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At the helm of a proud and flourishing Bison athletics program is director of athletics and recreation John Hardt, who is now in his ninth year at Bucknell and his 23rd year in athletics administration. Hardt administers a broad-based sports program with a proud and successful history. Since his arrival, Hardt has orchestrated one of the nation's most assertive facilities overhauls, built and maintained relationships with major donors, restructured the athletics administration in order to help Bucknell stay ahead of the curve in the fast-paced world of Division I athletics and built upon Bucknell's long-standing tradition of scholar-athlete excellence. Hardt is privileged to oversee a varsity athletics program that has long been at the head of the class in the Patriot League, both on the playing fields and in the classroom. From Presidents' Cups to Academic All-Americans to the nation's best graduation rate, Bison Athletics carries a proud heritage. While building on Bucknell's athletic and academic excellence is paramount, Hardt has also incorporated progressive ideas in the area of external relations. Initiatives such as the Bison Live! radio program, a new graphics identity package, an informative and visually appealing athletics Web site and a revamped Bison Club all serve to bring Bison Athletics into the homes of its supporters. Hardt reorganized the management structure of the department and implemented a sport management group, dividing the direct oversight of 27 men's and women's varsity programs among Hardt and four associate directors of athletics. During his productive tenure at Bucknell, Hardt has overseen eight consecutive years of growth in Bison Club donations, and he has seen the program benefit from several major gifts. While the Kenneth G. Langone Athletics and Recreation Center is the crown jewel of a successful university fundraising campaign, other significant offerings include a $7.6 million donation from William Graham -- one of the largest in university history -- which was directed toward women's athletics and the successful restoration of wrestling to varsity status. Graham Field, the new AstroTurf venue at the West Fields, was also a result of that gift. Other major gifts have included the funding of the FieldTurf playing surface and new lighting in Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, a new natural grass soccer pitch that opened in 2005, the brand new stadium/press box facility that now supports both Graham Field and Varsity Soccer Field, as well as endowments for football, track and field and swimming and diving. While much has been achieved in the last eight years, Hardt's vision for Bison Athletics carries well into the future. Working with campus and department leadership, he has developed a long-range plan for Bucknell Athletics that meshes with President Brian Mitchell's strategic plan, entitled The Plan for Bucknell. Hardt's plan focuses on future facilities upgrades, places an emphasis on diversity and gender equity, and promises the continued commitment to a student-centered athletics and recreation program that adheres to the student-athlete ideal. Hardt, who received the Gen. Robert R. Neyland Outstanding Athletic Director Award in March 2008 the All-American Football Foundation's 91st Banquet of Champions, also remains very active in athletics governance at the national level. In 2006-07 he served as chair of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Committee, and this fall he will be joining the Division I Baseball Committee. He began his tenure at Bucknell on February 15, 2000, after serving four years as associate director of athletics at Michigan State University. While there, Hardt supervised the sports medicine staff, strength and conditioning, equipment operations, computing and tech services and NCAA/Big Ten rules compliance. In addition, he handled legal and contractual issues for the department. Prior to his tenure at MSU, Hardt spent five years at Syracuse University as director of athletic compliance and four years with the NCAA's national office as a compliance representative. A native Iowan, Hardt is a 1984 honors graduate of the University of Iowa, and he was a member of the Hawkeyes' 1982 Rose Bowl football team. He later earned his law degree from Iowa and is a doctoral candidate in Iowa's College of Education. | |||||||||||
