Bio

A national leader in Division III athletics for two decades, Susan Bassett is committed to the philosophy that competition and physical fitness are an integral part of the higher education experience. Since being named Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation in July 2005, Bassett has utilized her experience and passion to make Carnegie Mellon one of the country’s most comprehensive and progressive Division III programs.

During Bassett’s tenure, the student-athletes at Carnegie Mellon have excelled on and off the playing fields. With a cumulative grade-point average that outpaces the rest of the university’s student body, Carnegie Mellon’s student-athletes have received national recognition for their success in the classroom. In 2011-12, Carnegie Mellon boasted six CoSIDA Academic All-America selections.

Carnegie Mellon’s intercollegiate teams have reached new heights under Bassett’s leadership, as the women’s tennis program competed in its eighth straight NCAA tournament in 2011-12 while 13 athletes competed in NCAA championships. During the past year, 114 student-athletes were all-conference selections and two years ago, women’s track and field athlete Jacqueline Guevel became the first female in the University Athletic Association (UAA) to be named Rookie of the Year and Running Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. In 2009-10, Andrew Girard was named the Wilson/ITA Division III National Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year.

After arriving at Carnegie Mellon, Bassett developed the Excellence Forum to provide students with leadership and life-skill development and staff with professional development opportunities. Through leadership programming, students are empowered to take responsibility for team success while mentoring teammates to reach individual and group potential. Life-skills workshops include communication, conflict resolution, time management, nutrition workshops, financial planning and motivation.

Additionally, Bassett has focused much of her attention on facility improvement since arriving on the Oakland campus. In 2006, the playing surface at Gesling Stadium was replaced with state-of-the-art FieldTurf that provides the football program with one of the most impressive competitive venues in Division III. During the summer of 2010, Bassett spearheaded an effort to begin construction on a playing field that is used for intramurals, club sports and intercollegiate soccer. Bassett also worked to replace the track at Gesling Stadium and added cutting-edge scoreboards at that facility, as well as in the University Center Pool. Bassett also led the efforts to build The Cost Varsity Weight Room, a facility which provides student-athletes with the opportunity to use the very best strength training equipment.

Since her arrival, Bassett has left her imprint in the organization of the department by implementing a new structure based on teamwork with clearly defined administrative roles and operational support. She has added full-time assistant coaching positions, brought on a full-time strength and conditioning coach and enhanced her administrative team.

Although she has spent just seven years at Carnegie Mellon, Bassett’s achievements have been recognized on a national level by her peers in intercollegiate athletics. In June 2010, Bassett was named the Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year for the Central Region of the United States. Bassett was one of 29 individuals honored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and one of four Division III administrators to win the prestigious award. Additionally, Bassett currently serves as past president of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA). In 2011, Bassett became just the first active Division III athletics director to assume the executive post of NACWAA President.

Prior to her arrival at Carnegie Mellon, Bassett served as the director of athletics at William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y. for 10 years. While helping the Herons expand their program to regional and national prominence, Bassett also served as an associate professor of physical education at the coordinate colleges of Hobart and William Smith.

During Bassett’s decade at William Smith, three varsity programs were added: sailing, squash and golf. The Herons won two national field hockey and two national sailing championships during Bassett’s tenure, as well as ECAC regional championships in field hockey, lacrosse and soccer and many Liberty League championships. In 2000, William Smith was recognized as one of the top athletics programs in the nation by “Sports Illustrated for Women.”

Bassett helped to advance the athletic and physical education programs off the playing field as well at William Smith. She led renovation efforts and new construction for several campus facilities and was instrumental in developing the Peak Performance Plan, a mentoring initiative to help student-athletes reach their full potential academically, athletically and professionally.

A leader in national issues, Bassett was highly engaged in the NCAA governance structure during her time at William Smith. In 2004, Bassett completed her term as chair of the Division III Management Council and oversaw one of the most influential periods in NCAA and Division III history. One year earlier, she was elected to the NACWAA Board of Directors.

Bassett began her career as head swimming and diving coach at William Smith, where she coached 22 All-Americans. She was also an assistant lacrosse and field hockey coach for the Herons. Before becoming director of athletics at William Smith, Bassett was head men’s and women’s swimming coach at Union College, where she mentored 92 All-Americans and was named the NCAA Division III Coach of the Year in 1993. In the fall of 2006, she was inducted into the Union College Hall of Fame.

Bassett earned her bachelor’s degree in physical education from Ithaca College in 1979, where she became a member of the athletic hall of fame in the fall of 2005. She received a master’s degree in physical education from Indiana University in 1980. In September 2012, Bassett will be inducted into the Heron Hall of Honor at William Smith.