FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2009

Missouri Southern names Jared Bruggeman as next Director of Athletics

Joplin, Mo. - Missouri Southern State University has announced that current Associate Director of Athletics at Northern Arizona University Jared Bruggeman will be the next Director of Athletics at MSSU, replacing Sallie Beard who is retiring at the end of the month.

Bruggeman will start his duties at Southern on July 6 and will be introduced to the public and media in a press conference on June 17 at 3:30 pm in room 413 of Spiva Library on the campus of Missouri Southern. Bruggeman and his wife, Maria, will be in attendance at the event.

"I am very excited about this opportunity," Bruggeman said. "I’d like to thank the entire search committee, as well as the coaches and staff. I look forward to working with each and every person in the department, as well as the student-athletes."

Dr. Terri Agee, senior vice president at Missouri Southern and chair of the search committee, praised the hard work of everyone involved in the process.

"I am grateful for the excellent work done by the search committee and for the valuable feedback we received from our coaches, athletic staff and student athletes during the search process," she said. "Sallie Beard has dedicated 37 years of her life to MSSU athletics and she has left big shoes to fill. Her leadership will be missed, but I believe Jared has the knowledge and experience to continue moving our athletic programs forward. I'm excited about his arrival and am confident he will have a very successful career at Missouri Southern."

Southern president Dr. Bruce W. Speck echoed Agee's enthusiasm.

"I am delighted to work with Jared and I'm glad to have him as a member of our team," Speck said. "I have the utmost confidence in his ability to be the new leader of our athletic department."

Bruggeman said the factors that attracted him to Southern were many.

"I like this part of the country and the school has a great upside to it," Bruggeman said. "Everyone I met was great to talk to and was very friendly and likeable in my interview. I liked seeing the tenure of the coaches and the fact that a good portion of the coaches are Southern grads. That shows me the level of dedication the coaches have to their programs. I hope to enhance the national profile of the institution and the way we do that is to be successful in the MIAA. If you finish near the top of the conference, you’re going to be near the top of Division II. That level of competition was another draw for me."

Bruggeman has served as the Associate Director of Athletics at Northern Arizona University for the past four years, serving as the school's compliance director, as well as overseeing the men’s and women's track and field and cross country programs and equipment room. He was also in charge of overall athletic game management and facilities.

Prior to NAU, Bruggeman served as an Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance and Student Life at the University of North Dakota for four years. He also oversaw facilities and game management, as well as marketing and ticketing. He was the student-athlete Academic Coordinator as well as Director of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and during his time as Assistant AD, North Dakota was awarded seven NCAA postgraduate scholarships, two NCAA Division II Degree Completion Awards and the NCAA Walter Byers Post Graduate Scholarship.

Bruggeman also served as an assistant track and field and cross country coach at UND from 1998-01. He assisted in the daily operations of both men’s and women’s programs and played a major role in the recruitment of student-athletes. Bruggeman was also a volunteer assistant volleyball coach. A three-time graduate of UND, Bruggeman was an All-American in the indoor 800 meters.

Prior to his career in collegiate athletics, Bruggeman was a high school science teacher. He taught at Stephen Hempstead High School in Dubuque, Iowa and Red River High School in Grand Forks, N.D. Bruggeman also served as track and field and cross country coach at both schools.

Bruggeman earned a bachelor of science in natural science and a bachelor of science in education with an emphasis in physics from the University of North Dakota in 1994. He went on to earn a master’s of education in educational leadership from UND, and is working on his doctorate in educational leadership.

Bruggeman and his wife, Maria, who serves as an Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator at NAU, have three children, son Micah (6), and daughters Logan (5), and Reese (1).

"I’m from the Midwest and I'm really looking forward to raising my family in this part of the country," Bruggeman said. "I want to go to a place and stay there and Joplin and the community is a wonderful place to settle down."