With nearly a half of a century of service and connection to the University of Southern Maine Department of Athletics as a student-athlete, coach, educator, and administrator, Husky Director of Athletics Al Bean has been a part of tremendous growth, development and change at USM.
Bean has made his life’s work athletics – specifically University of Southern Maine Athletics. And throughout his career, Bean has emphasized the student-athlete experience to include not only success in competition but also in academic achievement, personal development, career development and service to the community. During his tenure, Bean has overseen the expansion of the Huskies’ NCAA offerings, facilities development and growth as well as numerous conference titles, national championships and All-American trophies.
With a long-standing tradition of supporting women’s intercollegiate athletics competition prior to the advent of Title IX, the University of Southern Maine initiated its women’s athletic programs in 1968 with the start of field hockey, volleyball and basketball. Since then /the Huskies’ athletic department has grown to offer a full roster of Division III athletic teams and nearly 52 percent of its ~450 student-athletes are women.
Because of his long-time career experience, Bean’s knowledge of Athletic Administration has been regularly shared at the national level. A former member of the NCAA Division III Management Council, Bean has served on numerous national committees in relation to NCAA and Athletic governance. This week, Bean again will lend his vast knowledge of athletic administration as a participating panel members at the NCAA Convention in San Antonio, Texas. Bean, along with a pair of heralded leaders in NCAA Athletics – Yale Director of Athletics Vicky Chun (Division I) and Courtney Lovely of Palm Beach Atlantic University (Division II), will participate in the Striving for Athletics Equity in Title IX’s 50th Year: Strategies and Tools for Campuses panel led by moderator Janet Judge, co-founder of the Education & Sports Law Group, LLC. A long-time leader in NCAA Athletics, Judge specializes in Title IX law and regularly represents and advises NCAA Division I, II, and III schools and conferences regarding Title IX equity compliance and student-athlete well-being.
The panel’s goal is for its attendees to gain insights from national leaders about applying Title IX in practice, as Chun, Lovely and Bean will share strategies and tools that attendees can consider as they work toward equity on their campuses.
“I’m looking forward to this opportunity to share my experience of Title IX compliance, and practices at the Division III level , as well as sharing the stage with Janet, Vicky and Courtney – three remarkable leaders in athletics, Title IX, and equity,” said Bean. “Championing for greater equity in all aspects of higher education should be at the forefront of each athletic department’s mission.”
Nearly three decades into his role as Director of Athletics at his alma mater, Bean has overseen and orchestrated of the growth of USM Athletics, its facilities and several fundraising campaigns. He has served terms on the NCAA Division III Management Council, and has been recognized by the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators for his outstanding career achievements.
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