This entry was originally posted on Friday afternoon (August 13th). We wanted to send it back to the top since the blog typically has slower traffic on Friday afternoons in the summer —
This key thread was opened on the message forums earlier in the week, but we wanted to bring this to the main blog in the event that you don’t frequent our message boards or did not receive an email from Athletics Director, Debbie Yow.
We were VERY PLEASED to read Yow’s message and be able to connect to some tangible and measurable goals for the future of Athletics Department. Without a an end point on a map, then how can you ever reach a destination?
The email is quoted below —-
Dear NC State Alum,
A few weeks ago I eagerly and enthusiastically accepted Chancellor Randy Woodson’s offer to become NC State’s director of athletics.
The idea of returning to my home state and to this place that has been so special to my family for the last 35 years was appealing to me for a number of reasons. I am particularly excited about Chancellor Woodson’s vision for North Carolina’s largest university.
Today, I am writing to share with you a number of the goals we will pursue in Wolfpack athletics over the next five years. They are at the core of our enterprise.
Goals:
•Embrace and reflect the ideals of the university.
•Achieve an annual “Top 25” finish in the National Director’s Cup competition. This requires an across-the-board heightened level of excellence in our 23 varsity sports.
•Achieve graduation rates for student-athletes that meet or exceed that of the general student body and rank us in the top half of the ACC’s eight public universities.
•Achieve team-by-team NCAA Academic Progress Rates (APRs) that place us in the top half of the ACC’s eight public universities.
•Ensure fiscal integrity through effective use of resources and enhanced fundraising.
•Achieve federal Title IX compliance.
•Best ensure compliance with NCAA rules and regulations through extended education of staff, coaches, student-athletes and fans.
•Provide competitive venues in all sports that are appropriate for a Division I-A athletics program.
Most recently, we in athletics have begun to consider exactly how we can achieve these goals. This critical process addresses the difference between “talking the talk and walking the walk.” All Division I athletic programs aspire to be nationally respected and recognized, but few achieve that distinction. It is our intent to achieve this overarching goal. This is our clear and guiding vision for Wolfpack athletics.
Our focus now is to identify the resources required to achieve these worthy and challenging goals. Those resources include (1) attracting talented student-athletes, (2) providing adequate financial support for teams, (3) attracting and keeping the best coaches and staff, and (4) enhancing our connectivity with alumni and friends of the university.
I am convinced that there is nothing within the university or the athletics program that will prevent us from achieving these goals. The pursuit of excellence will be a process, not an event. There will likely be temporary setbacks along the way. Our ability to successfully navigate such setbacks, while remaining focused on the unrelenting pursuit of our goals, will be a key to our progress.
Across-the-board success in athletics will result in a special kind of “esprit de corps” among alumni and friends of NC State. That positive result alone is reason enough to pursue these challenging goals.
In athletics, we encapsulate these goals with the use of a slogan: “Wolfpack Unlimited – refuse to accept the status quo.”
I look forward to meeting many of you at Wolfpack athletic events. Until then, thank you for your devotion to the university, for your support of Wolfpack athletics and for welcoming me so warmly into the family.
Go Pack!
Sincerely,
Debbie A. Yow
Director of Athletics
