TOWSON, Md. --- Moravian College's Dr. Robert Brill, Drew University's Sarah Abramowitz and Susquehanna's David Imhoof have been selected as a 2016 NCAA NCAA Division III Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) Fellow.
Dr. Brill was appointed the Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) to the NCAA in 2010. He often serves as a guest coach for the various sports programs, has coordinated lunches to bring students and faculty together, and serves as an informal advisor (secondary to their advisor for their academic major) to student-athletes. In his role as FAR, Dr. Brill serves on all selection committees for the hiring of new coaches, oversees data collection and reporting requested by the NCAA, provides reports to the faculty on trends and status of student-athletes at the college, disseminates and promotes information about post-graduate scholarship opportunities for student-athletes, and is involved in SAAC and other student programming.
In the classroom, Dr. Brill teaches courses in industrial, organizational, and social psychology, statistics and research methodology, and introductory psychology. Some special topic courses he offers include Organizational Stress and Occupational Health, Contemporary Work-Life Challenges, and Resiliency and Human Potential. Dr. Brill was awarded the Lindback Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1996. The student class twice voted to award him the Timothy Breidegam Award for Outstanding Service to the College Community in both 1993 and 2004. In those same years, Bob was elected to give the Faculty Commencement Speech to the Graduating class.
Dr. Abramowitz is a Professor of Mathematics, Chair of The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and Coordinator of Statistics Instruction at Drew University. She received a B.A. degree in Mathematics from Cornell University, an M.S. degree in Mathematics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from New York University. Dr. Abramowitz has been a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Drew University since 1998 and specializes in Educational Statistics.
Dr. Abramowitz has authored two books, "Statistics Using IBM SPSS: An Integrative Approach; 3rd Edition" and "Statistics Using Stata." She had previously served as Drew's Faculty Athletics Representative from 2006-09 during the formation of the Landmark Conference. In addition to her full-time roles at Drew, Dr. Abramowitz also serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Statistics Education and as a member of the Annual Planning and Budget Committee and the Committee on Faculty for Drew.
"I'm excited to meet other FAR's and learn about best practices," Abramowitz said. "I also look forward to bringing these ideas and experiences back to Drew University to benefit our athletic department and its student-athletes."
Dr. Abramowitz is also an avid volunteer at the Sean Casey Animal Rescue based out of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Dr. David Imhoof, assistant professor of history at Susquehanna University, specializes in the connections between culture and politics in twentieth-century Germany. He teaches courses on modern Europe, the Holocaust, Germany, and cultural history. And he helps lead Susquehanna's nationally-acclaimed Global Opportunities Program, a requirement that all students there complete a cross-cultural experience.
His book Becoming a Nazi Town: Culture and Politics in Göttingen between the World Wars appeared in 2013, and this year he is releasing an edited volume on the total work of art and a special journal edition on sound studies. He has published widely in international journals and edited collections and earned support from American and German funding agencies.
Imhoof has been at Susquehanna since 2000, serving for nine years as chair of history there, and takes students to Austria each summer for three weeks. He has been Susquehanna's Faculty Athletic Representative since 2013 and recently helped in the process of changing the mascot from Crusader to River Hawks.
"I was definitely not a student athlete in college," Imhoof says, "so my support for Division III athletics really stems from my having seen positive impacts on my campus." "I look forward to using my time at FAR Institute to help integrate athletes' experiences even better into the larger fabric of campus life. And Susquehanna's unique requirement for all students to participate in a cross-cultural experience may allow me to bring some insight to other FARs, especially about athletes studying away."
The FAR Fellows Institute was launched in 2010 and aims to increase the effectiveness of Division III FARs at the campus, conference and national levels.
Institute attendees will participate in a three-day professional development program at the NCAA national office in Indianapolis Friday, October 14 to Sunday, October 16. The components of the program provide a thorough examination of best practices and issues surrounding the role and responsibility of the FAR, help FAR Fellows develop the leadership skills necessary to carry out their responsibilities on campus and in their conference, and strengthen the network of FARs needed to serve on conference, divisional and association-wide committees. The Institute will conclude with FAR Fellows committing to taking action on at least one idea. Highlights from 2015 included:
Campus
- Establish a Faculty Mentoring Program.
- Share data on student-athlete academic success with faculty.
- Develop athletic advisory board.
- Increase FAR involvement with campus SAAC.
Conference
- Attend conference meetings with ADs, Presidents, and SAAC.
- Contact other FARs in the conference to make introductions and share ideas.
- Report to conference peers what was learned at the FAR Institute
National
- Attend the FARA Annual Meeting and Symposium.
- Nominate students for NCAA post-graduate scholarships.
- Read the Division III monthly update.
Release courtesy of Landmark Conference