Laing Kennedy

Laing E. Kennedy is a sports administrator. He currently serves as athletic director for Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States since 1994 and previously served as athletic director at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York from 1983-1994. Since 2005 he has served as a member of the NCAA Division I Basketball Committee, a five-year position, becoming just the second representative from the Mid-American Conference to serve on the committee. He currently resides in Kent, Ohio.

Background

A native of Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, Kennedy earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Cornell University in 1963. Kennedy was an All-America goalkeeper and team captain for Cornell’s ice hockey team. He earned All-Ivy League honors for three consecutive years and was named the Cornell’s Outstanding Athlete in 1963. He was also a member of the Quill and Dagger society.

Career

Cornell University

Kennedy was Cornell's athletic director from 1983 to 1994. During his tenure, Cornell had nine national championship teams, 36 Ivy League championship teams and 102 All-Americans. He also supervised an upgrading of the physical plant -- a new press box on Schoellkopf Field, refurbishing of Schoellkopf Stadium, a new football surface (All-Pro Turf) installed, construction of the multipurpose Alberding Field House (now Bartels Hall), and the Oxley Equestrian Center. [cite web |url= http://www.cornellbigred.com/Sports/general/2007/History.asp?tab=history|title= History of Athletics At Cornell University |accessdate=2008-07-04 |work= Cornell Big Red|publisher= Cornell University|date= 2007]

Kent State University

Since 1994, Kennedy has been Athletic Director at Kent State University. Through the 2006-2007 season, Kennedy's tenure has seen the Golden Flashes 208 individual, 50 team, and 17 tournament Mid-American Conference titles along with 71 All-America honors. Other accomplishments and milestones at Kent State include the addition of two sports (women’s soccer and women’s golf); facility upgrades and extensive renovations at Dix Stadium (football), the MAC Center (basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and gymnastics), and Olga Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium (baseball); as well as construction of Murphy-Mellis Field (field hockey), the Ferrara and Page Golf Training and Learning Center and the Kent State softball stadium adjacent to Dix Stadium. One of the biggest accomplishments has been the full certification status announced by the NCAA in 1997 and again in 2004.

Other improvements under Kennedy include the completion of a comprehensive gender equity study, the formation of the National Athletic Development Council, the implementation of a systematic evaluation of sports programs and the formation of a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee that provides input to the department’s planning process and the construction of a state-of-the-art Athletic Academic Resource Center.

In 2002 and 2006, Kennedy was honored as the Northeast Region Division I-A Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).cite web |url= http://www.kentstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=11400&ATCLID=603337&SPID=4468&SPSID=47670 |title= Director of Athletics Laing Kennedy |accessdate=2008-07-04 |work= KentStateSports.com|publisher= Kent State University|date= 2007]

References