WSU Athletic Director Pat Chun, the first Asian-American athletic director of any power five school, spoke with students in the Firstenburg Student Commons on the morning of Oct. 5. His visit came with the delivery of a crimson WSU football jersey with the name “Butch” and the number 12 displayed on the back.
“Power five” is the name given to the collegiate leagues that comprise the largest athletic schools, with WSU being in the Pac12 conference of the power five. Two neighboring Pac12 universities include University of Oregon and the University of Washington. According to Sports Illustrated, among other sports news outlets, WSU athletics are on a rise.
Chun’s parents immigrated to the United States from South Korea in 1969. He grew up in Cleveland, where cold winters from the “lake effect” and a high work ethic from his parents challenged him in his first job delivering newspapers while still in grade school.
While at Ohio State University, Chun wrote articles as the campus paper’s sports reporter. “Writing opened me to the world of athletics,” he said.
Chun expressed his goal of pulling the WSU Vancouver campus toward unity with Pullman. He praised WSU Vancouver Chancellor Mel Netzhammer, saying how Netzhammer can “bring Vancouver to Coug athletics.”
Chun’s address to WSU Vancouver students and staff started by outlining that the entire WSU athletic program totals 45 wins and four losses.
Since his appointment as WSU athletic director last February, Chun has experienced a 20 percent turnover of the WSU athletics staff. “Fiftyone percent of those vacancies are being replaced by women and ethnic minorities,” he said. “We’ve made a conscious effort to attract the most talented people…We know that in order to be our best, we need to look like our student body, which is diverse.”
Chun said one of his favorite new hires, Lisa Waite, was recently named associate athletic director for emerging media/creative services.
He cited her award-winning work with the Seattle Sonics, who moved to Oklahoma several years ago, as a factor for bringing her on board. According to a news release on the WSU website, Waite, a WSU alumnae, won a Journal Record Beacon Award and several Graphic Design USA American InHouse awards.
With Waite’s experience and others like her, Chun hopes to “do more with social media and bring more creativity.” Social media and creative platforms play a key role in reaching prospective 15-20 year-old WSU students.
During his visit to WSU Vancouver, Chun challenged students to work hard and take advantage of their college years, which he described as the best years.
“We are the only country in the world that co-mingles academics and athletics at the college level. There’s a reason why people thought long ago that that would be a good idea.”
Early in his career, Chun worked with Ohio State football coach, Jim Tressel. Chun adopted Tressel’s methodology of “building up the whole person to get a better athlete, and if the athlete does not work out, at least you have a better person.”
“Focus on academics,” Chun said. “If you can achieve academically, you can have sustainable excellence.”
Chun wrapped up his talk by encouraging all WSU students, wherever they are, to celebrate Coug nation. “We are all Cougs,” he said.