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New Athletics Captain |
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"Ken's integrity and dedication to the field and his 25 years of experience as a director of athletics at two different institutions make him an excellent choice for the position," said vice president for student affairs and campus life Brian McAree on announcing the appointment. Kutler came to Ithaca after serving at Frostburg State University (1978-86) and Hartwick College (1986-2003). At Hartwick he oversaw a 24-sport intercollegiate athletic program (including two teams that compete at the Division I level). He is a past president of the Empire 8 athletic conference and spent 10 years as women's soccer coach (1986-93 and 2001-3), leading the Hartwick Hawks to five NCAA playoff appearances. He is a 1964 graduate of East Stroudsburg University, where he was an all-region soccer player and played competitive golf and tennis. Kutler holds a master's degree in education from Temple University and a doctorate in education from West Virginia University. Kutler says he's delighted to be at Ithaca. "I sense a certain pride here; there's an intangible feeling that the same commitment to excellence that we see in other areas of the College is certainly there in the intercollegiate athletics program, and in recreation in general," he says. "We certainly have a lot of students taking us up on the opportunity. We have about 800 student athletes in intercollegiate sports, another 900 in club sports, and 2,000 in intramurals--it's a very active population. Not just students, but faculty and staff participate in sports activities. Ithaca has a comprehensive approach to all physical activity." He's impressed by the loyalty the Bomber teams engender, even years after the players graduate. "Many alumni were in the area over the summer and just stopped in to see coaches and to see Sandy [Van Benschoten, administrative assistant in athletics]," he points out. "I was introduced to many of them, and the kind of passion they have for Ithaca and for their IC experience, both as student and athlete, was quite evident. That really impressed me--the passion, that attachment to the College, especially their athletic ties. That was fun for me to see, as the new kid on the block." Surely, though, he sees room for improvement? "In little things, like parking," Kutler laughs. "One student even asked me, quite seriously, during my interview process what I planned to do about parking." Seriously, though, Kutler believes that Ithaca has strong intercollegiate programs, and he is pleased with what he inherited. He'd like to see some of the programs become more competitive at the national level. "We always aspire to be more competitive at the national level across the board," he says. "People in athletics by general nature strive to be better, to be first, to win--but all the while having fun. Challenges vary from year to year, as teams experience senior turnover and we're rebuilding, trying to find the best student athletes to matriculate here. We support our programs through the good times, the trying times, and the building times." Kutler stresses that at IC, as at all Division III schools, academics absolutely come first. "It's important to get top-notch students," he says. "Athletics must be second. Sometimes it's hard for athletes to differentiate and strike the right balance [between academics and athletics], so it's up to us as coaches and administrators to help them keep that appropriate focus." Photo by George Sapio |
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