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A little over a month after Dave Joyner signaled his intent to retire, Penn State announced today that Sandy Barbour will be the university's next athletic director. Barbour, who stepped down from the same position at Cal in late June after 10 years, becomes Penn State's first female AD in history.
Proud to be next PSU AD! Getting ready to announce to the world with Dr. Barron. #PSUProud #AllIn #LetsGo
— Sandy Barbour (@SandyB_PSUAD) July 26, 2014
From the official release:
"I am incredibly excited to be coming to Penn State. I am drawn to this great University by two things: its pursuit of excellence in all endeavors, and its sense of family in every aspect of the Nittany Lion community," Barbour said. "I'm as competitive as they come, and I know I'm joining a community that wants and expects to win big, all while maintaining a sense of tradition, integrity and ethics. I'm all in!
"I'm grateful to President Barron and the board for their invitation to join the Penn State family," she continued. "This is an iconic university and program. We will work tirelessly to ensure that all Penn Staters are proud of our success and how we cross that goal line."
Barbour will operate on a five-year deal worth $700,000 per year. Here's the full contract from the school's website.
As for her time in Berkeley, it was a bit of a mixed bag. Cal's football graduation rates were the lowest among FBS schools, although President Eric Barron pointed to extreme budget cuts as a reason for the worrisome rate. Barbour promised today that Penn State's graduation rates would rise from "85% to 90%."
What should be music to James Franklin's ears is the fact that Barbour oversaw massive renovations to Cal's football stadium (SBN partner Cal Golden Blogs has an excellent in-depth look here) despite massive budget cuts. While Penn State isn't likely to be looking at major renovations for Beaver Stadium, Franklin has stated a desire to upgrade other facilities. The Lasch Building is already set to undergo a makeover, and Barbour will likely be tasked with raising funds for others. The other big issue at hand is Pat Chambers' contract, which expires in its current form at the conclusion of the 2015-16 season.