JEFF BOURNE - ATHLETICS DIRECTOR Jeff Bourne i s i n h i s 11 t h y e a r a s J M U ’s athletics director after working as an administrator in successful programs at Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech for 13 years. At JMU, he directs a program that is competitive within the Colonial Athletic Association and at regional and national levels and that has positioned itself to continue play a major role in intercollegiate athletics. Bourne has overseen restructuring to bring JMU’s program into full compliance with gender equity guidelines. He has led plans to insure the academic success of JMU student-athletes and is coordinating a facilities planning process that will provide the university with outstanding competition and fan venues for years to come. JMU will complete a baseball/softball complex for use beginning during the 2009-2010 academic year, and a $50 million expansion project at JMU’s Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field will start after the 2009 football season. The football stadium expansion project will increase seating at the facility to nearly 25,000 and will feature major enhancements, including private suites and club level seating, improved concessions and restroom facilities, improved lighting, and a new media facility. Planning is underway for development of recently acquired university property that eventually will become competition and practice sites for several sports. Under Bourne, JMU has developed an enhanced volunteer fundraising network and a point-priority system to recognize donor participation and has implemented programs to increase game attendance and address the needs of athletics infrastructure. A major enhancement of JMU’s sports medicine operation has taken place; yearly fundraising totals have increased significantly; and a strategic planning process to enhance the organizational structure of the athletics division is being implemented. “We’re very proud of the accomplishments we’ve had, and we will continue to take the steps we feel appropriate to allow our programs to be competitive athletically and for our student-athletes to be successful academically,” Bourne said. “Our goals are to win conference championships and to advance our teams to post-season play while adhering to NCAA and conference guidelines and to graduate our student-athletes. “We continue to strengthen the infrastructure and facilities of the athletics program,” he said. “Our support centers and athletics personnel are
dedicated to providing student-athletes with the ticketing, sports information, and radio and television best experience possible at the intercollegiate broadcasts and production. He also was liaison level. We also are extremely pleased with the to the Alexander-Tharpe fund, the university’s construction of the Robert and Frances Plecker development arm, and administered baseball and Athletic Performance Center, which benefits all of golf. our student-athletes with state-of-the-art academic At Virginia Tech, he was associate athletics facilities and serves as an entrance and focal point director during his final two years, and he co-chaired for our football stadium. Other athletics facilities a committee that reviewed gender equity at the construction that is being planned and implemented school. The committee developed and implemented on campus -- immediately new baseball and softball a plan that brought the school into compliance with stadiums and enhancement of our football facility federal guidelines and ranked it fifth nationally in and later upgrades for other programs -- will provide compliance. JMU with outstanding competition sites.” A Salem, Va., native, Bourne was Virginia Tech’s During Bourne’s tenure more than 1,000 athletics business manager and then associate conference academic honors have been given athletics director for administration and finance. to JMU student-athletes, including CAA scholarBourne received his Bridgewater College degree athletes, CAA commissioner’s academic award in business administration and accounting in 1981 winners and ECAC scholar-athletes of the year. and completed his master’s degree in education JMU also has had four student-athletes receive and sports management at Virginia Tech in 1994. NCAA post-graduate scholarships. He worked for five years in public accounting and Perhaps the best measure of success is the received his certification in public accountancy NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate. JMU has ranked before moving to Virginia Tech, where he first was well above the NCAA minimum standard for each an internal auditor and a consultant to the athletic of the program’s rating periods, and no JMU teams business office. He is a 1994 graduate of the Sports have been subject to APR-related penalties. Seven Management Institute Executive Program from the of JMU’s 18 teams had APR scores ranking in at University of North Carolina and the University of least the 90th percentile of their respective sports in Southern California. the most-recent APR release, the greatest number Bourne’s wife, the former Mary Lou Garber, reaching that mark among any of the 12 Colonial is a Harrisonburg area native and a Bridgewater Athletic Association institutions. graduate. They have two sons -- Jason (20), a JMU The Plecker Performance Center, which opened student, and Kyle (17). during the spring of 2005, is among the more-significant projects in JMU athletics’ history. The $10 million facility is adjacent to Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field and features support areas for football and areas for entertaining during home football games and for JMU’s athletic hall of fame. Also included is the Challace McMillin Academic Center that benefits performers in all Casey Carter Shelia Moorman Geoff Polglase JMU sports programs. Advising and Associate Director Associate Director Deputy Director counseling for all of JMU studentathletes take place at the facility, which also includes an outstanding computer lab and strength training and sports medicine facilities. Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field, the home of JMU’s football program, has had a large electronic Kevin White Tom Kuster Jennifer Phillips scoreboard with live game action Associate Director Asssistant Director Assistant Director, and video replay capabilities, an for Sports Medicine Compliance outstanding FieldTurf playing surface and an enhanced sound system added in recent years. Bourne served in several athletics roles at Virginia Tech from 1986-97 and was senior associate athletics director at Georgia Tech from 1997Dr. Roger Soenksen 99. At Georgia Tech, he supervised Faculty Athletics finance, marketing and promotions, Representative
ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATION
93