2008 Connecticut Softball Media Guide [.pdf] - UConn Huskies

UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC DIRECTOR JEFF OF HATHAWAY CONNECTICUT
Jeffrey A. Hathaway has played a vital
role in the success story of athletics at the
University of Connecticut for 16 of the past
18 years.
Hathaway is in his fifth year as Director
of Athletics at UConn and he was the
Executive Associate Director of Athletics at
the school from 1990-2001.
In his only two years away from the
Storrs campus, Hathaway enjoyed a successful
tenure as the Director of Athletics
at Colorado State University from 2002-
03.
In addition to his role in leading the
UConn Athletic Department, Hathaway
begins a five-year term in 2007-08 on
the prestigious NCAA Division I Men’s
Basketball Committee representing the
BIG EAST Conference. As a member of the
ten-person committee, Hathaway takes
part in the selection and administration of
the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship
and the administration of the CBS television
contract. He is only the fourth
individual in the history of the BIG EAST
Conference to serve on the committee,
joining Dave Gavitt, Jake Crouthamel and
Mike Tranghese.
Hathaway is also a member of the
Division I-A Athletic Directors’ Association
Board of Trustees.
His first four years as UConn’s Director
of Athletics have arguably been the most
successful in school history.
During the 2006-07 academic year alone,
the field hockey team advanced to the
NCAA national semifinals while the women’s
basketball (Elite Eight) and men’s and
women’s soccer teams also took part in
NCAA tournament action. The field hockey
team won the BIG EAST tournament title
while the women’s basketball team won
the regular season championship. In addition,
individuals from the men’s and women’s
cross country teams and the women’s
indoor track and field teams also took part
in NCAA Championship competition.
Private fundraising for UConn athletics
continues to reach great heights in providing
exceptional academic and athletic
opportunities for student-athletes as more
than $62 million has been raised during
Hathaway’s tenure as Director.
UConn secured a gift of $2.5 million
from UConn graduate Mark Shenkman
in 2004 for the building of the Mark R.
Shenkman Training Center, an intercollegiate
and recreational services facility that
now serves the entire UConn community.
Under Hathaway’s guidance, the
UConn Division of Athletics received the
Environmental Leadership Award from the
University of Connecticut for the work
performed at The Burton Family Football
Complex and the Mark R. Shenkman
Training Center. The two buildings are
the University’s first projects certified as
meeting the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) standards
for “green” buildings.
Hathaway has helped ensure the longterm
stability of the UConn athletic department
as he oversaw the long-term contract
extensions of men’s basketball coach
Jim Calhoun, women’s basketball coach
Geno Auriemma and football coach Randy
Edsall in 2004-05. UConn now has the
distinction of being the only school in the
nation with two active Naismith Memorial
Basketball Hall of Fame coaches in Calhoun
(Class of 2005 inductee) and Auriemma
(Class of 2006 inductee).
Hathaway was also a key factor in the
opening of Rentschler Field in 2003 – the
2008 University of Connecticut Softball
country’s newest and most modern BCS
college football facility.
During Hathaway’s career, he has always
made the student-athlete the top priority.
In the spring and fall semesters of the
2006 calendar year, UConn’s student-athletes
excelled in the classroom as more
than 40% of the 650 student-athletes
achieved a 3.0 “B-or better” semester
grade point average. In addition, the
Division of Athletics has consistently maintained
a 99 percent retention rate among
its student-athletes.
“My focus is on the student-athlete,”
says Hathaway. “That’s the most important
part of our program. Our primary
mission is the continued academic success
of our student-athletes. The challenge
is to identify people early in the process
and assist them in charting a career path.
In addition, we want to provide a quality
experience in intercollegiate athletics for
our student-athletes.”
The University of Connecticut was named
to the National Consortium for Academics
and Sports (NCAS) “Honor Roll” for the
second consecutive year in 2007 for its
efforts to assist former student-athletes in
earning their college degree. In addition,
UConn athletics was also saluted for its
community service efforts by the NCAS.
