Three vie to lead RecSports

Three finalists have been selected in the search for a new director of the Division of Recreational Sports at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Darrell Bazzell announced today.

Faculty, staff, students and community members will have opportunities to meet the finalists in a series of open forums next week. The forums will be held at the Gordon Dining and Event Center on Tuesday, May 7, and Thursday, May 9, and at Union South on Friday, May 10.

The finalists and details of their campus forums are:

• John Horn, director of recreational programs and facilities at UW–Madison since 2004 and currently the university’s interim director of recreational sports. Campus forum: Tuesday, May 7, 12:15 to 1 p.m., Gordon Dining and Event Center (Overture Room).
• Tisha Tipping, director of Cornell Fitness Centers and associate director of recreational services at Cornell University. Campus forum: Thursday, May 9, 12:15 to 1 p.m., Gordon Dining and Event Center (Overture Room).
• Andrea Thompson, associate director of facilities, Campus Recreation Services, University of Maryland. Campus forum: Friday, May 10, 12:15 to 1 p.m., Union South (check Today in the Union for specific room).

More information about the three finalists, including their resumes, may be viewed online.

While visiting UW–Madison, the finalists also will meet with Recreational Sports staff, student groups, governance groups and leaders of student life and auxiliary units.

A 14-member search committee of students, faculty, staff and community members recommended the finalists to Bazzell. Wisconsin Union Director Mark Guthier chaired the committee.

The director of recreational sports provides leadership, planning and management of UW–Madison’s Division of Recreational Sports, including all programs and services in the Southeast Recreation Facility, Natatorium, Camp Randall Sports Center, Nielsen Tennis Stadium and shared space in Lathrop Hall. The division’s mission is to enrich the UW–Madison experience by providing programs and services that promote the social, mental and physical well-being of the campus community.

The new director will succeed Dale Carruthers, who retired in September. Horn has served as interim director since then.