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2009 Hartford Hawks MEN’S SOCCER 34 University President Walter Harrison Walter Harrison University President Growth, vitality, and service to the community are key attributes of Walter Harrison’s first 10 years as president of the University of Hartford. Since his appointment as the University of Hartford’s fifth president in 1998, the University has experienced a period of energy and momentum unmatched in its history. President Harrison has overseen dramatic improvements in academic quality, finances, and fundraising. More than 7,300 students (5,600 undergraduates and 1,700 graduate students) study at the seven schools and colleges of the University of Hartford, which is classified as a doctoral research–intensive university by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The institution has seen a 15 percent increase in undergraduate enrollment, and a 23-percent increase in degrees awarded, over the past decade. A highly visible figure on campus, President Harrison is known for his enthusiasm for student life and University activities, and is fondly referred to as Walt by many students. During President Harrison’s tenure, the University has undertaken a vigorous and comprehensive building campaign. Many of the University’s residence halls have been renovated, and Hawk Hall, the University’s new five-story, 208-bed residence for first-year students, was completed during the summer of 2007. The oval-shaped Alumni Plaza, constructed out of concrete of various colors and finishes, now provides students with a large gathering spot on the residential side of campus. At the heart of this construction campaign are three major new additions to the University’s signature academic programs: The Renée Samuels Center of the Hartford Art School (opened in January 2007), the Integrated Science, Engineering, and Technology Complex (opened in 2005), and the Mort and Irma Handel Performing Arts Center (opened in September 2008), which houses the Dance and Theatre divisions of The Hartt School. The Handel Center, located in the Upper Albany and Blue Hills neighborhoods of Hartford, one mile east of the University’s campus, also contains space for community activities. Two buildings have been renovated to house two of the University’s leading liberal arts programs: Psychology (East Hall) and Communications and Cinema Studies (Abrahms Hall). In 2006, the University opened new state-of-the-art athletic fields for soccer, lacrosse, softball, and baseball. The University’s vibrant relationship with the Greater Hartford community is a hallmark of President Harrison’s tenure. The University has become a recognized leader in helping to improve public schools. It is the only private university in the country with two public magnet schools on campus—the University of Hartford Magnet School and the University High School of Science and Engineering. President Harrison’s community involvement is extensive. He serves on the boards of directors of the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges and the Hartford Consortium of Higher Education. He is currently the president of the board of the Hartford Stage Company. He serves as trustee or director of a number of other Hartford-area organizations, including the Greater Hartford Arts Council, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, the Connecticut Science Center, and Suffield Academy. He is also a director of WorldBusiness Capital, an international finance firm based in Hartford. Reflecting his longtime interest in intercollegiate athletics, President Harrison chairs the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Committee on Academic Performance, the group charged with implementing academic reforms among the nation’s leading intercollegiate athletic programs, and serves on a number of other NCAA committees. He is the immediate past chair of the NCAA Executive Committee. He also serves on the Presidential Advisory Committee of the Association of Governing Boards. All this is a long way from President Harrison’s beginnings as a scholar of American literature and culture. A native of Pittsburgh, he graduated from Trinity College in Hartford in 1968, then earned a master’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1969. After an interim of three years to serve as a captain in the United States Air Force, President Harrison earned a doctorate from the University of California–Davis. His doctoral dissertation, “Out of Play: Baseball Fiction from Pulp to Art,” was one of the earliest scholarly treatments of baseball and its place in American life. In 1982 President Harrison left full-time teaching to take an administrative position at Colorado College. He joined Gehrung Associates University Relations Counselors in 1985, becoming president of the firm shortly thereafter. In 1989 President Harrison moved to the University of Michigan, where he became vice president of university relations and secretary of the university. President Harrison and his wife, Dianne, a scholar of 19th-century Victorian literature and mystery literature, make their home in Russell House, the president’s residence at the University of Hartford.
