(Story taken from the Austin College website)
SHERMAN, Texas – Tim Millerick, Austin
College vice president for Student Affairs and Athletics,
will step down from his day–to-day role as the
school’s chief administrator for athletics, and associate
athletics director David Norman will be promoted to the role of
athletics director to take on those duties.
Austin College President Marjorie Hass announced that this
transition will take place between April and June, with Norman
taking full responsibility for the Athletics Department on July
1.
"Tim Millerick has brought the athletics program to a real position
of strength, and I know that David Norman has been at his side much
of the way,” Dr. Hass said. “As Tim focuses greater
attention on other duties essential to Austin College, I am
confident that David is well-suited to build on Tim’s success
and bring our athletics program to even greater heights. His role
as coach, faculty member, and administrator—particularly his
recent work with our Athletic Enhancement program—provides
David with a breadth of experience and unique combination of skills
for this key leadership role."
Millerick, who will continue to serve as vice president for Student
Affairs and Athletics, took on the role of athletics director in
1996. As the chief administrator for the Athletics Department, he
guided Austin College through several monumental changes, including
the transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division III and securing
membership in the prestigious Southern Collegiate Athletic
Conference.
Under Millerick, Austin College saw extensive changes, including
the construction of Jerry E. Apple Stadium, the relocation and
expansion of the Russell Tennis Complex, and the creation of a new
football practice field and the Thomas R. Williams Intramural
Complex. Additionally, Millerick spearheaded the comprehensive
renovation of Hughey Gymnasium and ancillary areas, creating the
Robert T. Mason Athletic/Recreation Complex, a facility that
features state-of-the-art athletic training areas and the Dickey
Fitness Pavilion. The College also has seen the expansion and
extensive renovation of Baker baseball stadium under Millerick. The
last 14 years have been one of the most successful periods in
Austin College sports history,” said former Austin College
President Dr. Oscar Page. “Tim has provided excellent
leadership, as we have added sports programs and assured
competitiveness in all areas of athletics.”
During Millerick’s service as the chief administrator for
athletics, the College saw tremendous growth in the athletics
staff, including the establishment of full-time athletic training
and sports information staffs and a full-time head coach for each
sport, responsible solely for that sport. Women’s soccer and
softball also were added at Austin College during this time.
A more contemporary recruitment and retention effort was put in
place during Millerick’s tenure in an effort to align more
directly with the overall enrollment management goals of the
College, resulting in an increase in student-athletes in every
sponsored sport. Millerick also was integral in establishing a
budgeting system to provide a common formula for all sports, and he
sought and received an NCAA Women and Minorities grant that
resulted in the creation of the softball team and the hiring of a
full-time softball coach. He also initiated the NCAA CHAMPS Life
Skills support programs, targeting student-athletes in the areas of
alcohol and drug awareness, time management, and career
exploration.
The Austin College Athletics Department has seen tremendous success
during Millerick’s 14 years at the helm, including three
student-athletes being named the Player of the Year in their sports
since joining the SCAC in the 2005-2006 academic year. The
’Roos also have had two SCAC Newcomers of the Year honorees
and four Coaches of the Year. In 2006, the baseball team became the
first Austin College program to win a SCAC championship and with
it, the team’s first trip to the NCAA National Tournament. In
addition, the women’s soccer team, men’s and
women’s basketball teams, and volleyball teams have competed
at the national level in the NCAA Tournament during
Millerick’s leadership. In the four years since joining the
SCAC, 363 student-athletes have been recognized for their success
in the classroom as members of the SCAC Academic Honor Roll.
Prior to Austin College joining the SCAC, Millerick chaired the
first Strategic Plan Committee of the American Southwest
Conference, guiding the overall expansion to that
conference’s current 16-team model. Millerick also served as
the chair of the NCAA Division III Nominating Committee and served
as a facilitator for the first efforts of the NCAA Student-Athlete
Development Summit, which brought together nearly 30 national
higher education organizations to discuss how best to serve the
needs of student-athletes in all three divisions of the NCAA. He
also was conference chair for the Athletics Director Council in
both the ASC and SCAC.
Norman (pictured left) was instrumental in assisting
Millerick in these achievements during his now 21-year career at
Austin College in a variety of key roles. After graduating from
Austin College in 1983, and earning a master’s degree from
the College the following year, Norman returned in 1989 as the head
baseball coach, assistant football coach, and as an assistant
professor. He later served 14 seasons as head football coach at the
College.
In addition to his coaching duties, Norman was named the assistant
athletics director in 1996 and chair of the Exercise and Sport
Science Department in 1998. Norman assumed a full-time
administrative role in 2006, maintaining his role as assistant
athletics director while also taking on responsibilities working in
alumni relations and development, spearheading the Austin College
Athletics Enhancement campaign to fund the Athletics Department. He
took further responsibility for the Athletics Department in 2008
when he was promoted to associate athletics director.
Austin College athletic teams participate as a member of the NCAA
Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Austin College is a leading national independent liberal arts
college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas. Founded in
1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas
operating under original charter and name, the college is related
by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally
for academic excellence in the areas of international education,
pre-professional training, and leadership studies, Austin College
is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential
book Colleges That Change
Lives.
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