NIU AD Cary Groth accepts top job at University of Nevada

NIU Athletic Director Cary Groth, one of the first female athletic directors in Division I college sports, has accepted a new position at the University of Nevada at Reno.

Groth begins her new job in about four weeks, ending a 23-year NIU career that started with an assistant tennis coach position and grew into the top ranks of athletic administration.

“It is with very mixed emotions that I must announce Cary’s departure,” said NIU President John Peters in a statement issued this morning. “While we had been hopeful about our ability to keep her at NIU, we also recognize the appeal of a new challenge for an administrator whose accomplishments are well known throughout our athletic conference and around the country.”

Groth was named NIU athletic director in August of 1994, and quickly began building a program that would provide what she termed “sustainable success.” Her plan included integrating athletics more closely into the life of the larger university, improving student athlete success in the classroom, hiring top-notch coaches and staff and, in her words, “starting at the ground floor and building things the right way.”

“When people ask me what I’m proudest of, I have to say the improvements in graduation rates and the growing recognition on campus of what a successful athletic program can bring to the institution,” Groth said.

Those efforts have not gone unnoticed, Peters said.

“Under Cary’s leadership, NIU’s athletic program has become a model of integrity and achievement, with a fine balance between competition on the field and academic success,” Peters said. “On a personal level, Cary has earned a reputation as a thoughtful and well-spoken leader in the national dialogue on Title IX and numerous other issues of the day. She leaves a well-respected and well-positioned athletic program, built the right way – with patience, loyalty and integrity.”

FULL STORY