UVM Athletics web site http://www.uvmathletics.com
May 7, 2003
Dr. Robert Corran Named Director of Athletics at Vermont
BURLINGTON, Vt. - Bob Corran, an experienced administrator with an
extensive athletic background, is the new Director of Athletics at the
University of Vermont. President Daniel Mark Fogel made the announcement
today.
Corran, 53, is currently the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at the
University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD). In his six years at UMD, he has
overseen an athletic program which includes 16 varsity sports, 500
student-athletes and a $5.1 million operating budget. His accomplishments
at UMD include the development and implementation of a strategic plan;
planning and implementing a women's hockey program that has since won three
consecutive NCAA Division I titles; a major restructuring and restaffing of
the department; reorganization of athletic marketing and promotions
activities; a four-fold increase in alumni donations and the planning and
design of a campus sports and fitness center. During his tenure, the
Bulldogs have won 58 conference championships, including 11 this year,
along with the three NCAA titles in women's hockey.
"We are thrilled that Bob Corran has agreed to become our new Director of
Athletics," President Fogel said. "His vision for the department and his
proven ability as an innovative educator and leader in athletics will no
doubt propel our athletic department to new heights."
Corran is excited about his new position at Vermont.
"It is truly an honor and privilege to have this opportunity to serve the
University of Vermont," he said. "There is work to be done and challenges
to be met but I am excited to get on with the task at hand knowing I will
be among so many fine people of character and commitment. This is a very
special place with a very bright future and I am thrilled to be part of it."
Corran went to UMD after a 12-year stint as Director of Athletics at the
University of Calgary. During his tenure at Calgary, Corran served as
President of the Canada West Universities Athletic Association for three
years and was President of the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union, the
Canadian equivalent of the NCAA, from 1990 to 1992.
A former three-sport athlete (hockey, football and lacrosse) at Ithaca
College, Corran earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education
from Ithaca in 1971 and went on to attain a Master's degree in Education
Administration from Springfield College in 1978 and a Ph.D. from Ohio State
in 1979. While at Ohio State, he served as an assistant coach for men's ice
hockey and taught undergraduate activity and professional theory courses.
Before earning his graduate degrees, Corran was a teacher and coach at
MacKenzie Collegiate Institute in Toronto. Immediately after earning his
Ph.D. from Ohio State, Corran was an assistant professor, head coach of
men's ice hockey and assistant football coach at the University of Windsor
in Windsor, Ontario.
He later became the Assistant Dean for Sport and Recreation Services, a
post he held from 1981 to 1985.
He left Windsor to become the Director of Athletics at the University of
Calgary in Alberta. While at Calgary, the school won 53 conference titles
and 23 national championships, and Corran taught graduate and undergraduate
courses in sport management with a focus on strategic planning and
leadership.
In 1995-96, Corran took a fellowship leave from the University of Calgary
to serve as a Visiting International Scholar at the University of
California, where he led the Department of Athletics and Recreational
Sports through a strategic planning initiative which included establishing
a planning process and timelines; developing a departmental vision and
accompanying mission statement; formulating strategic priorities for the
department and establishing specific management goals, objectives and
activities.
Corran has also taught graduate courses in sport management in Equador and
Venezuala.
Born in Northern Ireland and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, he and his wife,
Libby, have two sons - Patrick, 23, and Andrew, 20.
Corran is the eighth director of athletics in the modern era of Vermont
Athletics and the third since 1973. He succeeds Rick Farnham '69, who
completes more than 30 years of service to his alma mater on June 30, 2003.
Farnham has served as director of athletics for 11 years, and before that
served the University as an assistant athletic director and coach. Denis
Lambert '54 served as director of athletics from 1973 to 1992.
--30---
TRANSACTION LINE:
Vermont - Named Dr. Robert Corran Director of Athletics.
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE:
Robert Corran - CORE-inn
University of Minnesota-Duluth Facts and Figures:
* 16 varsity sports, 7 men and nine women. Division I in men's and women's
ice hockey, Division II in all other sports.
* Varsity sports include: Men - hockey, football, basketball, cross
country, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field and baseball.
Women: hockey, cross country, soccer, basketball, indoor track and field,
outdoor track and field, tennis, softball and volleyball.
* Women's hockey team has won three consecutive NCAA Division I championships.
* The University of Minnesota-Duluth Athletic Website is
http://www.umdbulldogs.com.
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