SMU BASKETBALL - 235 SMU ADMINISTRATION R. GERALD TURNER PAUL ROGERS PRESIDENT FACULTY ATHLETIC REPRESENTATIVE As president of SMU since 1995, R. Gerald Turner is leading an era of unprecedented Paul Rogers is the Marilyn Jeanne Johnson Distinguished Faculty Fellow, Professor of progress. His tenure has included two historic major gifts campaigns that raised more Law and the former dean of the SMU Dedman School of Law. He is also the University’s than $1.6 billion for student scholarships, endowed faculty positions, academic programs faculty athletic representative and helps represent the University with the American and capital projects, including new academic, student life and athletics facilities. To Athletic Conference and the NCAA. Rogers currently serves on the NCAA’s Football continue its rise in impact and quality, SMU is engaged in a three-year drive, “Pony Oversight and Football Competition Committees. He is also a member of the National Power: Strengthening the Stampede,” to provide annual gifts that support today’s Football Foundation’s Awards Committee. He is a former president of the Southwest students, faculty and academic programs. Conference and also previously served on the NCAA Division I Amateurism Cabinet, the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet and the Executive Committee of the Division Fueled by these investments, SMU’s progress has included increases in average I-A Faculty Athletics Representative Association. admission test scores, a near tripling of student applications, an increase in minority enrollment to 27 percent, and a more than tripling of the endowment. The University In 1988 Rogers was the principal drafter of the Manual of Governance for SMU Athletics continues to advance as a leading center of teaching and research that creates new and became the frst chair of the SMU Athletic Council, which provides oversight of knowledge, addresses signifcant issues and prepares students to be world changers. the SMU athletics and recommends academic and administrative policies governing SMU ranks in the top 20 percent of the best national universities by U.S. News & student-athletes. He continues as a member of the council. World Report and the top 15 percent of universities worldwide by the Center for World University Rankings. Prior to joining the SMU law faculty in 1980, he served on the law faculty at Loyola University of Chicago. He previously practiced law in Pennsylvania. Rogers has two From its home in the global city of Dallas, SMU’s vibrant campus offers enrichment degrees (B.A., J.D.) from The University of Texas at Austin and an LL.M. from Colum- opportunities such as the Tate Lecture Series and Meadows Museum of Art to students bia University. Rogers served as dean of the School of Law from 1988-97. Earlier he and the wider community. President Turner led efforts with the Board of Trustees to served as associate dean for academic affairs from 1982-86. He has co-authored a attract the George W. Bush Presidential Center, which opened at SMU in 2013. SMU leading casebook on antitrust law, now in its fourth edition, and has written numerous and the Bush Center partner through fellowships, public lectures, the new George W. articles on antitrust, regulated industries, contracts, commercial law, sports law and Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative and additional collaborations that bring legal history. An avid baseball historian, he has published six books and many articles together students, faculty and global experts to tackle pressing challenges. dealing with the history of baseball. Beyond the campus, President Turner has served on the boards of the American He serves on the board of the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation in Ft. Worth and is Council on Education and the National Association of Independent Colleges and former president of the board of directors of Dispute Mediation Services and a former Universities, and he co-chaired the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for trustee of the Dallas Bar Foundation. Rogers is a fellow of the Dallas Bar, Texas Bar nearly 10 years. In Texas, he serves on the boards of the Methodist Health System and the American Bar Foundations. A member of the American Law Institute, he also Foundation, the Salvation Army of Dallas, the AT&T Performing Arts Center and two served as chair of the Ethics Oversight Committee for Dallas 2012 and is president of publicly traded companies. the Ernie Banks-Bobby Bragan Chapter (Dallas-Fort Worth) of the Society of American Baseball Research. In 2006 Rogers was named an Honorary Letterman by the SMU Before joining SMU, President Turner was the chancellor of the University of Mississippi. Lettermen’s Association. He received the Tom Tunks Distinguished University Service He previously served in administrative positions at the University of Oklahoma and Award in 2016 and the University’s “M” Award in 2017. Pepperdine University. A native of New Boston, Texas, he earned an A.A. degree from Lubbock Christian University, a B.S. in