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| Dr. William Broussard Director of Athletics SOUTHERN UNVERSITY |
The Southern University Board of Supervisors approved Broussard to become its new director of athletics Thursday by a vote of 15-0 during its March board meeting.
Broussard will assume his post at the helm of the athletics departments at Southern Monday, April 1. He anticipates working intensely to rectify the current trends involving three critical areas, including Southern's APR scores, which will be released to the public in April.
"The way that you go about addressing (APR issues) is your assessment has to be thorough," said Broussard. "Sometimes numbers don’t give you the full picture so you have to spend time looking at the data but also spend some time talking with coaches, student-athletes, and staff about what we are doing in those areas to help our student-athletes achieve success."
At the recommendation of SUBR Chancellor Dr. James Llorens, the Crowley, La. native was introduced to the board's athletics commitee chaired by attorney Patrick McGee during a March 15 special session held on the Baton Rouge campus.
Before Broussard's appointment became official, a final vote of the board was required in Shreveport. Board member and attorney Warren A. Forstall was not present at today's meeting but voted in favor of Broussard at the March 15 special session and offered a ringing endorsement of the prospective hire.
Highly regarded as a visionary with superb fundraising capabilities, Broussard delivers a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new post as Southern University's Director of Athletics.
Broussard's versatility is derived from a variety of administrative, athletic, and academic experiences garnered throughout his career and will be instrumental in his supervision of five men's and eight women's Division I programs at Southern.
His hire comes after 11-months of intense searching and the board's rebuttal of one finalist who was amongst two other finalists identified by a search committee.
Following his unanimous approval by the athletics committee, Broussard stated his most important task will be "to cultivate relationships, learn about the student-athletes who are here, the coaches who are here and their concerns, spend some time reviewing policies and procedure and ensuring that those are properly lined up so that the program performs adequately and excellently."
Broussard, 33, recently served as athletics director at Centenary College in Shreveport and cited NCAA rules compliance, academic performance and "institutional advancement" as areas he deemed vital to the success of the athletics department during his tenure.
"We want to reach the point where Southern is a flagship of the SWAC and a beacon for all historically black colleges and university athletic departments," said Broussard.
"We must identify private donors, corporate sponsors, alumni, friends of the university and supporters of the athletic program who want to help us continue to expand what we offer to student athletes and ensure that they have the best athletic experience and the best student experience they could possible have."
A 2000 graduate of the Louisiana Scholars' College at Northwestern State University, Broussard earned a master's and doctorate in Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of the English Language in 2007 from the University of Arizona. While in graduate school, he served as an undergraduate instructor, research supervisor, and held positions in athletics and student life. He also gained academic experienced as a faculty member at Pima community College in Tuscon.
Broussard, a graduate of Crowley High School, returned home to Louisiana and his alma mater to serve as Associate Athletic Director for External Relations as well as the Executive Director of the NSU Athletic Association.
In these roles, he oversaw all areas of athletic fundraising and external relations, breaking university records for attainment, annual fund, and corporate sponsorships. He garnered the largest gifts in the history of the department as well as the university as a whole. In addition, he worked closely with several sports, managing football game operations and coordinating schedules and contracts. He also served as the department's ambassador at campus events and on a wide variety of committees and working groups.
Concurrently with his work in the athletic department, Broussard worked closely with students on an academic level. He served as an assistant professor first in the journalism department and later in the language and communication department, teaching several traditional and online courses. In this role, he volunteered as a faculty advisory for the National Association of Black Journalists as well as NSU's Student Alumni Association.
During his two-year stint at Northwestern St., Broussard was an active leader in the community, serving on the Executive Board of the Boys and Girls Club and is a past president of the Natchitoches Lions Club. He also represented the NSU Athletic Department at regional and national conferences and the Southland Conference at the National Association of Athletic Development Directors conference.
As an undergraduate, Broussard was a varsity letter winner for NSU's Division I football team from 1997-2000. A two-time All-American center, Broussard was a member of the All-Conference, All-Louisiana, All-District teams and received several notable awards for his success both in the classroom and on the playing field.
Broussard, who is the son of Grambling State alums Wilfred and Elizabeth Broussard, is married to Kendra Broussard, also a Northwestern State alum and former volleyball student-athlete.
COURTESY: SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS
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