Dec 23, 2009

From the Desk of Athletic Director Glenn Hofmann

This is the fifth edition of "From the AD's Desk"

Edition 4 / Edition 3 / Edition 2 / Edition 1

In college athletics, there are certain times of the year where the moods of our administrators and the moods of our student-athletes tend to be very different. December, especially the stretch just prior to the semester break, is one of those times. We administrators tend to reflect on the first semester - what we did well and where we need to improve, all the while knowing the excitement of the holiday season is not far away.

Our student-athletes, on the other hand, are worried about taking final exams and getting their semester grades. It's also likely that our coaches share some of this anxiety with our student-athletes, knowing that a poor semester can greatly impact their teams.

So as I was wrapping up odds and ends on my desk this week, I received the department's grades. And with a very few exceptions, our student-athletes (and their coaches) can breathe a sigh of relief!

Merrimack Athletics had another tremendous semester. We have 388 student-athletes at Merrimack College right now, and of those, 203 or 52% earned a 3.0 semester grade-point-average or higher. Congratulations to all and thanks to the coaches and professors who worked with them tirelessly to achieve those marks.

We will all take a few days off to enjoy family and take our minds off work and Merrimack Athletics. But we will be back at it shortly with a passion to continue to make things even better next semester. We have surpassed the $800,000 mark for the Lawler renovation project leaving us with just under $1 million left to raise. Based on the proposals we have in people's hands and the enthusiasm I am hearing from alumni and fans, I am excited that we will be able to reach our goal within the next six months. As I told our student-athletes when I first addressed them this summer regarding my goals for the department, talk is cheap so I challenge all of our alumni and fans who care about hockey and all of our student-athletes to help us financially or by connecting us with other alums so we can finish this project.

We will also hope to be announcing shortly to the general public the addition of several new sports, which will increase enrollment, and thus revenue, to the College. At the same time, this added revenue will help us build new athletic facilities and increase our operating budgets and coaches' compensation.

I also look forward to staging more alumni events like we did this fall. The first was inviting former lacrosse players back to a hockey game as the department's guests in one of our suites. The second was meeting with parents of the softball team to discuss the program, our philosophy and goals, and to get their perspectives and feedback. In each case, the time with alums and parents was educational and well spent, and will no doubt be extremely beneficial for my staff and me moving forward.

But that's enough about work; it is the holiday season! I would be remiss if I didn't thank you all for your support this semester. To the parents of our student-athletes, thanks for trusting our coaching and administrative staffs with your sons and daughters while they are away from home. To alumni and fans, thank you for making me feel so welcomed at Merrimack and for your continued support of Warrior Athletics.

Best wishes to you and yours for a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

Glenn


Cross Country (M) Cross Country (W) Field Hockey Football Soccer (M) Soccer (W) Volleyball Basketball (M) Basketball (W) Ice Hockey Baseball Lacrosse (M) Lacrosse (W) Softball Tennis (M) Tennis (W) Lawler Completion Project Athletic Staff Directory Blue Line Club Cheerleading Compliance Composite Calendar Desktop Wallpaper Directions Facilities From the AD's Desk Intramurals Marketing & Promotions Merrimack Championships Quick Facts Recruiting Questionnaires SAAC SID Downloads Sponsorship Sports Medicine Strength and Conditioning Visitors Guide 2009 in Review	[Printer Friendly] Dec 23, 2009 From the Desk of Athletic Director Glenn Hofmann This is the fifth edition of "From the AD's Desk" Edition 4 / Edition 3 / Edition 2 / Edition 1 In college athletics, there are certain times of the year where the moods of our administrators and the moods of our student-athletes tend to be very different. December, especially the stretch just prior to the semester break, is one of those times. We administrators tend to reflect on the first semester - what we did well and where we need to improve, all the while knowing the excitement of the holiday season is not far away. Our student-athletes, on the other hand, are worried about taking final exams and getting their semester grades. It's also likely that our coaches share some of this anxiety with our student-athletes, knowing that a poor semester can greatly impact their teams. So as I was wrapping up odds and ends on my desk this week, I received the department's grades. And with a very few exceptions, our student-athletes (and their coaches) can breathe a sigh of relief! Merrimack Athletics had another tremendous semester. We have 388 student-athletes at Merrimack College right now, and of those, 203 or 52% earned a 3.0 semester grade-point-average or higher. Congratulations to all and thanks to the coaches and professors who worked with them tirelessly to achieve those marks. We will all take a few days off to enjoy family and take our minds off work and Merrimack Athletics. But we will be back at it shortly with a passion to continue to make things even better next semester. We have surpassed the $800,000 mark for the Lawler renovation project leaving us with just under $1 million left to raise. Based on the proposals we have in people's hands and the enthusiasm I am hearing from alumni and fans, I am excited that we will be able to reach our goal within the next six months. As I told our student-athletes when I first addressed them this summer regarding my goals for the department, talk is cheap so I challenge all of our alumni and fans who care about hockey and all of our student-athletes to help us financially or by connecting us with other alums so we can finish this project. We will also hope to be announcing shortly to the general public the addition of several new sports, which will increase enrollment, and thus revenue, to the College. At the same time, this added revenue will help us build new athletic facilities and increase our operating budgets and coaches' compensation. I also look forward to staging more alumni events like we did this fall. The first was inviting former lacrosse players back to a hockey game as the department's guests in one of our suites. The second was meeting with parents of the softball team to discuss the program, our philosophy and goals, and to get their perspectives and feedback. In each case, the time with alums and parents was educational and well spent, and will no doubt be extremely beneficial for my staff and me moving forward. But that's enough about work; it is the holiday season! I would be remiss if I didn't thank you all for your support this semester. To the parents of our student-athletes, thanks for trusting our coaching and administrative staffs with your sons and daughters while they are away from home. To alumni and fans, thank you for making me feel so welcomed at Merrimack and for your continued support of Warrior Athletics. Best wishes to you and yours for a safe and enjoyable holiday season. Glenn