Duke announced on Wednesday that they were resigning Athletic Director, Dr. Kevin White through the end of the fiscal year in June of 2019.
Duke re-signed current Director of Athletics Dr. Kevin White through June of 2019.
White, 62, was named Duke University’s vice president and director of athletics on back in 2008. He also serves as an adjunct professor of business administration at the university.
The announcement comes nearly two weeks after the Blue Devils re-signed current football coach David Cutcliffe and in the midst of a massive nation wide upheaval in the state of college athletics. With conferences in a perpetual state of realignment and coaches shifting schools at will, it is a good move for Duke to aim for some consistency.
It is hard to argue with, or see much fault in the job that White has done while at Duke. After essentially being unwanted at Notre Dame, White brought a well rounded approach to leading the university’s athletic programs. Duke has captured three NCAA Championships: women’s tennis in 2009, men’s basketball in 2010 and men’s lacrosse in 2010 as well as 12 ACC titles since taking over as the school’s director of athletics.
Perhaps one of his greatest accomplishments to date has been to help create a resurgence in the school’s woeful football program which hasn’t had a winning season since 1994 and is in its first bowl game since that same year. Duke, thanks large in part to White, is now in the early stages of seeing the first real renovations to both Wallace Wade Stadium in years as well as improvements to Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Of the things that White has accomplished the one that could await him may end up being the most important decision he will make. You have to figure that at some point during White’s that Duke Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski may decide to retire and at that point White will be in the unenviable task of trying to replace him.
Krzyzewski hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down but six and a half years is a long time and a lot can happen, so it is a story to keep an eye on over time.
Academically, Duke has remained one of the best schools academically with White as the director of athletics. In the 2012 spring semester, 25 of 26 Blue Devil varsity teams earned grade point averages of 3.0 or better.
In a prepared release White indicated that he was very happy and honored to continue on as the athletic director.
“To be sure, it is indeed a tremendous honor, as well as a supreme privilege, to serve Duke University,” said White. “Representing a ‘world class’ university, from both an academic and athletics perspective, is terribly gratifying. Simply put, our esteemed President, Dr. (Richard) Brodhead, along with our outstanding Board of Trustees, has continually provided distinctive leadership and unqualified support.
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