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March 23, 2021
Dear UAF faculty and staff,
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Earlier today, I met with the Alaska Nanooks coaches and staff to discuss next steps for departmental leadership. I want to share the same information with you.
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Early this year we determined that we needed a full-time athletics director, a position that had been being done by Vice Chancellor Champagne in addition to his duties overseeing the student affairs units. It took some time but we now have a suite of experienced professional athletics staff in place to set up the program and the next athletic director for success.
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First, effective today, , president and CEO of , will serve as interim athletic director. Carl has extensive experience as a coach, athletic director, and conference commissioner and has worked at all levels of the NCAA. Carl will be working with internal staff, coaches and administrators as well as external stakeholders on all areas of athletics.
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Second, , a senior consultant with Carl’s company, served more than 20 years as an AD at Grand Valley State University, a DII model in the country. He will put his extensive expertise to use on an overall review of our athletics organization, so that we will have a clear idea of what is working well and what needs to be modified so we can ensure a strong athletics department, strong connections to our community, and robust support for our student-athletes.
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Thirdly, , also with ASC, is assisting us on the search for a permanent athletic director. Kurt has 30-plus years of college athletics experience both on campus and in conference commissioner positions in the NCAA and in the NAIA. We want to ensure that we get the best AD for the Alaska Nanooks, and we expect our modest investment in Kurt’s expertise to pay dividends.
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Lastly, Jim Hall, who has a strong background in NCAA compliance, has been hired into a temporary position as the associate athletic director for compliance for the Alaska Nanooks. Jim has been on the job since March 1 and is doing a top to bottom thorough review of our athletics compliance systems, processes and structures, in addition to performing the day-to-day functions in compliance.
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With respect to compliance, I am sure you saw the recent news coverage about an NCAA investigation into a potential violation that we self-reported to them. We are working with the NCAA, conducting our own investigation, and working with our conference on this issue. If or as other issues are discovered as part of the thorough review Jim is conducting, they will be dealt with in the same manner and in accordance with NCAA policies and procedures.
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As we put resources toward addressing the challenges and opportunities in Nanook athletics, we don’t want to lose sight of the fact that there is also a lot to celebrate. Our rifle and Nordic ski teams recently competed in the NCAA championships, taking home 5th and 10th place, respectively. I want to congratulate our student-athletes: skiers Mariel Pulles, Catherine Reed-Metayer, Kendall Kramer, Christopher Kaley and Mike Ophoff; and shooters Jessica Boyce, Liam Eberhart, Daniel Enger, Rylan Kissell, Kellen McAferty and Andrew Pham. Well done. Thank you also to the coaches and staff who supported all our student-athletes during this most unusual year.
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In addition, Nanook hockey is putting together the fall 2021 schedule, to be shared as soon as it is confirmed. Volleyball recently returned from a road trip to California for a home series sweep against Northwest Nazarene last Friday and Saturday. Our other teams are in various stages of competition, conditioning and preparation.
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Thanks to our student-athletes, coaches, staff and community for their commitment to Nanook athletics.
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— Dan White, chancellor
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