Greenville College Athletic Department announces administrative transitions
Published: April 13, 2021
GREENVILLE, Ill. -- The Greenville College Athletic department has announced a series of transitions that will take place on July 1 as a part of a restructuring of the athletic department staff.
After two years as athletic director, Kent Krober will transfer to the development office as senior director of major and planned gifts. Krober brings the development office nearly three decades of experience in higher education. He served Greenville College as director of admissions and alumni and also worked for a decade at the University of Missouri St. Louis as director of planned giving.
Kent brings tremendous experience, expertise and history to this new role and will help move GC fundraising efforts forward, said Linda Myette, vice president for development. "He was also largely responsible for raising most of the money that covered the costs of the upgrades to the athletic facilities over the last two years.
Doug Faulkner will assume oversight of the athletic department as dean of professional studies and athletics. He is also professor of sports management. Tom Ackerman will relinquish his position as head men's volleyball coach and take added responsibility as associate athletic director in addition to his position as head womens volleyball coach.
Faulkner will assume a role in the athletic department that will have many responsiblitiles similar to those that he held prior to the hiring of Krober as athletic director. Faulkner previously served as athletic director from 1999 to 2014 after a seven year tenure as head womens basketball coach (1992-94), and head mens basketball coach (1994-99).
After his return to Greenville College in 2014, Krober maintained the foundation that Faulkner had established as the Greenville College athletic department continued to excel in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and NCAA Division III. This year, Greenville College ranks first in the SLIAC All-Sports standings, midway through the spring season. The athletic department was second in the standings at the conclusion of the previous two seasons a position attained once previously.
Over the past two years, Greenville College teams have advanced to four NCAA national tournaments. The baseball, women's volleyball, womens basketball, and softball teams were SLIAC tournament champions, gaining automatic bids in the NCAA Division III national tournament. The school had advanced to four NCAA tournaments prior to 2015.
The men's track and field team posted a pair of top 10 NCAA Division III national placements as they were seventh in 2014 to tie the school mark for performance at the national meet. The team bettered that in 2015 with a sixth place showing at the Division III national championships.
Over the past two years various programs have been added to the intercollegiate and club offerings of the Greenville College athletic department. Men's volleyball was added and began competition in the winter of 2016, a head cheerleading coach was hired to lead an expanded cheer program, men's and women's golf were introduced as intercollegiate sports to begin in 201617, and bass fishing was created as a club sport.
In addition, Krober has overseen the process of making athletic facilities, both indoor and outdoor, more aesthetically appealing and inviting. Capital improvements have included a new mens soccer and softball locker room in lobby of the Briner Training Center, scoreboards at Francis Field and Robert E. Smith Field, and new tennis courts at the newly re-dedicated Scott Burgess Tennis Complex.
Greenville College will host a dual conference track meet in May, and is in the second of a two-year bid to host the SLIAC baseball tournament.
Krober has stressed the four pillars of our program which he noted as The Greenville Way. The athletic department aims to "Honor Christ", Build Character", Support Community", and Love Competition. He served one term as the chair of SLIAC administrative council.
Ackerman's position as head men's volleyball coach will be opened for a national search, and he will maintain oversight of both volleyball programs as director of volleyball operations.
