University Letter

President Kelley announced that UND has extended athletics director Brian Faison's contract through June 2015.

"It is a pleasure to announce this extension of Brian Faison's contract as athletics director at UND," said Kelley. "Brian continues to provide a steady hand in guiding UND's athletics programs through the transition into NCAA Division I. In addition, he is an excellent advocate for UND's programs and represents the University with distinction in the Great West Conference, the WCHA and around the country during team competition."

Some milestones for UND athletics during Faison's second year:

• Statewide, regional and national exposure for UND athletics was dramatically expanded for television and radio coverage.
• Annual giving to the Fighting Sioux Club enjoyed another record year.
• UND student-athletes continued their tradition of academic excellence: nine student-athletes were named ESPN the Magazine Division I Academic All-District, four student-athletes were named ESPN the Magazine Division I Academic All-Americans, 2 student-athletes received NCAA postgraduate scholarships and 111 student-athletes - 25 percent of UND's student-athlete population - received academic all-conference recognition.
• Student-athletes provided 6,845 hours of community service.
• Volleyball won UND's first (non-hockey) Division I regular season conference championship and conference post season tournament championship, football had its eighth straight winning season, women's basketball won the GWC regular season championship, softball won the GWC Tournament championship (the first in program history) and men's hockey won the Broadmoor Trophy as WCHA Final Five champions and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the eighth consecutive year.
• Volleyball set a Betty Engelstad Sioux Center single-match attendance record and set the UND record for average attendance, women's basketball finished 76th in the national in average attendance out of 345 Division I programs, women's hockey finished ninth in the national in average attendance and 10th in total attendance and men's hockey finished second in the national in both average and total attendance.

Faison was named UND's 15th athletics director on April 17, 2008.