The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has appointed Washington State University Director of Athletics Pat Chun to its Division I Council. Chun’s four-year appointment began July 1, 2020.
The Division I Council is a high-level group responsible for the day-to-day decision-making for Division I. Athletics directors, athletics administrators, senior women administrators, faculty athletics representatives and student-athletes serve on the council. Every Division I conference is represented on the council.
“Pat has established himself as a true leader within collegiate athletics, not only guiding our athletic department, but at the conference and national levels as well,” said WSU President Kirk Schulz. “He has instituted impactful programming for Cougar student-athletes in the areas of mental health, diversity, equity and inclusion, serving as an advocate for the student-athletes. Pat’s dedication and vision translates well to his inclusion on the NCAA Division I Council and he will be a great voice for collegiate athletics.”
Over his career, Chun has served on various conference and national committees, including the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), serving as a mentor in the NCAA Pathways program, as well as his recent appointment as co-chair to the newly formed Pac-12 Social Justice & Anti-Racism Advisory Group.
“It’s an honor to be selected to the NCAA Division I Council and represent the tremendous membership of the Pac-12 Conference, it’s student-athletes and coaches.” said Chun.
Since he began as athletic director at Washington State in January 2018, Chun has an impressive list of accomplishments. He is the 14th individual to lead Cougar Athletics and the first Asian-American athletic director to lead a Power 5 school. He also had another first in 2019, being named Under Armor Athletic Director of the Year, the first Cougar athletic director to receive the honor.
Chun has instituted programs to benefit student-athlete welfare, including improvements to mental health awareness, as well as a commitment to diversity and inclusion initiatives, which includes working closely with WSU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Black Student-Athlete Association. Additionally, he has overseen the development of UNLEASH, a strategic plan for the advancement of WSU Athletic, while also implementing fundraising initiatives that have resulted in the highest single-year annual giving and overall fundraising totals in school history.