In the 2006-07 academic year,
Hathaway also served as a member of
the search committees at the University
to fill the positions of University President,
University Vice President/Chief Operating
Officer and the Executive Director of the
University Alumni Association.
Hathaway’s leadership has earned
him respect and recognition both on the
national and local levels.
In the summer of 2007, Hathaway
was honored as the AstroTurf Athletic
Director of the Year for Division I-A in
the Northeast region (which includes
the New England states and New York,
Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey) by the
National Association of Collegiate Directors
of Athletics (NACDA).
In 2004, The Sporting News named
Hathaway to its “Power 100 List” – comprised
of the 100 most powerful people
in sports. He received the Joseph
J. Fontana Distinguished Service Award
from the Connecticut High School Coaches
Association in the spring of 2005. In the
winter of 2006, Hathaway received the
General Robert R. Neyland Outstanding
Athletic Director Award from the All-
American Football Foundation.
During his tenure at both Colorado State
and UConn, he was a member of the NCAA
Division I Championships/Competition
Cabinet, as well as the Postseason Football
Licensing Subcommittee, which is responsible
for issues involving postseason football
competition and the certification of
bowl games.
On the conference level, Hathaway is a
member of the BIG EAST Athletic Directors
Executive Committee. He is also past
chairman of the BIG EAST Championship
and Competition Committee as well as the
league’s Finance Committee.
Hathaway has served as a guest presenter
at both the NACDA and NACMA
(National Association of Collegiate
Marketing Administrators) conventions in
the past. In addition, he has also served
as a lecturer at the IA Institute sponsored
by the Division I-A Athletic Directors’
Association, held annually in Dallas.
Hathaway originally came to Connecticut
in November of 1990 as Senior Associate
Athletic Director. In that role, he oversaw
the day-to-day operations of the Division
of Athletics.
He also served internally as a program
administrator for several sports, including
men’s and women’s basketball and men’s
and women’s soccer at UConn as the
Huskies won four national championships
in those sports during his tenure – two in
women’s basketball (1995 and 2000) and
one each in men’s basketball (1999) and
men’s soccer (2000).
Hathaway was the program administrator
for football and he played a key role in
the upgrade of UConn’s football program
to Division I-A status and the building of
Rentschler Field.
During Hathaway’s tenure at Colorado
State, he oversaw a 15-sport program
– nine women’s teams and six men’s.
The Ram football team made a pair of
bowl appearances while Hathaway was at
CSU. The men’s basketball team won the
Mountain West Conference tournament in
March of ‘03 and advanced to the NCAA
tournament for the first time in 13 years.
The women’s basketball team advanced to
postseason play twice, including a trip to
the second round of the NCAA tournament
in 2002 and the semifinals of the 2003
Women’s NIT.
Hathaway was an extremely successful
fundraiser during his time in Fort Collins.
The school drew national attention for
a $15.2 million gift from the Bohemian
Foundation and president Pat Stryker for
football stadium renovations and expansion.
Prior to his first stint at UConn,
Hathaway served in a number of capacities
at his alma mater – the University
of Maryland – from 1982-90, including
Assistant Athletics Director for Marketing
and Promotions, Acting Assistant Athletics
Director for Business Affairs, Athletics
Business Manager and men’s basketball
trainer.
Hathaway earned his Bachelor of Science
degree in Athletic Administration from the
University of Maryland in 1981. He later
received a Master’s Degree in General
Administration (1991) from the University
of Maryland and is currently continuing
work on a PhD in Educational Leadership
from the University of Connecticut.
He attended The Sports Management
Institute at the Universities of Notre Dame
and Southern California. Hathaway also
completed the Management Development
Program at Harvard University.
Born June 20, 1959, in Cheverly, Md.,
Hathaway and his wife Paula have two
children: Meghan (October 15, 1991) and
Michael (June 11, 1995).
The Hathaway family (left to right): Jeff,
Meghan, Michael and Paula.