Jeff Ward
After 14 years of service to the College, Bowdoin’s Ashmead White Director of Athletics Jeff Ward announced Monday he will leave his post at the end of July.
“I have enjoyed every victory, and there have been many, but my most enduring memories will be from my prime seat in watching the growth and development of hundreds of Bowdoin students,” says Ward.
In a message to the Bowdoin community, President Barry Mills and Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster praised Ward’s remarkable commitment to Bowdoin athletics and student-athletes, saying, “Of all that he has accomplished at Bowdoin, we know Jeff is most proud of his role as a teacher. While he treasures the enthusiasm and excitement that college athletics can inject into the lives of participants and the larger community — and the relationships that flow from these experiences — it is the educational component of sport that Jeff holds most dear.”
Message from President Mills and Dean Foster:
To Members of the Bowdoin Community,
Jeff Ward, Bowdoin’s Ashmead White Director of Athletics, announced this morning that he will be leaving the College to pursue the next chapter in his career. His announcement appears below. Jeff, who has led our Athletic Department with integrity for 14 years, will continue his work at the College through the summer to complete a number of important ongoing projects and to help us with the transition.
Jeff has built an enormously successful athletic department that reflects the ambition and values of the College. We want to take the opportunity here to highlight his most significant contributions and to say a word about the future leadership of Bowdoin athletics.
Jeff’s commitment to Bowdoin athletics and our student athletes has been remarkable. In addition to new programs and facilities, Jeff has built a talented and dedicated staff of coaches who serve as educators to our students both on and off the field. He has served as an invaluable mentor to young coaches, while also developing lasting relationships with countless student athletes, alumni and parents.
Every fan of the Polar Bears knows Jeff as our most enthusiastic cheerleader. He is a constant and passionate presence at contests both here and on the road, and he has built genuine pride in our athletic programs, services, and facilities. Bowdoin coaches and students are honored to represent the College and they all expect to be successful. That confidence and expectation for achievement speak for themselves, and they are a testament to Jeff’s leadership, his optimism and his pursuit of excellence.
Of course, Jeff has built much more than winning teams and a healthy spirit of competition. He has also integrated athletics more wholly into the life of the College in ways that have had a positive impact on our campus culture and on our broader community. Through the development of department-wide programs like Captain’s Training and Girls and Women in Sports Day, and by partnering with others at Bowdoin to develop highly effective programs addressing issues like sexual violence and homophobia, Jeff has transcended stereotypes, emphasized character, and shown us all the power of teamwork and cooperation.
Then there are the wonderful facilities that have come to life on this campus during Jeff’s tenure: The Sidney J. Watson Arena, the Peter Buck Center for Health and Fitness, the Howard E. Ryan Artificial Turf Field, the Lubin Family Squash Courts, and the Joan Benoit Samuelson Track. All of these have been praised for their beauty, functionality, and durability — characteristics that can be traced in large measure to Jeff’s advocacy, guidance, and imagination.
Of all that he has accomplished at Bowdoin, we know Jeff is most proud of his role as a teacher. While he treasures the enthusiasm and excitement that college athletics can inject into the lives of participants and the larger community — and the relationships that flow from these experiences — it is the educational component of sport that Jeff holds most dear. He believes strongly that an outstanding liberal arts education and a great intercollegiate athletic experience are a powerful combination that prepares young women and men for a meaningful and enjoyable life. Aspiration, preparation, understanding, self-confidence, and personal responsibility are at the heart of both, and Jeff has worked hard to ensure that, at Bowdoin, they are complementary experiences.
In the fall, we will form a search committee for Jeff’s successor that will include representation from across the College. Upon Jeff’s departure later this summer, Associate Director of Athletics Tim Ryan ’98 will assume this important leadership position as interim director. Tim has our full support and we are grateful that he has agreed to take on this role.
Bowdoin College has been a huge part of Jeff’s life, and we are a better place as a result of his efforts. Please join us in thanking Jeff for his many contributions to Bowdoin and in wishing him the very best as he pursues the next chapter in his career. Plans to celebrate Jeff officially will be circulated when the College reconvenes in the fall.
Sincerely yours,
Barry Mills
Tim Foster
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Ashmead White Director of Athletics Jeff Ward’s announcement:
Friends,
It has been such an honor to serve as Bowdoin’s Director of Athletics for these past 14 years. I have enjoyed every moment of my job, but I have come to realize that it’s time for me to move on. I preach to students all the time the importance of aspiration and challenge in a life well lived. That’s as true for me as it is for them. As such, I’m going to take a time out so that I can figure out where next to plunge in.
To work with such talented and caring colleagues has made even my most challenging day a true pleasure. I have enjoyed every victory, and there have been many, but my most enduring memories will be from my prime seat in watching the growth and development of hundreds of Bowdoin students.
I am very proud of Bowdoin Athletics. We are the best of college sports, a place where the experience of playing compliments and supports the education in the classroom. This past year, the Polar Bears likely enjoyed their most successful year in the arena. It is very gratifying for me to report that it was also likely our most successful in the classroom. Representing Bowdoin is important and meaningful for our students, but our contests are not the defining experiences of their lives, just part of the preparation.
Bowdoin is such a special place. I will remain a fan for life. Whether it’s pacing the sidelines or clicking “reload” on my computer live stats, I will always be a Polar Bear.
Sincerely,
Jeff
Good luck to Jeff in whatever he decides to do next. Thanks for the past 14 years.
By the way I know who Tim Ryan is,but who is Tim Foster who signed the message with President Mills?
Tim Foster is Bowdoin’s Dean of Student Affairs.
A loss for Bowdoin. Jeff accomplished a lot on the field, and brought us a long way from when Sports Illustrated named our football team the worst in the nation back in 1995. More importantly, he embodied a genuine caring and approachableness that is so Bowdoin. I always enjoyed chatting with him at away games, and know my kids did, too, because he’d always buy them an ice cream. Good luck, Jeff!
Having had the opportunity to observe Bowdoin athletics during my time at the College in the mid-fifties and my granddaughter Class of ’12′s time, the breadth and scope of Bowdoin’s athletic program today is a marvelous tribute to Jeff’s vision and stewardship. What makes it so special and, probably, relatively unique, is the number of active participants. I venture to say that the athletic activities now available at the College have made for a stronger, brighter and more self-confident student body.
Congratulations Jeff! You have done great work!
Dick Burns ’58
I enjoyed my occasional chats with Jeff on the sidelines or in the stands. And I will always remember the very thoughtful comments Jeff shared with the 2010 men’s soccer team after a heartbreaking loss in the Final Four in San Antonio.
Best wishes to Jeff in whatever he chooses to do next.
John Eldredge
2012 parent
Jeff, thank you for all of your great service to Bowdoin and its student athletes. I have loved reading the “scoreboard” every day. Bowdoin’s successes are a tribute to your vision and tireless leadership. Hugh Shaw ’65
I was never a student athlete, but Jeff served as a huge inspiration during my time at Bowdoin. Through working aside him and other administrators for the first, Anything But Straight in Athletics(ABSA)activities, I learned what courage looks like. Too often people sit in silence while others struggle. Not Jeff! I personally witnessed him show student-athletes tremendous care both on and off the field. We can only hope that his replacement can build upon what will forever be known as an amazing legacy.
I’ve known Jeff since his days as Associate Director at Brown University, where I’ve taught since 1983 and served as Faculty Advisor to the men’s hockey team since 1990. Jeff is an excellent administrator, who did a superb job as Bowdoin’s Director of Athletics, but most of all he’s an educator. I wish him all the best in his new pursuits.
Luiz F. Valente’71