| Ellen Perry has announced she will retire on June 30 after a career spanning nearly 40 years. |
STATE COLLEGE, Pa.; May 1, 2002 - Ellen Perry, Penn State Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator, has announced she will retire on June 30 after a distinguished career spanning almost 40 years in teaching, coaching and athletic administration.
A member of the Nittany Lions' athletic staff since 1966, Perry has served as Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator since 1989 and is one of the nation's most respected athletic administrators. She has management oversight responsibilities with all Penn State's 14 women's sports as well as Student-Athlete Services for the approximately 800 Nittany and Lady Lion student-athletes. Those duties include financial aid, admissions, grants-in-aid, endowed scholarships, NCAA eligibility, housing, data base, awards, liaison with the Registrar's Office and the Morgan Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes.
"I thought I'd be here for a couple of years, get my degree and go back to New England," Perry stated. "The growth of the program here has been incredible. This is an amazing University. Most of us were hired as faculty members, with the expectations to be University citizens, contributing to the enterprise whenever capabilities allowed."
"We are genuinely grateful to Ellen Perry for her substantial and significant contributions to the growth of Penn State athletics," said Tim Curley, Director of Athletics. "Ellen has great enthusiasm and passion for the University and its student-athletes and has been a tremendously effective coach, teacher and administrator. Ellen has been a wonderful ambassador for Penn State, making friends for the University and the department across the country. We will miss Ellen's perspective, good nature and her accumulated experience from more than 35 years on the athletic staff. We wish her all the best in what we hope is a healthy and active retirement."
Perry and her predecessor, Della Durant, are primarily responsible for the implementation and growth of the highly-successful women's sports programs at Penn State. A 1963 graduate of Tufts University, Perry began her career in intercollegiate athletics as a physical education instructor at Bucknell University. In 1966, she accepted a graduate assistantship at Penn State, coaching the women's lacrosse team and teaching physical education. When she came to State College 36 years ago, there were 10 women's athletic teams, which had gained varsity status during the 1964-65 academic year.
During the early years of Perry's tenure, Penn State was a leader among national public universities in providing opportunities for women in athletics on the intercollegiate, intramural and club levels.
A native of Reading, Mass., the energetic Perry has worked tirelessly to elevate the stature of the Penn State program. During her tenure, Penn State's women's programs have captured 14 national championships in six sports, as well as winning 17 Big Ten regular season championships and nine conference tournament titles since beginning Big Ten competition in 1991-92. In addition, the women's fencing team has combined with the men's team to win nine combined NCAA Championships since 1990. The efforts of the 14 women's programs have had a significant impact on Penn State's success in the Sears Directors' Cup standings, earning six top 10 finishes in the initial eight years of the comprehensive survey.
Perry's background as a coach and teacher has provided her with a unique perspective on the student-athlete experience.
At Tufts, Perry earned a B.S. in Education, played basketball and swam competitively. Following three years at Bucknell, she came to Happy Valley in 1966 to earn a Master's in Education degree, which she completed in 1969. In her second year at Penn State, she started a women's club swimming program with a handful of swimmers who practiced in the pool in White Building. In 1969, the McCoy Nataorium opened on campus and a year later women's swimming and diving earned varsity status, with Perry serving as the first coach.
Perry guided the program from 1970-81 and posted a winning percentage of .790 in 124 dual meets. Seven of her Penn State swimmers won a total of nine All-America citations and four of her alumnae have coached at the collegiate level. In 1990, the Eastern Women's Swimming League named its team championship trophy the "Ellen Perry Cup" for her many contributions to the sport.
This past February, Penn State captured its first Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championship. Perry was on hand in Ann Arbor, Mich. to witness the historic achievement by Coach Bill Dorenkott's squad.
"It was exciting being able to see them win the title," Perry said. "I was in Bloomington the next week to see the men's team and did a lot of reflecting on how far our swimming programs have progressed."
In 1981, Perry was named Assistant to then-Athletic Director Joe Paterno, who was succeeded a year later by Jim Tarman. Her primary concentration was in Student-Athlete Services until she was promoted to Senior Woman Administrator in 1989.
Perry has coached and observed thousands of athletic events during her superlative career. And while three great achievements stand out as highlights, Perry said the daily interaction with student-athletes has been the greatest source of joy.
"Seeing the basketball and soccer teams reach their respective Final Four events and the volleyball team win the national championship (1999) are three highlights that come to mind, but it all goes back to the people," said Perry. "Seeing students come here and watching them grow has been very satisfying. Reaching their goals and graduate. The joy of commencement, that's what it's all about. Students making the commitment and being part of a team that understands where we're trying to go, that's what lights my fire."
An assistant professor of exercise and sports science in the College of Health and Human Development, Perry taught from 1966 until the mid-80's. She was a long-time member of the Faculty Senate. She sits on the Senate Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics and is member of the University Women's Commission Athletics sub-committee.
Perry was accorded new and broader responsibilities with Penn State's membership in the Big Ten Conference. A member of the Big Ten's primary administrative body-the Joint Group-Perry was chair of the Women's Athletic Administrators Group in 1992-93. She has also served on a number of conference committees, including the Women's Television Administrative Committee, the Sports Administrators Group and the Legislative Review Committee.
In January 2000, Perry was appointed to the NCAA Division I Management Council, the group of nation-wide athletic administrators and faculty representatives that forwards legislative recommendations to the NCAA Division I Board of Directors.
Perry was chairperson of the Intercollegiate Athletic Strategic Planning Committee from 1984-86. She also has served on the planning committees for the construction of the McCoy Natatorium, Bryce Jordan Center and the Penn State All-Sports Museum.
A past President of the Eastern Association for Physical Education of College Women, Perry has previous experience as a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee for Swimming and was technical advisor to the Eastern Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Aquatics Committee. She served as president of the Women's Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Coaches Association. From 1975-77, she was chairperson of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Advisory Committee on swimming and diving.
In 1995, Perry was named recipient of the 1995 Administrator of the Year Award presented by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. The award recognizes "an administrator who has excelled at encouraging the growth and quality of women's basketball programs ad women's athletic programs overall."
College athletics in general, Penn State sports in particular, have been greatly enriched by the significant and enduring contributions of Ellen Perry.