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Brian Ballweg

Adelphi Announces the Retirement of Robert E. Hartwell

A national search will be undertaken for a successor.

4/1/2013 3:53:00 PM

Garden City, N.Y.  – After nearly 26 years of service as the assistant vice president and director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation, Robert E. Hartwell has announced his retirement effective July 31, 2013.  The University is undertaking a national search for his successor.

"For me, it just seemed to be the right time," Hartwell stated. "I'm proud that Adelphi is held in high esteem throughout intercollegiate athletics.  If I provided leadership for that success, I'm grateful.  It was my passion that each and every day something would be accomplished and my love of our athletes and our department will never waiver."

In 1986, Mr. Hartwell was named the athletic director at Adelphi University and was eventually promoted to Assistant Vice President in 2009. Under his direction, the department and its programs have been transformed, enjoying tremendous success on the conference, regional and national levels. Under his guidance, the Adelphi Panthers have garnered 10 NCAA Championships, 10 NCAA Regional Championships, over 100 NCAA appearances and countless conference titles. In an effort to allow student-athletes to play at the highest level possible, Mr. Hartwell guided the seamless transition from the East Coast Conference (formerly NYCAC) to the Northeast-10, one of the nation's premier Division II conferences.

"Bob Hartwell has been at the center of the Panthers Athletic program for more than 25 years," said Dr. Robert A. Scott, president of Adelphi University.  "Under his leadership, our athletic program has brought home national, regional, NCAA and conference titles, given back over 10,000 hours of service to the youth in our region, cultivated the leadership potential of over 5,000 student- athletes, and extended the University's  connection to our alumni around the globe. He set the tone of a commitment to excellence in the classroom, on the court, on the field and in the community, and I am grateful for his devoted service to the program and the University."
 
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Mr. Hartwell's devotion to student-athletes, a commitment to ensuring that the NCAA Division II model of "A life in the balance" is followed, and his desire to teach each young man and woman to become a well-rounded person are values every Panther takes upon graduating from Adelphi. In fact, the graduation rate of student-athletes is over 90%. In his honor, in 2012, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee created the Hartwell Cup, an award that honors the best overall athletic program based on athletic success, classroom performance and community service.

An ardent supporter of opportunities for women in athletics, he added four women's programs, starting with volleyball in 1992, women's lacrosse in 2001, women's bowling in 2006, and resurrected the field hockey program in 2008 after a 25 year hiatus.

The revival of Adelphi's Athletic Hall of Fame is also due to Mr. Hartwell's efforts. In 1991, after 10 years without any inductees, the first class of the new era was ceremonially welcomed. Since that time, the annual Hall of Fame dinner has been a focal point for celebrating the successes of former student-athletes, coaches and administrators, and has grown to be sponsored by the Panther Club, the fund and friendraising arm of the Athletic Department, which he initiated in 1993.

Mr. Hartwell also played a central role in the upgrade of every athletic facility on campus. On his watch, the University  upgraded baseball's William J. Bonomo Memorial Field in 2007, transformed historic Woodruff hall, designed and constructed the Center for Recreation and Sports and Motamed Field (formerly known as Stiles Field), the practice field and tennis courts in 2008, and most recently, the new Janet L. Ficke Softball Field, which was completed in 2011.

One of Mr. Hartwell's proudest accomplishments is the "Cans for Cancer" program in which Adelphi has participated over the last 10 years. This program has been a department-wide initiative that was started in 2003 and has since generated $50,000 toward Winthrop University Medical Center's Cancer Center for Kids, through the collection of redeemable cans on campus by Adelphi student-athletes.
 
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Prior to his tenure at Adelphi, Robert Hartwell was a three-sport coach at Babson, guiding the men's soccer team to a 1975 National Championship. In 1978, Babson promoted him to Athletic Director, where he remained for eight years. In that capacity, he was an integral part of the surge of women's athletics with the addition of field hockey, women's soccer, women's swimming and diving, and women's volleyball to the varsity level. Aside from being part of the inaugural inductee class into the Babson Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991, the Babson soccer field was dedicated as Hartwell Field in 2002, in recognition for his success as coach and Athletic Director.

Mr. Hartwell has devoted his entire career to intercollegiate athletics.  He has been a leader among his NCAA peers and has filled numerous leadership positions and responsibilities both regionally and nationally. He has made great strides in setting Adelphi up for success.  Some highlights of the Hartwell Years at Adelphi are below:

• 1987-1997, Director of Athletics;  1997-2009, Associate Dean/Athletic Director; and 2009-Present, Assistant Vice President
• 1991, re-established Hall of Fame Ceremony
• 1992, added women's  volleyball
• 1993, created the Panther Club
• 1996, created the Annual Golf Outing
• 2001, added women's lacrosse
• 2002, Northeast Region Athletic Director of the Year - National Association of Athletic Directors
• 2003, Instituted the "Cans for Cancer" Program
• 2005, Adelphi Athletic Hall of Fame inductee and recipient of the National Pro-Am Achievement Award
• 2006, added women's bowling and created the Janet L. Ficke Golf Outing
• 2008, added field hockey; transitioned the athletics program from the East Coast Conference into the Northeast-10; received the NCAA Diversity Honor
• ECC Commissioner's Cup -7 (98, 99, 01, 02, 03, 05, 08)
• Successfully spearheaded the plan and transition for new and upgraded facilities (Center for Recreation and Sports, Woodruff Hall, Motamed Field, Bonomo Field, Ficke Field, Tennis Courts)
• 2x NCAA Outstanding Contribution Award
• Under his direction, Adelphi has enjoyed:
  • 10 NCAA Championships
  • MLax-'93, '95, '98, '99, '01
  • WLax-'04, '06, '09, '10, '11
  • NCAA Regional Championships
  • Baseball-'93, '96, '97, '99
  • MBball-'01
  • WSoc-'97, '02, '03, '04
  • Softball-'88
NCAA Appearances
  • 104 total
About Adelphi University
Adelphi is a world-class, modern university with excellent and highly relevant programs where students prepare for lives of active citizenship and professional careers. Through its schools and programs—The College of Arts and Sciences, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Honors College, Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, and the Schools of Nursing and Social Work—the coeducational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls nearly 8,000 students from 43 states and 45 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and its centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University, chartered in 1896, maintains a commitment to liberal studies, in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.
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