West Haven, Conn., April 25, 2007 - The University of New Haven has selected Niantic resident William Leete as special assistant to the president for athletic advancement and outreach. "Bill has an unparalleled knowledge of the history of our programs as well as of the athletes who have participated on athletic teams at UNH," said University of New Haven President Steven Kaplan. "He also is highly respected by our athlete alums, by our Board of Governors and by many major donors. I am delighted that Bill is willing to take on this new challenge. I cannot envision anyone better suited to helping UNH successfully reinvigorate the funding for athletics."
Leete began his career at UNH 26 years ago as athletics director. In that role he developed a nationally recognized Division II program, which was continually ranked in the top 20 nationally. Under his leadership an academic tracking system for athletes was developed; the Athletics Hall of Fame was created; the UNH Golf Tournament was established; and alumni and friends support groups were implemented for each sport. The athletics program had a great deal of success during his tenure, with six sports qualifying numerous times for NCAA Championships. Leete represented the University as the commissioner of the New England Collegiate Conference from 1984-1990, chair of the ECAC Officiating Committee for 17 years, the Executive Council of the ECAC, and chair of the NCAA Division II Regional Football Committee. He was inducted into the University of Vermont Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992 and received the ECAC Distinguished Achievement Award for outstanding service in athletics in 2000. He received a BS, MED from the University of Vermont.
Leete has spent the last seven years as vice president for facilities. As such, he has successfully overseen numerous construction projects on campus while meeting intense deadlines. His contributions in the area will culminate in the completion of the David Beckerman Recreation Center in November 2007, a project he will oversee through its grand opening. Upon completion of this project, Leete will move full time into his new role as the principal development officer and presidential advisor for athletic programs.
A leader in experiential learning, the University of New Haven provides its students with a unique combination of solid liberal arts and real-world, hands-on professional training. A private University founded in 1920, UNH has a full-time undergraduate enrollment of more than 2,400 students-with 70 percent residing on its 80-acre main campus-and a graduate school enrollment that exceeds 1,700. The University offers more than 80 undergraduate degrees and more than 25 graduate degrees through its four colleges, in fields such as sports management, nutrition and dietetics, forensic science, music and sound recording, engineering, computer science, fire science and criminal justice. University of New Haven students study abroad through a variety of distinctive programs.
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