Director of Athletics
DE VELDE
Joining Louisianan Tech University in the spring of 2008, Bruce Van De Velde became director of athletics on March 1, 2010 after serving as deputy director of athletics. During his initial months as director of athletics, Van De Velde led a national search and hired 2011 WAC Coach of the Year Sonny Dykes. Van De Velde also initiated the largest fund raising campaign in athletic department history in the Quest for Excellence, a $20 million initiative to raise private donations to enhance athletic facilities. A veteran administrator Van De Velde has a track record of operating programs with integrity and with the student athlete as the top priority. As director of athletics at three NCAA Division I institutions, those programs have achieved no major rule infractions. This past season Louisiana Tech student athletes achieved their highest graduation success rate in University history. With Louisiana Tech’s invitation to join Conference USA in 2013 Van De Velde and his administrative team have Louisiana Tech poised to reach its highest level of achievement. “This is the dawn of a new era for Louisiana Tech University and a goal we have worked very hard over the past several years to achieve,” said Tech President Dan Reneau. “I want to publically acknowledge the efforts of Bruce Van De Velde and his team, who were instrumental in telling our story and promoting our vision for the future of Louisiana Tech Athletics.” Van De Velde has more than two decades of experience at the Division I level as a senior administrator including the University of Oklahoma, University of Missouri, Kansas State University and Utah State University. Van De Velde also has a thorough understanding of coaches and the needs of student-athletes having served as an educator and coach early in his career. On the forefront of national service to intercollegiate athletics Van De Velde has served on numerous NCAA cabinets and committees including NCAA Football Issues Committee, NCAA Championship and Competition Cabinet and the Division IA Athletic Directors Executive Committee. During his tenure in the Big XII Conference he served on the Television Committee and the Conference Bowl Committee. “It is an honor to be the director of athletics at Louisiana Tech University,” Van De Velde said. “Our vision is to build a program to a level where we can be associated with universities that aspire to academic and athletic excellence at the highest level.” During his tenure Van De Velde has been instrumental in a number of accomplishments that have helped further the advancement of the University’s athletic department, including: * Leadership and strategic direction for Louisiana Tech’s invitation and transition to Conference USA from the Western Athletic Conference. * Developed and implemented the largest fund raising campaign in athletic department history. Quest for Excellence: The Campaign for Tech Athletics is a $20 million campaign to upgrade athletic facilities. * Reorganized annual giving program doubling the number of donors and increasing annual contributions to the program 140 percent; increased total contributions to intercollegiate athletics from $1.6 million in 2008 to $6 million in 2012. * Hired head football coach Sonny Dykes and head men’s basketball coach Michael White. * Upgraded ticket operations improving customer service, marketing by ecommerce and out bound sales capabilities by partnering with Ticketmaster and the Aspire Group and established a new record for football season ticket
sales. * Student-athlete graduate success rate of 71 percent in 2011 was the highest in the history of the university and one of the top graduation rates in the nation. All 16 sports programs were APR penalty free and eight programs achieved their highest APR in school history. In 2010, the Louisiana Tech athletic department was recognized nationally with the PRISM Award for excellence in athletics management under Van De Velde’s leadership. The athletic department was also honored with the Excellence in Management Cup by Texas A&M University for three consecutive years and won the NCAA Pack the House for the Western Athletic Conference five consecutive years for its marketing and promotions efforts for women’s basketball. Tech has also seen plenty of competitive success since Van De Velde’s arrival at Tech as the Bulldog football team captured the 2011 WAC championship and participated in the Poinsettia Bowl against 15th ranked TCU. The Bulldogs also captured its first bowl victory in more than 30 years with the 2008 Independence Bowl win over Northern Illinois. The Lady Techster basketball team won the 2009 and 2011 regular season Western Athletic Conference titles, and the 2010 WAC Tournament title while the women’s indoor and outdoor track and field teams won the 2009, 2010 and 2011 league titles. The Bulldog basketball team under the direction of first-year coach Mike White advanced to the program’s first ever WAC Tournament title game in 2011, defeating defending WAC Tournament champion Utah State and regular season WAC champion Nevada along the way. Numerous individual success stories have also occurred under his leadership including sprinter Antoinette Cobb earning the 2010 Honda Inspiration Award and catcher Clint Ewing becoming a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award for their work both on the field of completion and in the classroom. In 2011, track star Chelsea Hayes earned the WAC’s Joe Kearney Award while shattering numerous school records and qualified for the United States Olympic team in the long jump. Prior to Louisiana Tech Van De Velde who has an extensive background in higher education fund raising served as a development consultant at the University of Missouri during their $100 million campaign and as Director of Athletics at Iowa State University.
www.LATechSports.com
2012 LADY TECHSTER VOLLEYBALL
BRUCE VAN
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