Committee 

May 14–16, 2015

Bob Mlakar ’70, chair, nominated Martha Gerhan ’83 to serve as the 2015-2016 vice-chair of the Athletics Committee. She was elected by the committee. Current vice-chair Russell Wolff ’89 ‘94Tu will become chair of the committee on July 1st for the 2015-2016 Alumni Council year.

Deputy Director of Athletics Bob Ceplikas ’78 provided some information pertaining to athletics fundraising and some of the key athletic needs. Dartmouth is finishing up the drive to raise $20 million for new coaching endowments. They are also building a permanent source of funding for Dartmouth Peak Performance (DP2). In addition, there is a fundraising target of $25.5 million to build an indoor practice facility. Bob also reported that the Dartmouth Women’s Rugby team is now the 35th varsity sport at the college.

Katelyn Stravinsky, assistant athletics director for Peak Performance, talked about the success of DP2 and its excellent reputation among students on campus. Out of 340 schools, Dartmouth leads the country in NCAA Division 1 Academic Progress Rates. Katelyn stressed that what differentiates DP2 is its integrated program that involves DP2 staff, coaches, professors, deans, athletic trainers, nutritionists, strength coaches, sports psychologists, and leadership professionals.

Donnie Brooks, assistant athletics director for Peak Performance, talked about the importance of the Dartmouth Career Network in helping students and young alumni make connections. After an initial connection is made, it’s all about responsibly cultivating relationships. Donnie provided examples that illustrated the importance of the network, and he demonstrated how students use the online system.

The committee heard from a student-athlete panel focused on career connections. Panelists included football team member Jacob Flores ’16, women’s hockey team member Catherine Berghuis ’16, field hockey team member Janine Leger ’15, and football team member Nikola Mamula ’16. The panelists discussed the alumni connections that have helped them identify internships and jobs.