|
Written by Dale Woodard
|
|
Wednesday, July 14 2010, 11:15 PM |
He has yet to arrive in Lethbridge to take on his new role as athletic director for Lethbridge College, but Bill Dean already has his objective in place.
And if the newly appointed athletic director has his way, those student/athletes he’ll be representing will garner their fair share of the media spotlight.
“I’ve spent most of my time here in Edmonton and one of the challenges in the big centres is trying to get exposure for amateur sports,” said Dean, a former director of Student Life at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, where he has spent most of his career. “In the big city they (media) typically draw from the Associated Press wires and the Oilers and Eskimos and get all the press. I’m looking forward to being in a city where I think there’s a lot more interest in amateur sports as a community. I think that’s going to be a nice change. I know the student/athletes really appreciate the opportunity to see their names in the paper and be recognized that way.”
As he gets set to assume his new duties Aug. 1, Dean said he’s simply looking forward to heading south to Lethbridge, a city he’s only seen before in passing.
“I’ve been down there for a few days to through my interview process and enjoyed the city. It’s been a while since I’ve been down there,” said Dean. “Just to see the growth of the city it looks like a city with all the amenities of a big city without the traffic hassles.”
His new place of employment has also changed since Dean visited it back in 1994 when the Kodiaks men’s basketball team hosted Nationals.
“That was only to stay at a hotel and then go to the college and then back to the hotel. I didn’t really get a chance to see a lot of the community any time I’ve been down there,” said Dean. “The college has certainly grown since I was last there. It seems to be on the upswing and everyone I’ve met there seems very easy to get along with and I’m looking forward to being part of the team at Lethbridge College.”
He brings impressive credentials to the Kodiaks.
Having been involved with the Alberta intercollegiate athletic administration for 27 years, Dean holds a bachelor of physical education, a master’s degree in exercise physiology and a master’s in business administration from the University of Alberta.
“There has been a lot of success in Kodiak athletics over the last number of years and I’m looking forward to helping that to continue and see if we can raise the profile a little bit more in the community with Kodiaks athletics,” he said.
In the meantime, there will be a little house hunting as Dean heads back to Lethbridge this weekend.
“I’d like to get settled as quickly as I can,” he said. “There will be a lot to be done as soon as August and September roll around,” said Dean. “It’s a pretty hectic, busy pace.”
|
