UAF Athletic Director Finalists Community Forums

Submitted by Kasey Gillam
Phone: (907) 474-7581
10/18/02

The public and media are invited to attend community forums for the three final candidates for the position of director of athletics and recreation at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

The three candidates were selected from a pool of 34 applicants in a continuation of a search that began at the beginning of the year. That effort brought three finalists to the UAF campus in June; however, the university chose not to offer the position to any of them and to continue the process instead. A first review of new applicants began Sept. 9.

The three forums will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the Nanook Lounge of the Patty Center on the UAF Campus. Dates of the forums and information on the three finalists are as follows:

Oct. 21: Richard Schafer was the head hockey coach at UAF from 1980-1987. After leaving UAF he went on to become the head hockey coach at the University of Notre Dame and later served as director of athletics for Indiana University South Bend until 2001. Schafer is currently owner of Schafer and Sons LLC, LTC Insurance. He received his master of science degree in administration from Notre Dame.

Oct. 22: Corene Schwartz is the associate director of athletics for Evansville University in Indiana. She was recently promoted to the position after serving four years as assistant athletic director for compliance, academics and student welfare. Prior to her work at Evansville, Schwartz served as director of student-athlete academic and support services at Colorado State University and as athletic academic counselor at the University of Wyoming. Schwartz received her master’s degree in physical education from the University of North Dakota and her doctorate in adult, community and higher education from Montana State University.

Oct. 31: John Thurston is currently part owner and general manager of the Suwanee Sports Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. The academy is the largest private basketball facility in the Southeast. Prior to that, Thurston was the assistant director of athletics for Marist School in Atlanta, a private high school that fielded 64 teams serving more than 750 athletes. Thurston was director of athletics for Wingate University in North Carolina for nine years, while also serving as the head men’s basketball coach. Thurston has also been head basketball coach for James Madison University in Virginia and Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.

CONTACT: UAF Athletic Director Search Committee Chair Scott McCrea at (907) 474-1157.