Director of Athletics Don Harnum

Following a highly successful eight-year career as Rider's head men's basketball coach, Don Harnum is now finding success while leading the Rider Department of Athletics and the Rider University's 20 NCAA Division I programs, 355 athletes and 63 administrators, coaches and support staff.

In September 2005 Harnum was named interim director of athletics upon the retirement of Curt Blake and following a national search, President Mordechai Rozanski officially named Harnum Rider's new director of athletics in April 2006. "It was difficult to leave the sidelines," Harnum said. "But having been part of a bigger picture for the last few years I felt like I could make a positive contribution to Rider, the athletics program, and most importantly, to the lives of our more than 350 student-athletes."

Under Harnum's guidance, the semester grade point average for all Rider student-athletes in the spring 2008 was 3.06, the highest ever, and several student-athletes earned conference All-Academic honors. Rider student-athletes continue to achieve a higher semester of the efforts of academic support personnel and coaches.

Harnum has already orchestrated a number of initiatives, including the development of a new athletics logo unveiled in July 2007. He also led the creation of the new Athletics Hall of Fame display, oversaw renovations to the Alumni Gym lobby, established the annual Captain's Leadership Seminar, hired Rider's first-ever strength and conditioning coordinator and has increased corporate sponsorships and donor support over the last two years. A few of the most notable facility improvement projects completed since his appointment as director of athletics include major renovations to the Maurer Center, specifically in the areas of the swimming and diving team locker rooms and hallway, and the creation of a state-of-the-art varsity athletics strength and conditioning center complete with new flooring, central air conditioning, recessed lighting and a sound system. Upgrades to Sonny Pittaro baseball field and the Herb & Joan Young softball field were completed in March 2008. Both facilities now have stadium seating, press boxes and irrigation systems as a result of successful fundraising efforts.   In addition, a lighted turf field, which will house the Rider men's and women's soccer and field hockey programs as well as intramural and club sports, is scheduled to be completed in the spring, 2010.

Meanwhile, Harnum is working on the planning and design of a new Rider athletics arena and served as a member of the Mercer County Sports and Entertainment Commission when Rider and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) hosted the 2006 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship First and Second Rounds and 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship Trenton Regional at Sovereign Bank Arena. Additionally, Rider hosted the 2008 and 2009 MAAC Baseball Championships at Waterfront Park, home of the Trenton Thunder minor league baseball team, and will do so again in 2011.   Harnum will also have an active role as a tournament director when Rider and the MAAC host the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.  Harnum is also very active on the conference level and serves as a member of the MAAC Committee on Athletic Administration and the chair of the MAAC Outdoor Track and Field Committee.

A native of Selingsgrove, Pa., Harnum received his master's degree at Trenton State College where he was a graduate assistant coach. He earned his bachelor's degree at Susquehanna University. Harnum and his wife, Janet, have two children, Abigayle and Lucas.