Pope Named Sun Conference Commissioner
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The committee tasked with identifying a new commissioner for The Sun Conference, has announced that Mark Pope will take over that position beginning July 1, 2011. Pope will fill the spot left vacant by Rob Miller who announced his resignation earlier this semester.
“The Council of Presidents was fortunate to have had over 20 well qualified candidates apply,” stated Dr. Keith Wade, the search committee chair and President of Webber International University. “We have every confidence that Mark will continue the tradition of professionalism, enthusiasm and integrity which has made The Sun Conference and exceptional conference.”
“Julie and I are thrilled to become a part of this association of outstanding colleges and universities,” Pope commented. “I sincerely appreciate the confidence that Dr. Wade and the Search Committee have placed in me, and I pledge to do all that I can to take The Sun Conference to the next level of achievement..”
Pope spent four years as the Athletic Director at the University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana, before announcing his retirement in Feb. 2011. With Pope at the helm, the Cougars enjoyed success both athletically and academically. The men’s basketball team captured the 2010 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National title and the football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams all achieved a Top-10 national ranking in 2010-11. St. Francis student-athletes posted a cumulative 3.14 grade point averaging in the fall of 2010 and held a combined GPA of 3.0 or better in seven semesters.
Pope also oversaw the renovation and expansion of St. Francis’ Hutzell Athletics Center and D’Arcy Football Stadium. His marketing and promotions staff won 10 medals from the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and in each of his four years, St. Francis was designated as a Champion of Character Institution by the NAIA.
Pope himself was recognized as the Mid-Central Conference’s Athletic Director of the Year in 2008-09. He has served as the Chair of the MCC Athletic Directors’ Council, a member of the NAIA Administrative Council and a member of the NAIA’s Conduct and Ethics Committee.
Prior to his tenure at St. Francis, Pope served in the same capacity at Indiana University –Purdue University Fort Wayne for six years and ended a 12-year career with the Lincoln Financial Group as Senior Counsel in the Law Division. He has also held several public services positions, including President of the Board of Trustees of the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Vice President of the Fort Wayne Historical Society and President of Fort Wayne Trails.