UNI welcomes David Harris to the Panther Family

David Harris has been named director of intercollegiate athletics at the University of Northern Iowa. He is currently senior associate athletic director at Iowa State University. In that role, Harris serves as the sports administrator for football, men's basketball and wrestling and also has oversight responsibilities for student-athlete development, compliance, athletic training, and strength and conditioning. Harris will assume his new duties at UNI on March 28.

"I am ecstatic that David and his family are becoming part of the Panther family," said UNI President Bill Ruud. "He has a wealth of experience in athletic department operations at three different Division I universities. I know that his knowledge will not only benefit our student athletes and athletic department staff but the University of Northern Iowa as a whole. David brings strategic thinking, intellect, enthusiasm and passion to the table, which is exactly what we were looking for in our new athletic department leader."

"I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the University of Northern Iowa as the director of athletics," said Harris. "UNI is truly a special place, and my family and I are extremely excited about becoming part of the Panther family. I am very thankful to President Ruud for giving me this opportunity to lead the athletics department. We will work together to strive for excellence in all of our endeavors in the classroom, in competition and in the way we serve and represent the Cedar Valley community."

Continuing UNI's Success

UNI's 17 NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics have gone above and beyond in the classroom and during competition. For years, student athletes have been honored for their GPAs, victories, appearances in tournaments and national rankings.

Currently, the UNI women's basketball team is in sole possession of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a win over Drake on Feb. 19.

UNI was highlighted as the team with the most winners of the Missouri Valley Football Conference's most prestigious honor, the President's Academic Award. Thirty-one student athletes from the conference were honored, with UNI earning eight of those spots.

The NCAA recognized the Panther men's basketball and golf teams, and women's golf, cross country and volleyball teams for their latest multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores. UNI teams were in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports.

Read more about UNI's student-athlete excellence on the "Top Stories in UNI Athletics for 2015" website.

Visit UNI's newsroom for more information about David Harris and his new role at UNI.