psychology from Abilene Christian University Rogers is married to Julie Forrester Rogers of the SMU law faculty and together they and an M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. He and have fve children and fve grandchildren. his wife, Gail, have two married daughters and fve grandchildren. SMU BASKETBALL - 236 Hart also developed and installed the Strategic Plan for SMU Athletics titled, "The SMU Advantage." The SMU Advantage consists of a departmental vision, mission, values and RICK HART goals and operates on a principle of S.P.I.R.I.T. (Service, Passion, Integrity, Respect, Innovation and Teamwork), with a focus on the student-athlete and aligning the Athletics DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Department with the educational mission of the University. AD_RICKHART Hart has served on the NACDA Executive Committee, the NCAA Division I Championship/Sports Management Cabinet, the FCS Athletics Directors Association Executive Committee and as a faculty member for the D1-A Athletics Directors' Institute. Rick Hart was named SMU's Director of Athletics on July 16, 2012. Hart is an active speaker, and has made presentations at the Career in Sports Seminar, the NACDA Leadership Institute, the Texas High School Athletic Directors’ Association During Hart’s six years on the Hilltop, SMU student-athletes have excelled in the and the Dallas Women’s Club, to name a few. classroom, as over 65% of the student-athlete population holds cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or higher. Hart came to SMU after six years as Director of Athletics at Tennessee at Chattanooga. Hart served seven years at Oklahoma in various athletics administrative capacities, SMU has also excelled athletically, winning 19 conference team championships and ending as the Senior Associate Athletics Director in 2006. Hart has also worked in consistently fnishing among the leaders in the American Athletic Conference, with nine athletics at North Carolina and East Carolina and has served with the U.S. Olympic sports fnishing in the top three of their respective conferences in 2017-18. Committee. SMU has also connected with the community, as Mustang student-athletes logged A graduate of UNC, Hart earned a bachelor's degree in physical education, health and 3,557 community service hours during the 2017-18 academic year, an amount almost sport science. Hart and his wife, Allison, also a graduate of North Carolina, are proud equivalent to two entire years’ worth of work. The community has responded to SMU parents of Trevor, who will enroll at SMU in the fall, and Caroline (Carly), who attends as well, increasing attendance at events and donations to the department. Highland Park High School. Due to the generosity of alumni and friends, donor support has grown each of the last A third-generation athletics administrator, Hart's father, Dave, served as Director of six years. In 2017-18, donors contributed a record $24.3M to support SMU Athletics Athletics at the University of Tennessee, Florida State and East Carolina, and his late and its 424 student-athletes. The $24.3M represents a 31% increase in total athletics grandfather, Dave Sr., served in a variety of roles within collegiate athletics including giving year-over-year and marks the biggest fundraising year for athletics in the history stints as a Coach, Athletics Director and Conference Commissioner. of the university. During Hart’s time, SMU has renovated and expanded Moody Coliseum and opened numerous new facilities including the Miller Event Center, the SMU Tennis Complex, the Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium and the Payne Stewart SMU Golf Training Center at Trinity Forest Golf Club. SMU has also broken KURT POTTKOTTER ground on an indoor performance center. DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS KURTPOTTKOTTER Kurt Pottkotter is the Deputy Director of Athletics at SMU, a position he has held since January 2017. In this role, Pottkotter assists with the day-to-day operations of the athletic department, which sponsors 17 sports and supports 424 student-athletes. He serves as the Sport Administrator for football, women’s tennis and men’s tennis, and is also responsible for the department’s capital project planning and development. Prior to his promotion to Deputy AD, Pottkotter served four years as Senior Associate AD for Development, leading all private philanthropy in support of Mustang Athletics, including capital project funding, major gifts and annual funds. In his fnal year heading SMU Athletics’ fundraising efforts, the Mustang Club Annual Fund raised $5.2M, the third-largest fundraising year in the history of the Mustang Club, with each of the three most successful years coming during Pottkotter’s tenure. During his time on the Hilltop, SMU has renovated and expanded Moody Coliseum and opened numerous new facilities including the Miller Event Center, the SMU Tennis Complex, the Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium and the Payne Stewart SMU Golf Training Center at Trinity Forest Golf Club.