Patricia H. Meiser Sp e c i a l Assistant to t h e President/ Director o f Athletics Pat Meiser, in her 17th year at the University of Hartford, serves as the director of athletics and special assistant to the president. One of only 22 women director of athletics among the 329 institutions competing at the Division I level, Meiser has 38 years of experience in coaching and athletics administration. In June of 2009 she was named the Northeast Region I-AAA Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year award for the second time (2006), and in May of 1999, she was named one of the nation’s top 50 women’s sports executives by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal. At Hartford, Meiser heads a team that is responsible for growing the athletics and academic quality of the program, enhancing revenue and extending the program into the community. In Meiser’s tenure, seven sports (women’s basketball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s golf, women’s golf, men’s tennis and women’s volleyball) have won America East Conference championships and either reached NCAA Division I tournament or national postseason play. Basketball, in particular, has emerged with Meiser’s hiring of Jennifer Rizzotti and Dan Leibovitz. The women’s basketball team has been crowned America East Conference champion and reached the NCAA Tournament in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2008. The men’s team set a school record with 18 wins in 2007-08 and advanced to the America East Championship finals for the first time in school history. Revenue enhancement has also been an area of growth for Hartford under Meiser’s leadership. This has taken place through an expanded fund raising and alumni relations effort, development of a corporate sponsorship program, implementation of a licensing program and successful grant submissions. Most significantly, Hartford athletics embarked on a $10 million athletics capital campaign in April of 2003. The campaign, called Home Field Advantage, funded the renovation of the existing soccer and lacrosse field, the relocation and construction of a softball field, the construction of a baseball field and will include construction of a track surrounding an allpurpose field. The ground breaking for Home Field Advantage took place in April of 2005, and Phase I of the project was completed in 2007. Phase II is presently under way. Meiser’s commitment to academics is well documented and demonstrated through the success of her student-athletes. Hartford has been among the leaders in The America’s East’s Academic Cup standings each of the past 10 years. The Hawks won the Cup in 1996- 97. This past academic year, the average student-athlete GPA was 2.98. Reaching out in the community is important for Meiser. She is past chair of the Greater Hartford Convention and Visitors Bureau and her appointment came at a critical time as the city opened a $350 Director of Athletics Patricia H. Meiser million convention center. Meiser was named a Connecticut “Woman of Merit” by the Girl Scouts in June 2000. She is a board member of both the Connecticut Special Olympics and the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame. In October of 2007, Meiser served as Co-Chair of the CWHF Gala that celebrated the 35th anniversary of Title IX. The evening brought together the top female Olympians and national champions with ties to the state of Connecticut. Meiser has also been involved with various intercollegiate committees and organizations at the conference, regional and national levels. She serves on the Executive Committee of NACDA and is a past President of the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (NACDA), has been a professional sport liaison, member of the soccer rules committee and active as a NCAA Certification representative. Over the years, she has also served a variety of roles in the America East Conference and is presently a member of the Executive Committee. Prior to joining the Hawks, Meiser was the associate athletics director for administration and senior women’s administrator at the University of Connecticut. During her 10 years at Connecticut, she played a pivotal role in the rejuvenation of the athletics program. Before arriving at Connecticut, Meiser was the head women’s basketball coach and a tenured faculty member at Penn State (1971-81). She gave the first women’s basketball scholarship at Penn State in 1974 and advanced the program to Top-20 status in the late 1970s. In addition, she coached the Gold Medal-winning East team in the inaugural 1979 National Sports Festival. Meiser holds a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education (1969) from West Chester University and a M.Ed. in education (1971) and an MBA in business administration (1986) from Penn State. She is a native of Lancaster, PA, and has four children: Katherine, 36, wife of Jason Steadman of London; Christopher, 34, husband of Renee Jansen, Boston; Julie, 32, wife of Robert Rioux of State College, PA; and Daniel, 30, West Hartford. She also has three grandchildren, Lincoln, Lyle and Josephine. 2009 Hartford Hawks MEN’S SOCCER 35
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