MOVING FORWARDE: A Column by Athletic Director Warde Manuel

Every once in awhile someone will ask me what it is that we do in the Athletic Department after graduation in May.

The short answer is, these days, plenty!

The days of summers off in Division I athletics passed a few decades ago, and truth be told, our athletic venues are buzzing at a regular pace although the parking around them is certainly more manageable!

Many of our student-athletes are here for either summer school or have chosen to stay to work and work out with their teammates in an effort to get better. Over 90% of our football team is here in what has become an absolutely critical period of strength and conditioning for all of our programs. While games are won and lost during the season, the seeds of success are often planted in the hot summer months when the first game is still months away.

In addition, almost all of our programs are in another season: summer camp season. Many of our coaches are running their summer camps that allow the Western New York community to use our excellent venues and learn from outstanding staffs. In some cases, it also allows our coaches to evaluate and meet young student-athletes who may be considering UB as a collegiate choice in the future. It's a win-win for both sides.

Summer - as you know by driving through Western New York - is also a construction season and it's no different at UB. While our campus is getting a facelift in conjunction with continued compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, inside Alumni Arena our recreation and intramurals weight room is having the seating area above the weight room transformed into a Cardio Deck. When students arrive back in August they will find an area that will feature more than 40 cardio-related machines - treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bikes, steppers and more - for their usage.

Lastly, we continue to redefine our staff at UB Athletics with some exciting hirings. Anucha Browne-Sanders, most recently a Senior Vice President with the New York Knicks, will join our staff in August as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Marketing and act as our Senior Woman Administrator. In addition, we welcome Donald Reed who will serve on our staff as Associate Athletic Director for Student Services. Donald joins us from Iowa State where he served in a similar capacity for the Cyclones' Academic and Student Services. In addition, John Lambert, the former Associate Athletic Director for External Relations has been elevated to Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development and Christina Hernandez has been promoted to Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations.

All told, its already been a busy summer…and it figures to get even busier, and more exciting, as summer turns to fall.

I look forward to seeing you in the fall as our teams embark on exciting seasons of competition.

Go Bulls!

Warde

Share your feedback or questions with us at ub-bullsnews@buffalo.edu