Dr. Eve Atkinson, a decorated athlete, coach and administrator, was the first woman appointed in the United States as Director of Athletics of a Men’s and Women’s NCAA Division I Program with NCAA Division I-AA football. She was at the forefront of the design and construction of the $24 million, 110,000 square foot, Allan P. Kirby Sports Center at Lafayette College, an Athletic Business Facility of Merit Award winner. Dr. Atkinson also served as Associate Director of Athletics at Temple University for six years. While at Temple, she was instrumental in instituting a drug and alcohol awareness program for student-athletes that included drug testing, which was one of the first on the collegiate level in the United States.
Other experiences in athletic administration for Dr. Atkinson included appointments as Director of Athletics at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Director of Women’s Athletics at Hofstra University, and Director of Aquatics at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, President of the ECAC, and chairing and serving on numerous NCAA committees. Dr. Atkinson has also received several recognitions from the ECAC over her career, including the prestigious Administrator of the Year Award in 1996 and the Katherine Ley Award in 1997.
On the coaching front, Dr. Atkinson was Head Coach of Women’s Swimming at Yale University, the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and Temple University. At Yale, her teams ranked consistently in the country’s Top Ten, won the Ivy League Championship and several swimmers garnished Division I All-American status. Dr. Atkinson received her B.S. and M.S. in Health and Physical Education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, where she was a 12-time All-American swimmer and also played varsity field hockey and lacrosse. She earned her Doctorate of Education at Temple University. Dr. Atkinson is currently a full tenured Professor and Graduate Coordinator for the M.P.A. Sport Management and Athletics program at West Chester University of Pennsylvania.