Mississippi University for Women has selected Jason Trufant of Dowling College in New York as its director of athletics, the university announced this morning.
Trufant, currently the senior associate director of athletics for administration at Dowling College, was chosen from a group of finalists to become The W’s first AD since the university dropped intercollegiate athletics in 2002.
Trufant will begin his role at The W on June 6.
His annual salary will be $82,000, according to Dr. Jim Borsig, the university’s president.
The W hopes to field its first athletics teams in 2017.
“Jason Trufant impressed us with his energy, his focus on academics as a primary role for the student-athlete and his enthusiasm about rolling up his sleeves and getting started building our programs,” Borsig said in a statement. “He brings experience and a wide knowledge of athletic programs to the position, and I am confident he will contribute greatly to enhancing our student experience.”
Trufant, who participated in Division I athletics as a college student, has coached at the junior college and Division III levels, and has held several administrative positions at Division II schools. In his current role at Dowling College in Long Island, New York, he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of compliance, game operations, fund raising and marketing, sport supervision, team and departmental budgets and purchasing.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University at Albany, State University of New York and a master’s in human performance from Frostburg State University.
“I am extremely honored and excited to become the new athletic director at The W,” Trufant said. “Having the opportunity to reinstate athletics at this tradition-rich institution is a tremendous privilege and I am thrilled to become a part of The W family. It has always been my career goal to make an impact on the lives of our students and staff by creating a positive learning experience through sport.”
Dr. Rita Hinton, professor emerita and interim faculty athletic representative, chaired the search for The W’s new AD.
“The search committee carefully considered a very highly qualified pool of candidates,” said “We narrowed the pool to 10 and conducted Skype interviews with seven. All of the individuals on our top 10 list had the background to become a successful athletic director. However, we wanted to be sure that the person eventually hired would be a perfect fit for our university. We wanted someone with the necessary experience but also someone who would understand our emphasis on excellence in academics.”
The athletic director search was coordinated by Athletics Staffing and Consultants, based in Atlanta, Georgia, and led by Dr. Kurt Patberg.
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