Indiana University Athletics
Calhoun Named IU's Associate AD For Academic Services
7/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
June 28, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Dr. M. Grace Calhoun has been named Indiana University's Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services, IU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan announced today. Calhoun brings more than 10 years of collegiate athletic administration experience to Bloomington, where she will oversee academic advising for student-athletes and collaborate closely with other campus academic services and initiatives to ensure maximization of resources and compliance with university, Big Ten and NCAA regulations in the management of academic services for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Serving as the liaison between IU Athletics and the campus academic community, Calhoun and her staff will monitor and track academic progress during the semester and towards degree requirements, and will provide services to ensure a high-quality student-athlete experience.
Calhoun comes to Indiana after serving as the Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance and Student Services and Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics at Dartmouth College since 2002. She replaces Dr. Amelia Noel-Elkins, who resigned in May to become director of the university college at Illinois State University.
| One of Greenspan's primary objectives is to continually integrate the athletic department with the rest of the Bloomington campus, and he feels that Calhoun is an outstanding fit in this capacity.
"Grace is a consummate professional," Greenspan said. "I admired her work in the Patriot League when I was at Army. She played a major leadership role in the growth and development of that league, and when you combine her conference office experience with her other stops at Dartmouth, St. Francis (Pa.), and Florida, she brings a wealth of valuable expertise to our department."
Calhoun appreciates the opportunity to join the IU Athletics Family. "It is a great honor and pleasure to join the Indiana University athletics department at such an exciting time in the history of Hoosier athletics," said Calhoun. "I have a great deal of respect and admiration for Rick Greenspan, and I was extremely impressed by the positive energy and enthusiasm in the department, on campus and in the community to achieve new levels of athletic and academic excellence under Mr. Greenspan's leadership. I am excited to be offered the opportunity to play a role in continuing Indiana's strong tradition of excellence through facilitating the delivery of the highest quality student-athlete experience possible."
Calhoun's duties at Dartmouth have included management and development of student-athlete support services, compliance, major project and outreach work, general administration for the department, and assessment work for the student affairs division. She is also currently serving as an NCAA Fellow, a rigorous leadership development program for aspiring athletics directors and conference commissioners.
Calhoun has been extremely active on several national and conference committees, including Vice Chair of the NCAA Olympic Sport Liaison Committee, the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee, the NCAA Research Committee and the Collegiate Commissioners' Association Compliance Committee.
From 1998 to 2002 Calhoun served as the Associate Executive Director of the Patriot League, the NCAA Division I conference comprised of Army, Navy, American, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette and Lehigh. In this position, Calhoun was responsible for managing 19 of the League's 22 sports, coordinating the League's 20 championships, overseeing the League's NCAA and conference compliance and governance programs, and coordinating student services for the League.
Prior to joining the Patriot League, Calhoun served as the Assistant Director of Athletics/Senior Woman Administrator and later as the Acting Director of Athletics at Saint Francis University of Pennsylvania. Calhoun developed and managed the athletic department's budget and developed the Red Flash's first student-athlete academic advising and counseling program. In addition, she served as a sport administrator for 13 sports, coordinated the department's strategic planning process and was heavily involved in Saint Francis' corporate sponsorship program.
Calhoun began her career in athletics at the University of Florida where she served as Graduate Assistant Coach of the women's track and field program and as an Administrative and Student Services Associate for the University's athletics association from January 1994 through January 1997. As a coach, she worked with the sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers for the perennial national power Gators, and as an Administrative Associate, she worked with at-risk student-athletes on academic and life skills and assisted with the management of seven varsity programs among other duties.
Calhoun is a 1992 magna cum laude graduate of Brown University with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. After spending one year as an engineering consultant with American Management Systems in Arlington, Va., Calhoun earned a master's degree in exercise and sport sciences from Florida in August 1994. Two years later, she earned her Ph.D in Higher Education Administration from Florida, and she completed her MBA from Lehigh in 2001.
Calhoun and her husband Jason have two daughters, Alexandra and Madeline.
