YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – Young Harris College President Drew L. Van Horn, Ph.D., announced Tuesday, Jan. 15 that Director of Athletics Randy Dunn will be resigning his position Feb. 1 and accepting a new role at YHC as the director of athletics fundraising.
Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance Jennifer Rushton will step in as the interim director of athletics.
“Randy has done an exceptional job as the director of athletics, and his leadership is exemplary,” said President Van Horn. “There was no hesitation in keeping Randy at YHC and allowing him to fulfill a role he wanted that would allow him more time to fundraise, continue building relationships with constituents and to focus on his family.”
During his nine years in the Enchanted Valley, Dunn has overseen YHC’s move to the NCAA Division II and becoming a member of the Peach Belt Conference. The Mountain Lions have added men’s and women’s lacrosse teams and a co-ed competitive cheerleading program, and the department has grown in size from 174 student-athletes to almost 400 today.
Under Dunn’s tutelage, Young Harris has won nine conference titles and seven conference tournament crowns. Four teams—softball, men’s soccer, men’s golf and men’s tennis—and three cross country runners have qualified for NCAA Division II postseason play.
“I’m fortunate to work at an institution like Young Harris College,” said Dunn. “There is no one who loves the College as much as I do. I can’t thank the senior leadership and coaches in the athletics department enough. They are professional and excel in their respective areas, and that made my job easier as the director of athletics.”
Dunn came to Young Harris after 14 years of service as director of athletics at North Georgia College & State University (now the University of North Georgia). He served as the head coach of men’s basketball for 14 years before retiring in 2003 to serve full time as director of athletics. Dunn oversaw the NGCSU athletics department’s transition from the NAIA to the NCAA Division II and led the college into membership in the Peach Belt Conference.
While serving as director of athletics at NGCSU, Dunn oversaw the addition of five new sports: women’s soccer, men’s and women’s golf, baseball and softball. With Dunn at the helm, the school’s intercollegiate athletics program produced 12 conference championships in the Georgia Athletic Conference, the Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Conference and the Southern States Athletic Conference, and for two years, the NGCSU softball team earned the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championship and competed in the College World Series. The athletics department’s facilities at NGCSU grew during his tenure with the addition of the baseball, softball and soccer complex.
During his time coaching men’s basketball at NGCSU, Dunn’s team won the Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Conference regular season championship and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament in 1996. That same year, Dunn was named GACC men’s basketball “Coach of the Year.” In 2001, Dunn was selected as the Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Conference’s Garland Dickey Award recipient and as the conference’s Athletics Director of the Year. That same year, Dunn was a finalist for the NAIA Athletics Director of the Year award.
Dunn is an alumnus of NGCSU, where he played basketball for the Saints for three years and graduated in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education. After completing his undergraduate degree, Dunn was a graduate assistant coach at Georgia Southwestern State University, where he received his master’s degree in physical education. He became an assistant coach at the State University of West Georgia in 1981 before returning to his alma mater in 1982.
Dunn is married to the former Susan Reed, and they have a son, Jake.
About Young Harris College
Young Harris College is a private baccalaureate and master’s degree-granting institution located in the beautiful mountains of North Georgia. Founded in 1886 and historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, Young Harris College educates, inspires and empowers students through an education that purposefully integrates the liberal arts and professional studies. The College has three academic divisions: Arts and Humanities, Professional Studies, and Mathematics, Science and Technology, with more than 1,400 students enrolled in its residential and Early College programs. The historic campus in Young Harris, Ga. has completed major campus improvements to accommodate the College’s growth. LEED-certified campus improvements include the 121,000-square-foot Rollins Campus Center, residence facilities and a 57,000-square-foot recreation and fitness center. The College is an active member of the NCAA Division II and remains a fierce competitor in the prestigious Peach Belt Conference. For more information, visit yhc.edu.
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