CHUCK BURCH
Gardner-Webb alumnus Chuck Burch is in his 14th year as Vice President for Athletics and his 29th year in athletics administration. The Charlotte, N.C., native spearheaded the Bulldogs move into Division I athletics, which resulted in Gardner-Webb’s addition to the Big South Conference as an associate member for football in 2001, and GWU's move to the Big South as a full member – which became official on July 1, 2008. Burch oversees all athletic operations at Gardner-Webb, including management and supervision of athletic programs, facilities and budgets. During his career at GWU, Burch has overseen across-the-board improvements in athletics facilities and the addition of five new sports since arriving in 1997. A sixth sport, men's swimming, was added in 2007-08. Burch is also responsible for continued improvements in the quality and quantity of Gardner-Webb’s athletics staff – with a number of full-time positions created to assist and enhance the entire department. GWU athletics has seen a steady increase in academic performance since Burch's arrival, and the department has posted a combined GPA above 3.0 in each of the last three academic years. Gardner-Webb's final year in the Atlantic Sun Conference was fruitful, with several notable wins and the usual high number of strong academic performances by the Bulldogs' student-athletes. GWU enjoyed its most successful athletics year as a Division I member in 2006-07. Gardner-Webb won its first Atlantic Sun Conference Academic Championship, unseating Belmont University for the title. The Bulldogs also finished third in the men's and women's combined sports standings – a very impressive effort in the race for the inaugural Bill Bibb Trophy. Gardner-Webb's men's soccer team captured the imagination of fans across Cleveland County during its run to the 2006 A-Sun
Championship and NCAA Tournament second round. National qualifiers in Track & Field, swimming and wrestling highlighted competitive success for the Bulldogs in 2006-2007. Burch, a graduate of Independence (N.C.) High in Charlotte, and former member of Gardner-Webb’s football and tennis teams, spent 1991-1997 as Director of Athletics at Liberty (Va.) University, and was instrumental in a successful and well run department in Lynchburg as well. He also served Liberty as Associate Director of Athletics (1988-1990), Assistant Director of Athletics (1984-1988), Sports Information Director (1986-1988) and Assistant Director of Sports Information (1982-1984). After graduating from Gardner-Webb in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in Social Science, Burch, 53, earned his master's degree from Eastern Kentucky University in 1982. His wife, Franki, holds a Ph.D. in Health Education from the University of Virginia, and is a member of the faculty at Gardner-Webb. The couple has three children, Travis, a 2009 graduate of Furman University; Danielle, a junior soccer player at Brevard (N.C.) College and Amy (16).
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