On October 29th, 2024, Le Moyne College announced Phil Brown as assistant vice president of intercollegiate athletics and recreation. Brown will officially start his new role at Le Moyne on January 1st, 2025. He will join the Le Moyne Community from Vanderbilt University, where he was the executive associate athletic director and chief of business officer.
Brown will replace the hole left by former Le Moyne athletic director Bob Beretta, who left Le Moyne in June to join the St. Bonaventure athletic department. Brown was selected for this spot from a list of finalists who interviewed with Linda LeMura and a 13-person committee which consisted of other administrators, trustees, professors, and a member of the Le Moyne swim team.
When asked about what his top priorities were for his first year at Le Moyne, Brown placed emphasis on how he wants to be engaged in both the Le Moyne community and the greater Syracuse Community. Brown also expressed his desire to develop a strategy aimed to enhance the experience of student-athletes, fans, and alumni, while also being able to bolster academic success.
Brown expressed an intention to support our student-athletes’ academic achievement, saying, “I am coming from a high academic institution and have some great resources and ideas to bring with me.” At the same time: “one of the most attractive aspects of this role is the longstanding history of student-athlete academic success, as it is said ‘you should shouldn’t fix what is not broken,’ but I will be happy to offer ways to enhance what we are currently doing.”
Brown is clearly passionate about the success of the students around him. When questioned about the core values he believes students should embody, he emphasized respect, integrity, service, and experience.
In Brown’s own words:
“Respect – it is important to meet people where they are and where they come from.”
“Integrity – we must do it the right way, so that those who follow us are confident the outcome from our work is with the intent to make those around us better.”
“Service – we should take every day as an opportunity to do our work in the service of others.”
“Experience – I want everyone that enjoys the intercollegiate athletic competitions at Le Moyne to cherish the experience. If it is a student-athlete when their playing days are over, a fan driving home from a game or current Le Moyne student walking up the hill to student housing, I want them to have unforgettable memories from having had a great experience as part of the Dolphin Family.”
