Mike Hermann was appointed as the seventh Director of Athletics in Towson history in July 1, 2006. His focus is on the program's strategic goals - providing an outstanding student-athlete experience, developing programs that challenge consistently for CAA championships, increasing the partnership of the athletics program with the community and developing a marketing strategy that will create an enthusiastic and supportive audience for Tiger sports.
Progress is visible in all areas. Student-athletes excel in the classroom. Graduation rates for the student-athletes remain more than 10 percent higher than the student body, and all 20 Tiger sports meet the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) standard. On Mike's watch, the semester GPA for the department has exceeded 3.00 for the first time.
Since Mike's arrival, the Tigers have earned NCAA berths in women's lacrosse, men's soccer (3rd round) and men's lacrosse. Women's basketball set season records for most wins. Women's swimming has won consecutive CAA titles. Gymnastics, which has won five straight ECAC titles, captured the 2007 USA Gymnastics National Championship. Corporate partnership participation has increased. Attendance records have been set in both football and men's basketball.
Mike spearheads the department's initiatives to enhance Towson's athletics facilities. A state-of-the-art high-definition video display board system has been installed designating Johnny Unitas Stadium as the premier venue to see a college game in the region. A multi-million dollar companion arena adjacent to the Towson Center is being planned with construction expected to begin in the very near future. Additionally, he continues to oversee ongoing fund-raising efforts for other capital improvement projects that include the soccer, field hockey and softball venues.
Towson has served as host to three NCAA Women's Lacrosse National Championship in Johnny Unitas Stadium, setting attendance records for that event. Towson has also been a co-host for two NCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championship at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium.
Mike continues to be active in representing Towson on various NCAA committees and in the community as well.
He has been appointed to the NCAA Leadership Council, the advisory body to the Division I Board of Directors. Serving as the CAA representative, he will complete the term with this group through April, 2011. The Council identifies issues important to the future of Division I and offers its expertise in defining appropriate action items.
He completed a four-year term on the NCAA Men's Golf Committee in 2007, including three years as committee chair.
In October, 2009 Mike was elected to a three-year term on the St. Vincent de Paul Community Services Foundation Board. He has also served on a community panel for the St. Joseph's Medical Center's Powered by Me program which is an anabolic steroid abuse service campaign that encourages student-athletes to choose a safe and fair path to athletics success.
Prior to his appointment at Towson, Mike spent eight years as the director of athletics at Niagara University. During his tenure, the men's basketball, men and women's ice hockey and women's tennis teams all earned NCAA bids. Fan support grew as the men's basketball and men's hockey teams both set records for average attendance. Niagara's athletics teams maintained a graduation rate 10 percentage points higher than its student body.
Mike was the tournament director for two NCAA men's basketball first and second-round events in Buffalo and the 2003 NCAA Frozen Four. No stranger to NCAA championships, he had previously served as co-tournament manager of the 1997 NCAA Women's Final Four in Cincinnati and was the local media coordinator for the 1991 NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis.
Before Niagara, Mike spent five years as an associate AD at Xavier University in Cincinnati after four years as assistant commissioner with the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (Horizon League) in Indianapolis. His first full-time job in athletics was as sports information director at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
Mike received his bachelor's degree in communications from John Carroll University in 1982 and earned his master's degree in journalism at Kent State University in 1989.
He resides in Perry Hall, Md., with his wife, Paula, and their two sons, Alex and Andrew.
