Illinois State

UNIVERSITY LEADERS DR. AL BOWMAN UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT GARY FRIEDMAN DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Al Bowman became Illinois State University's 17th president on March 1, 2004, after serving one year as interim president. Bowman received a bachelor's degree in speech pathology from Augustana College and a master's degree in speech-language pathology from Eastern Illinois University. He chose the University of Illinois-Urbana for his graduate work, completing a Ph.D. in speech and hearing science. Bowman was a staff speech pathologist at Veterans Administration Hospital in Danville prior to joining Illinois State in 1978 as a faculty member in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology. He was appointed chairperson of the department in 1994 and held the position for eight years, while also serving as director of the Down Syndrome Speech-Language Clinic and continuing to teach a course each semester. Under Bowman's leadership the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, now the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, was awarded accreditation by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, faculty and staff scholarly productivity doubled, and the master's program rose in prestige to its current ranking as No. 1 in Illinois. A doctoral program in audiology was added to the program during Bowman's presidency, one of only five in the State of Illinois. In 2007, Bowman was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In the 2002-2003 academic year, Bowman left the chair's position to serve as Illinois State's interim provost. He served as interim president of Illinois State from June of 2003 until he was named president in March of 2004. After being named president, Bowman instituted a salary enhancement plan in September 2005 to close the gap with peer institution salaries in order to recruit and retain high quality faculty and staff at Illinois State University. More than $2 million has gone into that initiative even though Illinois State has seen a major downward shift in state appropriations for higher education. Bowman also pursued funding for the renovation of the now 50-year old Schroeder Hall, a $17.5 million project which was completed in January 2005. He was instrumental in completing Illinois State University's first comprehensive campaign, Redefining "normal," which raised more than $96 million to enhance Illinois State's position in higher education. In 2007, Bowman was instrumental in gaining approval for a new $49.1 Student Fitness and Kinesiology and Recreation Center that opened in 2010 An avid outdoorsman, Bowman enjoys mountain climbing, hiking, skiing, and runs five miles daily. His wife, Linda (Althoff), completed undergraduate and master's degrees at Illinois State. She is the graduate program advisor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Their daughter Natalie is a student in the University Laboratory Schools, and their daughter Laura graduated from Illinois State this past May. Gary Friedman, a native of Deerfield, Ill., became Illinois State's 10th Director of Athletics in the NCAA Division I era on May 11, 2011. He brings more than 22 years of combined university and athletic administration experience at Louisville, Central Michigan, East Tennessee State and Illinois. With a background in fundraising, sales and marketing, strategic planning, facility enhancement, sport and budgetary management and community and university relations, Friedman was a natural fit to lead the Illinois State Department of Intercollegiate Athletics into the future. Friedman earned his master's degree in athletic administration (1992) and his bachelor's degree in marketing (1989) both at Illinois. He is the past president of the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) and a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD). Prior to taking over in Normal, Ill., Friedman promised a fast-paced, proactive environment within the department and his vision has quickly taken shape. He set six goals for the department: (1) keep student-athletes first and at the heart of every decision; (2) continue to keep academics as top priority; (3) continue to be compliant; (4) exude class and brand ISU in a first-class manner; (5) win and (6) do all of this within the ISU goals and mission. In addition to the department goals, Friedman also introduced a department philosophy through his "REDBIRDS" acronym: Respect, Enthusiasm, Discipline, Believe, Integrity, Responsibility and Drive Success. During the 2011-12 season, the athletics program has received increased exposure regionally and nationally with the largest television package in school history through Comcast SportsNet Chicago and the expansion of the Redbird Radio Network by securing an affiliate in Chicago. A new group ticket sales division within the department has been created and the game day atmosphere has been reenergized at Redbird sporting events to further enhance the Redbird fan experience. Facilities are also a priority for Redbird Athletics. The exciting Hancock Stadium Renovation project was announced in September 2011, as well as the beginning of the construction to the new men's basketball locker room. Fundraising efforts and planning for an updated softball complex and the renovation of coaches' offices in the Horton Field House complex are also underway. Long-term scheduling has resulted in football games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents Eastern Michigan (2012), Iowa (2015) and Northwestern (2016) and a men's basketball series against Northwestern to be played on both campuses. ISU student-athletes have continued to enjoy success during 2011-12. Illinois State track and field star Tim Glover won the 2011 National Championship in the javelin in June and the Redbird women's soccer and cross country teams each won Missouri Valley Conference titles during the Fall 2011 semester. Redbirds student-athletes also set new standards in the classroom by posting a 3.15 GPA in the Fall 2011 semester, besting the previous record of 3.13 from the Spring 2009 semester. At Louisville, Friedman was a member of the management team leading a $65 million per year intercollegiate athletics program, supporting 23 sports and more than 500 student-athletes. During the past two seasons at Louisville, 18-of-23 sports were nationally ranked and made post-season play, and the program received 38 Big East regular season and tournament championships after joining the conference in 2005. All 23 sports have received a new facility in the past 10 years. With the Cardinals, Friedman directed external operations, which included marketing, promotions, development, major gifts and the annual fund, and led fundraising for the design and construction of several major facilities totaling more than $350 million. Friedman also led fundraising efforts that raised more than $41 million in athletic gifts during the 2009-10 year. Prior to Louisville, Friedman served as the associate athletics director for external operations at Central Michigan from 1996 to 2001. At CMU, he led the fundraising and assisted in the planning and design for a $28 million expansion project, including football stadium expansion, indoor practice facility, academic center, indoor track stadium and weight training center. His efforts at Central Michigan also helped increase annual fund revenues in the department by 54 percent in three years, despite experiencing losing football and basketball seasons. Friedman worked five years at East Tennessee State (1991-96), the first year as its director of marketing and promotions before advancing to assistant athletic director for external operations. There, he aided the Buccaneers in setting new revenue highs by creating new sponsorship and fundraising programs. Born in Chicago, Friedman and his wife Ra'Tonya - who was crowned Mrs. Kentucky America in 2008 - have two sons, Noa'Sosa (4) and Nehemiah (2). 4 ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY CLICK TO RETURN

• Cover