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| GW President Dr. Ellen Granberg (r) introduced Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Lipitz |
From our friends at GW Athletics...
Michael Lipitz Introduced as GW Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics
In front of a standing-room only crowd inside The Tin Tabernacle Club in GW's Charles E. Smith Center, GW President Dr. Ellen Granberg formally introduced new Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Lipitz to the GW community and media on Tuesday.Noting that "it's a very special day for the university and in particular, GW Athletics," Granberg cited Lipitz's ability to lead in an environment that strives for both academic and athletic excellence.
Lipitz, a former tennis student-athlete at the University of Maryland, remarked that his roots as an Olympic sport student-athlete helped him understand that "as a basketball school in a basketball conference, we know that success on the hardwood elevates all of our teams, our entire athletics program, and our institution."
Citing recent changes to the intercollegiate landscape that includes opportunities for student-athletes with their name, image and likeness (NIL), the introduction of the transfer portal, Alston educational awards, and the coming introduction of revenue distribution units for the women's basketball championship, among others, Lipitz remarked that "we have to be nimble, we have to be innovative, and as the landscape continues to evolve, we have to participate to the fullest extent possible to ensure that our student-athletes have every opportunity to succeed in and out of competition, and that our teams have every resource they need to compete at the highest level."
He also gave special recognition to former Athletics Director Tanya Vogel, as well as to his mentor, Debbie Yow, the pioneering coach and leader in collegiate athletics who was his own AD when he was competing for the Terrapins.
On the matter of competing in today's space, Lipitz declared that "we will aggressively pursue a culture of competitive excellence. GW competes for conference titles, year in and year out, in multiple sports, and in all of our fully resourced programs we do expect to compete for A-10 titles and earn NCAA Tournament bids.
"Our flagship men's and women's (basketball) programs have rich tradition and history - a combined 29 NCAA Tournament appearances. Championship basketball is very much in our DNA. We embrace the expectation to compete for titles and play deep into March."
Concluding his remarks with a nod to supporters that it's time to get in the game, the Lipitz era starts now for the Revolutionaries.
