Julie Hermann's Appointment as Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

May 15, 2013

Members of the Rutgers Community:

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Julie Hermann as Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Rutgers, effective June 17. Julie is currently the executive senior associate director of athletics at the University of Louisville, and her leadership, vision, and commitment to the athletic excellence and academic success of our student athletes make her the ideal candidate to lead the Scarlet Knights through the pivotal years ahead.

Julie is one of the most respected athletics administrators in the nation. Over the past 15 years, she has worked tirelessly with famed athletic director Tom Jurich to bring the once troubled Louisville athletic program to the level of prestige and integrity that it enjoys today. A proven fundraiser, she has helped transform Louisville athletics into a financially self-sustaining enterprise. She was also deeply involved in moving Louisville from Conference USA to the Big East, and from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference, and her experience in guiding a program through conference realignment will be critically important as Rutgers prepares to enter the Big Ten.

At Louisville, Julie oversees 20 intercollegiate sports, along with student development, academic support, marketing, sports medicine, and strength and conditioning. She is passionate about ensuring that student athletes have a well-rounded collegiate experience. She established an innovative program called L-Care, which integrates all the elements critical to student athletics, including sports medicine, sports performance, leadership training, academic support and tutoring, and career counseling. The program has created an atmosphere that not only attracts top coaches and top students but also produces successful graduates.

I am pleased to say that Julie shares my perspective on what the key principles for Rutgers Athletics need to be going forward: absolute integrity and transparency within the program; commitment to the university’s core values; a deep concern for our student athletes, both in the classroom and on the playing field; a strong commitment to athletic excellence; and clear and measurable progress toward budgetary self-sufficiency for Rutgers Athletics. These principles are fundamental, and with Julie’s leadership, we will deliver on them.

I want to thank all the members of the search committee, and in particular the co-chairs, Dick Edwards and Kate Sweeney, who ensured that this process was thorough and that we made the best possible hire for Rutgers at this important juncture.

As Rutgers enters the Big Ten and the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC)—an academic consortium of world-class research institutions—and with the integration with UMDNJ, we are poised to become one of the nation’s finest comprehensive public research universities. Julie Hermann is going to provide steady leadership for our athletic department during an exciting period of transition. Please join me in welcoming her to the Rutgers community.

Sincerely,
Robert L. Barchi