent, according to JSU HC Grass, who says "UNA has FCS playoff-caliber talent" and are "more talented than half the teams on our schedule." - link

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Last night's #scachat centered on the need for strong relationships between athletics & the rest of campus & with responses from across the nation on useful practices. Another key question of the night, "How many of you have university/faculty advisory board or council that serves your department? If so, who heads up that group?" UIndy Assoc. AD/SWA Paquette: "We have an internal athletics committee. FAR, 3 additional faculty, AD, SWA, ATC, Compliance and 2 student-athletes." Lots more. - link

West Georgia FB HC Hall cites his recruiting plan as the driving force behind his team's fast results. "I knew to get it turned around fast we would have to take some transfers -- which we did. The thing I'm most proud of is how we tight-roped that line in the first recruiting class between signing high school players and bringing in transfers." However, Hall scoffs at the idea that his team's success the past two years was due to the number of DI transfers WGU has taken in, saying that notion is a result of bringing in a few "big names," but that "our cake is Georgia high school kids and we add a little bit of icing with transfers." While Hall acknowledges that his goal is to become a DI HC he's focused on the task before him at WGU: make it to the DII championship -- and then win it. "We just have to have time to do it. To win a national title you have to consistently put yourself in the picture over a period of time. Then one year everything falls right and you get it done. Alabama is consistently in the picture, Ohio State and Florida State are consistently in the picture. We now feel like we are consistently in the picture, which puts us in position to eventually come through and win it." - link

Retiring Harding HC Huckeba calls the decision to name DC Simmons the HC-in-waiting a "100% no-brainer for everyone involved." AD Harnden goes so far as to say he didn't even make a list or form a committee; a recommendation from Huckeba went a long way. Harnden: "As an AD, you think you know the program, but you really don't know the program. Coach Huck does, so that was huge." Huckeba says that during Simmons' tenure he expects Harding to continue its ascent in the GAC. "And I say that without trying to put any pressure on [Simmons], but I just feel like he'll be able to take what is in place and run with it." - link

DI hoops exhibitions:
+ Saginaw Valley State MBB will take on Michigan State in a November 2 exhibition in East Lansing, followed a November 5 exhibition against Butler in Indianapolis. - link
+ Rogers State MBB will take on Oklahoma State, Tulsa and Oral Roberts in exhibition match-ups to start its season. WBB will face exhibitions against Tulsa and Oral Roberts. - link

Olympic sport coaching movement:
+ Palm Beach Atlantic names IMG Academy's Walters as its new HC of strength and conditioning. At IMG Walters has worked specifically with athletes in basketball, football, tennis, track and soccer. - link
+ Nova Southeastern names Arkansas Monticello mens' and women's golf HC Wall its next HC of women's golf. - link

In broadcasting news:
+ Seven affiliates will broadcast Ouachita Baptist FB this season, leading AD Sharp to declare: "The quality and reach of our football broadcasts are second to none in Division II." - link
+ Benedict will begin streaming all home FB and BB games live. Standard def streams will be free, while there will be a small fee for HD. - link
+ Florida Southern signs a three-year agreement with Stretch Internet to stream HD broadcasts of MBB, WBB, MLAX, WLAX, MSOC, WSOC and VB for the upcoming season. Baseball and softball will be added for 2017-18. - link

Facility pic bullets:
+ West Chester's Farell Stadium renovations are complete. - link
+ Wayne State's campus building additions include a pretty creative use of elevators doors. - link
+ Maryville's SOC/LAX facility has a new scoreboard. - link
+ Cameron's new seating project at Aggie Gym is nearly complete. - link
+ Concordia Portland has a new scorers table. - link

A federal judge last week ruled that the University of North Carolina cannot enforce the part of HB2, the state's so-named "bathroom bill," which restricts the restrooms transgender people can use. The partial ruling also states that the plaintiffs, which includes the ACLU, two students and a UNC professor, are "likely to succeed on their claim" that HB2 violates Title IX, which prohibits gender discrimination in educational programs which receive federal funding. A UNC spokeswoman says the university has always maintained that it "will not be taking steps to enforce HB2" and welcomes the resolution of this issue "so that we can all focus all of our efforts on our primary mission -- educating students." - link

Presidents and chancellors in the news:
+ Upon further review of an item in Friday's edition: three of the 16 candidates for the presidency of West Florida have withdrawn their names. Also, the interview schedule for today through Wednesday for the remaining candidates have been released, and a minimum of three candidates will be invited back to campus between September 12-14 for further discussions with UWF staff. - link
+ The Board of Governors in Pennsylvania extends the contracts of Shippensburg Chancellor Brogan and 10 other university presidents through June 30, 2019. Full list. - link

In other general academia news:
+ Kutztown faculty say thay are prepared to strike if their union and PA State System of Higher Ed cannot agree on a new contract. President of the Kutztown chapter of the Association of PA State College & University Faculties Morris: "Without a backbone, the entire structure falls apart and fails. We cannot be dismantled if we stand together in solidarity." - link
+ Lee unveils its new $10M, 400K-sq-ft nursing building which includes a 170-seat lecture hall and 17 robotic patients. Professional practice coordinator McBrayer: "He breathes, he sweats, he cries." - link

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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

Director of Strategic Communications (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference / Lock Haven, PA): Eighteen-member NCAA Division II athletic conference seeks director to oversee all aspects of Conference operations with special emphasis on public relations/athletic communications activities. More HERE.

Associate Athletics Director - Strategic Engagement (Texas A&M University-Commerce / Commerce, TX): The Associate Athletics Director – Strategic Engagement is responsible for leading and managing the revenue generating units, including Lion Sports Properties, ticket sales/service, and marketing. More HERE.

Assistant Athletics Director - Compliance (Texas A&M University-Commerce / Commerce, TX): The Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance directly manages NCAA compliance. Position is also responsible for managing rules education for student-athletes, coaches and administrators. More HERE.

Director of Athletics (CETYS Universidad / Mexicali, Baja California, México): Dir.of Athletics will guide the development and implementation of a comprehensive intercollegiate athletics program for CETYS capable of competing as a member of NCAA DII. Must be fluent in Spa & Eng. More HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director for External Affairs (University of Arkansas at Monticello / Monticello, AR): Responsible for achieving the annual fundraising goals through efficient and effective leadership and management of annual programs and corporate sales. More HERE.

Assistant Compliance & Game Day Operations (University of Montevallo / Montevallo, AL): The purpose of this position is to assist in the daily operations of the department’s compliance program and to assist in management and coordination of all game day operations. More HERE.

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