Dr. Eric Zillmer to Step Down as Drexel Director of Athletics in June
2/16/2021 1:20:00 PM | Drexel Athletics
PHILADELPHIA - Dr. Eric Zillmer has announced he will be stepping down from his position of Director of Athletics at Drexel University. Zillmer, who has been Drexel's AD since 1998, will remain in his role until June 30, 2021. He will return to Drexel's faculty.
The following is a letter written to the Drexel Community by President John Fry and Senior Vice President for Student Success Subir Sahu.
Dear Members of the Drexel Community,
The face of Drexel athletics is set to change, with the decision by Director of Athletics Eric Zillmer, PsyD, to end his run of more than 22 years at the helm of collegiate sports for the University, which is currently the sixth longest tenure in the nation. Dr. Zillmer, who is the Carl R. Pacifico Professor of Neuropsychology, will step down at the end of the academic year to embark upon a year-long sabbatical, before returning to the faculty.
During Dr. Zillmer's tenure as AD, Drexel athletics has been transformed in extraordinary ways — from securing a partnership with Bachelors Barge Club on historic Boathouse Row and the adaptive use of the Philadelphia Armory to host the Arlen Specter US Squash Center as a national training center, to building the Recreation Center, Buckley and Vidas bubbles, renovating the Vidas Athletic Complex and even creating a new Dragons athletics logo. On gender equity in athletics, the Drexel Athletic Department has been ranked first by U.S. News and World Report and the Pennsylvania Law Project listed Drexel as one of the top athletic programs in terms of Title IX. Drexel student-athletes consistently maintained high grades and led their peers in graduation rates.
Also, the University has had success across all sports, with many wonderful seasons, including championships in women's and men's basketball, men's lacrosse, women's field hockey, men's soccer, men's swimming and diving, as well as the Dad Vail Regatta and Women's Henley Regatta titles in rowing. Several Drexel teams ranked nationally, including the men's and women's teams in the squash program, founded as a varsity Drexel sport only 10 years ago.
Under Dr. Zillmer's leadership, Drexel secured winning bids for hosting many high-profile athletic events, including the U.S. Olympic Qualifier for Table Tennis, the U.S. Squash Open, and the World Team Tennis Finals (all at the DAC), as well as the NCAA Championships in Wrestling (at the Wells Fargo Center together with the University of Pennsylvania) and the NCAA National Championships for Men's Lacrosse (at Lincoln Financial Field).
Dr. Zillmer joined Drexel's faculty in 1988 and is a fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the American Psychological Association, the Society for Personality Assessment, and the National Academy of Neuropsychology, for which he has also served as president. He has written extensively in the area of sports psychology, neuropsychology, and psychological assessment, having published more than 100 journal articles, book chapters, and books, and is a frequent contributor to the local and national media on topics ranging from sports psychology to the psychology of living with COVID. His academic work has been translated into six different languages. During his tenure as AD he also served as a NCAA liaison to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
The following is a letter written to the Drexel Community by President John Fry and Senior Vice President for Student Success Subir Sahu.
Dear Members of the Drexel Community,
The face of Drexel athletics is set to change, with the decision by Director of Athletics Eric Zillmer, PsyD, to end his run of more than 22 years at the helm of collegiate sports for the University, which is currently the sixth longest tenure in the nation. Dr. Zillmer, who is the Carl R. Pacifico Professor of Neuropsychology, will step down at the end of the academic year to embark upon a year-long sabbatical, before returning to the faculty.
During Dr. Zillmer's tenure as AD, Drexel athletics has been transformed in extraordinary ways — from securing a partnership with Bachelors Barge Club on historic Boathouse Row and the adaptive use of the Philadelphia Armory to host the Arlen Specter US Squash Center as a national training center, to building the Recreation Center, Buckley and Vidas bubbles, renovating the Vidas Athletic Complex and even creating a new Dragons athletics logo. On gender equity in athletics, the Drexel Athletic Department has been ranked first by U.S. News and World Report and the Pennsylvania Law Project listed Drexel as one of the top athletic programs in terms of Title IX. Drexel student-athletes consistently maintained high grades and led their peers in graduation rates.
Also, the University has had success across all sports, with many wonderful seasons, including championships in women's and men's basketball, men's lacrosse, women's field hockey, men's soccer, men's swimming and diving, as well as the Dad Vail Regatta and Women's Henley Regatta titles in rowing. Several Drexel teams ranked nationally, including the men's and women's teams in the squash program, founded as a varsity Drexel sport only 10 years ago.
Under Dr. Zillmer's leadership, Drexel secured winning bids for hosting many high-profile athletic events, including the U.S. Olympic Qualifier for Table Tennis, the U.S. Squash Open, and the World Team Tennis Finals (all at the DAC), as well as the NCAA Championships in Wrestling (at the Wells Fargo Center together with the University of Pennsylvania) and the NCAA National Championships for Men's Lacrosse (at Lincoln Financial Field).
Dr. Zillmer joined Drexel's faculty in 1988 and is a fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the American Psychological Association, the Society for Personality Assessment, and the National Academy of Neuropsychology, for which he has also served as president. He has written extensively in the area of sports psychology, neuropsychology, and psychological assessment, having published more than 100 journal articles, book chapters, and books, and is a frequent contributor to the local and national media on topics ranging from sports psychology to the psychology of living with COVID. His academic work has been translated into six different languages. During his tenure as AD he also served as a NCAA liaison to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
In addition to teaching and research following his sabbatical, Dr. Zillmer plans to develop the Drexel Global Sport Leadership Solutions Lab — a multidisciplinary think tank designed to understand, in a broad societal context, the lessons of teamwork in sports to transform lives, communities, and environments.
A national search for Dr. Zillmer's successor as athletics director will begin immediately, led by Subir Sahu, senior vice president for Student Success, who oversees Drexel Athletics as part of his portfolio.
Drexel has been so very fortunate to have Dr. Eric Zillmer guide our athletics program. Please join us in congratulating Eric on his accomplishments and wishing him well on his future endeavors at Drexel University.
Sincerely,
John Fry
President
Subir Sahu
Senior Vice President for Student Success
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