July 8, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State Director of Athletics Tim Curley today announced the appointment of Mark Sherburne to the position of Associate Athletic Director for Administration. An employee of the University and Intercollegiate Athletics for 18 years, Sherburne will assume the post after an eight-year stint as the department's Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Services.
"Mark has been an invaluable asset to the department and in particular our student-athletes for a number of years now and his role with Penn State's Intercollegiate Athletics Department will only continue to grow with his new position," said Curley. "I am excited to have Mark assist me with the daily operations of our department and think Penn State will thrive with him in this newly enhanced role. Mark has been a Nittany Lion from the very beginning of his professional career and I am excited to have him in such a critical position going forward."
As Penn State's Associate Athletic Director for Administration, Sherburne will continue to oversee student-athlete services and will become the primary administrative contact for the Morgan Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes (MASCSA), Sports Medicine, Student Affairs, the Office of Judicial Affairs, Risk Management, Sports Camps, PSUAC, and the Bryce Jordan Center. In addition, he will remain connected with the Athletics Council for Diversity and Inclusion (ACDI).
"This is a great opportunity to assist Tim with the day-to-day operations of the department and maintain my involvement with student-athlete services," said Sherburne. "I look forward to my new leadership roles as well as continuing to work with our coaches, administrators, support staff, and other units across campus to positively impact the overall educational and athletic experiences of our student-athletes."
Sherburne started his professional career in the Morgan Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes in May 1991. Less than a year later, he was appointed an Academic Counselor/Football Support Services Coordinator. A former Nittany Lion football player, Sherburne counseled and advised football student-athletes on academic, social and transitional issues. He also tracked the academic progress and eligibility of each student-athlete and communicated information about the academic progress and eligibility of student-athletes to coaches while also implementing a new academic progress monitoring system via email. Sherburne coordinated and supervised the operation of developmental study hall for football as well as the tutoring program. He helped with the football recruiting process by providing tours and information related to academics and football to visiting prospects and families.
In June 2000, Sherburne assumed the role of Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Services. For eight years, Sherburne supervised and managed the daily operations of the Student-Athlete Services Office (SASO) and was the primary ICA liaison with the Morgan Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes, Financial Aid, Undergraduate Admissions, Registrar, Bursar, Housing and Food Services, Risk Management, Sports Medicine, Judicial Affairs and the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse.
In his position, Sherburne worked with all 29 athletic team coaches on admissions cases and NCAA initial eligibility certification. He reviewed and approved all official recruiting visits and oversaw student-athlete employment requests to ensure compliance with NCAA rules. He also coordinated the participation records and athletic letter awards program, maintained official NCAA squad lists and Big Ten certified eligibility lists, and managed all athletic team rosters according to squad size limits to ensure participation equity.
As part of his responsibilities, Sherburne was the Athletic Department's Administrator to the Varsity S Club and the Football Lettermen's Club. He oversaw spending of athletic endowment monies and assignments for football endowments as well as other general endowed scholarships available to athletics. He also oversaw the athletic grant-in-aid process including initial awards, renewals, and non-renewals.
Sherburne recently served on the Academic Integrity Subcommittee for Penn State's NCAA Self-Study Certification. He has been a member of the Intercollegiate Athletics Diversity Council since 2000 and attended the Division 1A Athletic Directors Leadership Institute in Dallas, Texas in 2003. He is currently active in the Division 1A Athletic Directors Association as well as the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. He is also a member of the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
Additionally, Sherburne has been a volunteer for the Special Olympics and United Way Day of Caring.
An alumnus of both Penn State's baseball (1989-91) and football (1986-88) programs, Sherburne graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Logistics in May, 1991 and began his employment with the Morgan Center and Intercollegiate Athletics Department immediately thereafter. A State College native, Sherburne went on to earn his Masters Degree in Counselor Education, also from Penn State, in 1993.
Sherburne and his wife, Sue, Assistant Director/Morgan Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes, reside in State College.
TRANSACTIONS: Penn State University appoints Mark Sherburne Associate Athletic Director for Administration
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