Sun Star | Story

	Athletics Director resigns after tumultuous tenure
	by Nate Raymond For the Sun Star

	After only two and a half years as Athletics Director, Cory Schwartz resigned this summer. Schwartz announced her resignation July 20 “to pursue other opportunities,” according to a statement. During her time at UAF, several coaches resigned and her associate director quit after allegations of sexual harassment were lodged against him. At the same time, UAF athletes excelled in the classroom and in competitions, and the department added a women's swim team. Forrest Karr, who previously served as the school’s NCAA compliance coordinator, will take over Schwartz’s job until the university has completed a search to find a full-time replacement. Karr had been on-staff for less than a year when he was appointed as interim director. He came to UAF in August 2004 after graduating from the University of Wisconsin Law School that May. Before that, Karr worked for the NCAA researching and writing memos ranging from drug-testing regulations, trademark infringements and online privacy policies. He is a member of the Wisconsin State Bar. Jake Poole, vice chancellor for university advancement and community engagement, expressed his confidence in Karr. "I am pleased that Forrest has agreed to serve as interim director and I have complete confidence that he'll do a good job during the transition period as we undertake a search for a new athletic director," Poole said. Karr, who played hockey at the University of Notre Dame, said in a statement in July that he was excited about this new opportunity. The university praised Schwartz for her service. “Cory’s efforts have helped raise the national visibility of our Nanook athletic programs,” Poole said in a statement. “We have a strong foundation on which to build.” Schwartz joined the Nanooks staff in November 2002 after a yearlong search to replace the previous director, Randy Pitney. She had previously served as the associate director of athletics at the University of Evansville, Indiana. Prior to that, she oversaw student athlete academic services at Colorado State University and worked at the University of Wyoming. Schwartz’s time at UAF saw a string of resignations by coaches, one of whom cited her as the specific reason. The first to go was Jenny Benson, the women’s basketball coach, who left in March of 2003 to spend more time as a mom. Men’s basketball coach Al Sokaitis resigned in April 2004. At the time, Sokaitis cited communications and administrative problems with Schwartz, as chief reasons behind his resignation. Sokaitis struggled to get a full-time assistant, keep athletics scholarships up and get a new contract. "Those are the type of things that were happening at a fairly regular rate," Sokaitis told the Associated Press at the time. "When you spend more time fighting battles than recruiting and coaching, it's time to move on." Hockey coach Guy Gadowsky soon followed Sokaitis, heading for Princeton that May. Rifle coach Glen Dubis, whose team had just lost their first championship in seven years, resigned this past March for personal reasons. Former Associate Athletics Director Kip Harmon resigned last October when he was accused of harassing women in the athletics department. According to one complainant, the harassment went back almost three years—before Schwartz's time—when UAF Human Resources conducted a sexual harassment meeting because of an incident between him and a female employee. Harmon retained his job after the incident until more complaints were reported to the police department in October 2004. The 24-page police report found that nothing criminal in nature occurred, but Harmon still gave up a seat he had won on the local school board that fall and quit his job with UAF. Despite all the turbulence in the athletics department, the rifle team held a six-season NCAA Championship streak that ended last season. The men’s basketball team reached the regional finals twice during the past two years, and the hockey team posted its best season ever. A new sport was added too, with a women’s swim program kicking-off this fall. And overall student athlete grade point average this year was 3.0, according to the university. Other changes included a renovation of the Patty Center offices to include an academic center for student athletes and new swimming and volleyball locker rooms. Schwartz had been working to build a UAF sports Hall of Fame. “I’m extremely proud of our student athletes, our coaches and their accomplishments," Schwartz said in a statement. “I have put together a good, strong staff and have enjoyed my time in Fairbanks and at UAF. I wish my staff much success in the future.” Karr, her replacement, echoed Schwartz’s sentiments. “We all appreciate the things that Cory has done to get us to a point where we're competitive in all of our sports,” Karr said. “We have a great staff that supports each other. The department will take it to the next level by being a team, and by working with the community.” Karr added that the university will “continue to graduate our student-athletes and be a national leader in graduation rates.” “We will adhere to the letter and the spirit of the NCAA rules, and continue to maintain our national competitiveness while striving to win national championships every year,” he said.
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August 30, 2005