Tuesday, March 31, 2020
by Western Oregon Athletic Communications

MONMOUTH, Ore. – Curtis Campbell, director of athletics for the past three years at Western Oregon University, announced his resignation that will take place at the end of May. Current associate athletic director Randi Lydum will move to interim director of athletics.

Campbell spent his nearly three years at WOU helping raise the standard across the board for Wolves' athletics. At a competitive level, scholarships increased by $200,000 across all sports since his arrival. This wasn't limited to just scholarship money as during the 2018-19 year athletics raised the most money ever in a single fiscal year. This amount included the yearly athletic auction in 2019 that raised the most money in the 33 years the event has been run.

"I want to thank Curtis for his tireless efforts to stress athletic and academic excellence during his tenure as athletic director at WOU. In my experience, he provided consistent leadership and supported Western's student-athletes and coaches in full measure. I wish him well in his new position at Morehouse College," WOU President Dr. Rex Fuller said.

While the competitive edge has helped with the student-athlete success during games, Campbell has seen the continued improvement in the classroom with the department thriving academically with a 3.03 GPA for 325 students. Student-athletes also gained priority registration privileges when arriving on campus.

The results have followed in just this past season, the WOU football team won their first-ever Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship, while women's soccer put together their best season in nearly two decades behind first-year coach Kacey Bingham, who Campbell brought to Monmouth.

"I was fortunate to have great students, coaches and staff. We accomplished some good things together. I want to thank Rex for helping me grow as a leader," Campbell said. "I also want to thank the faculty, staff, alumni and supporters that made my time here so enjoyable. I am pleased to announce Randi has accepted the position. Congratulations to Randi, I know she will do great things. Randi has worked very closely with me the past three years, as we managed the athletic department together and she is ready to lead WOU athletics."

He also had the task of finding new leaders for volleyball and men's basketball, bringing in an experienced Division I former assistant coach in Stacy Metro to run the volleyball program, while Wes Pifer also went from the Division I ranks to run his first program as a head coach.

Campbell's hires weren't just limited to the coaching staff, bringing in current athletic communications director Brian Kortz, adding a full-time strength and conditioning assistant coach and added a pair of exclusive agreements with a charter bus company to be the sole travel provider of WOU athletics and a deal with Corvallis Clinic to be the sole medical provider of WOU athletics.

Upgrades to facilities have also been at the forefront of Campbell's mission, helping to install new drainage systems at the soccer field, along with the outfields to both of the softball and baseball fields. Softball has received numerous other upgrades including new turf for the infield, backstop and fencing.

Campbell created a five-year strategic plan for the athletic department and also implemented an athletic department handbook that covered all policies and procedures.

Campbell has been active in NCAA governance as a former member of the NCAA Division II Management Council and NCAA Division II Planning and Finance Committee. He also served four years on the NCAA Division II Legislation Committee.

Lydum, a WOU alum, has been back at her alma mater since December 2012 serving as the Associate Athletic Director for Internal Affairs and the Senior Woman's Administrator. This has included coordinating initial and continuing eligibility for student-athletes, serving as the department liaison between athletics and partner offices on campus and managing the athletic aid budget for each sport.

"From day one, Curtis talked about graduating and winning championships, his passion for student success both in the classroom and in the athletic venue, has been a constant during his time at WOU," Lydum said. "I believe that my professional experiences and mentors have prepared me for the challenges ahead. I look forward to continuing to build on our successes with our strong staff and. the amazing campus community."

While handling the compliance duties, Lydum has served on numerous University committees on campus, as well as the NCAA Division II Track and Field Committee since 2018.

"I am pleased to announce that Randi Lydum has accepted to the position of interim athletic director. During her years at WOU she has developed the skills needed to be successful in this new role. I am confident she will have the full support of the coaches, staff and student-athletes as we manage the transition over the coming months," Fuller added.