Elizabeth "Betsy" Alden has been named director of intercollegiate athletics at Ithaca College. Alden, currently the director of athletics at San Francisco State University, will replace Robert Deming, who is retiring after 17 years with the College.
"We're very pleased that Betsy has chosen to join our athletic department," said Jack Oblak, vice president for student affairs and campus life. "We feel her background and experience will be most beneficial to continuing the advancement of our Division III program."
While at San Francisco State, a Division II institution, Alden has managed a 14-sport program that involves more than 300 student-athletes. She planned and implemented a department-wide gender-equity plan and helped develop the athletic department's first long-range strategic plan with the assistance of faculty, coaches, athletes, and administrators.
"I am really pleased to be moving to Ithaca College," said Alden. "I really enjoyed my recent time on the campus and in the Ithaca community, and believe it's going to be a great fit for me."
In addition to her term at San Francisco State, Alden has worked as the director of athletics at Webster University and as director of physical education, athletics, and intramurals at the College of Notre Dame, Maryland. A 1977 graduate of the State University College at Cortland, Alden earned a master's degree at the University of Maryland in 1983 and is scheduled to complete doctoral work at the University of Iowa this fall.
She has been active in both the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators, an organization she serves as president.
Ithaca College's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports (12 for women, 11 for men). Ithaca belongs to the Eastern College Athletic Conference and the New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association. The men's and women's basketball programs are members of the Empire Athletic Association and the men's lacrosse team competes in the Super Six League.