Wednesday, February 22, 2012

MACON, Ga. – Stetson University Faculty Athletic Representative Dr. Mike Bitter and East Tennessee State University Athletic Director Dave Mullins are the A-Sun’s most recent appointments to NCAA committees by the NCAA Division I Administration Cabinet.

Dr. Bitter joins the Division I Amateurism Fact-Finding Committee and Mullins will serve on the Division I Men’s and Women’s Tennis Committee. The committee appointments are effective September 2012.

As the Stetson Athletic Department’s Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) since 1999, Bitter serves the athletic department in a number of areas including academic policy, student welfare and general direction. As FAR, he serves on the University Athletic Committee and represents the A-Sun on the NCAA Division I Leadership Council. He is a past member of the NCAA Division Amateurism Cabinet and chaired the NCAA Division I Core Course Waiver Subcommittee. He has also served on a number of committees in the Atlantic Sun Conference, including service as chair of four committees.

Mullins was named the Buccaneers’ Director of Intercollegiate Athletics on April 14, 2003. During the subsequent nine years, Mullins has guided the athletic program through major transformations ranging from general day-to-day operations to a multi-million dollar fundraising campaign for new on-campus facilities. On the field of play, the Bucs have had their most successful seasons in school history during Mullins’ tenure as AD. In 2008-09, the program set single-season records for team championships with nine in all, while also having a record five squads make appearances in NCAA postseason play. Most recently Mullins was named the Southeast Division I Athletic Director of the Year for 2010-11. Prior to his promotion to AD, Mullins was a widely respected coach, leading the ETSU men’s tennis team from 1987 to 2002, and the women’s program from 1987 to 1996.

Bitter and Mullins join an already substantial delegation of A-Sun representatives in the NCAA governance structure. The Atlantic Sun is the only Division I conference to have a Faculty Athletics Representative on both the NCAA Leadership (Bitter) and Legislative Councils (Dr. Kim Capriotti). Below is a full listing of the A-Sun representatives serving in the NCAA structure.

Division I Administrative Cabinet – Ervin Lewis, Senior Associate Athletic Director, University of North Florida

Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct – Carolyn Boyd, Student-Athlete, Stetson University

Division I Awards, Benefits, Expenses and Financial Aid Cabinet – Dr. Jim Griffis, Faculty Athletics Representative, USC Upstate

Division I Championships/Sports Management Cabinet – Ken Kavanagh, Athletic Director, Florida Gulf Coast University

Division I Leadership Council – Dr. Michael Bitter, Faculty Athletics Representative, Stetson University

Division I Legislative Council – Dr. Kim Capriotti, Faculty Athletics Representative, Jacksonville University

Division I Presidential Advisory Group – Dr. Kerry Romesburg, President, Jacksonville University

Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee – Carolyn Boyd, Student-Athlete, Stetson University

Division I Women’s Basketball Committee – Sybil Blalock, Senior Associate Athletic Director, Mercer University

Division I Women’s Basketball Issues Committee – Barbie Breedlove, Senior Associate Athletic Director/SWA, East Tennessee State University

Division I Women’s Golf Committee – Lissa Bradford, Head Women’s Golf Coach, Belmont University

Division I Women’s Soccer Committee – Julie Orlowski, Head Women’s Soccer Coach, Stetson University

Men’s Basketball Rules Committee – Rick Byrd, Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Belmont University

Men’s and Women’s Soccer Rules Committee – Matt Wilson, Associate Commissioner, Atlantic Sun Conference

Playing Rules Oversight Panel – Ted Gumbart, Commissioner, Atlantic Sun Conference

Postgraduate Scholarship Committee – Dr. Jeffrey Hugdahl, Faculty Athletic Representative, Mercer University

Women’s Softball Rules Committee – Chris Kuhlmeyer, Head Softball Coach, Belmont University

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an NCAA Division I league with 10 member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun meets the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement with a true balance between student and athlete. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University. Northern Kentucky becomes the A-Sun’s newest member on July 1, 2012.