FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS — Highly respected athletic administrator Roderick Perry has been named the director of athletics at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Perry, who begins his new duties Jan. 1, brings extensive experience in strategic planning, budget management, compliance, public relations and donor cultivation to the IUPUI athletics program.
Perry has served administrative posts at Wright State University, Ohio University, the University of Florida and Auburn University in a career that spans nearly 20 years. He has spent the majority of his time at Wright State, where he began serving as an academic advisor before being appointed associate director of athletics for compliance and academic services in 2001. He assumed a similar post at Ohio University in 2007 before returning to Wright State just more than a year later as senior associate director of athletics.
IUPUI began its search for a new athletics director in August after its longtime director, Michael Moore, resigned after 19 years of service. Former Horizon League senior associate commissioner Alfreeda Goff stepped in as interim director of athletics. The extensive national search resulted in three finalists visiting the campus for interviews, which resulted in Perry’s hire.
“As a campus community, we owe Mike Moore our deepest thanks for his service and his dedication to athletics and to student success, a top priority on our campus,” IUPUI Chancellor Nasser H. Paydar said. “Dr. Perry has also demonstrated his commitment to student success through his broad experience in higher education, and he brings a vision and passion for athletics that will reach beyond our athletics program to energize our entire campus.”
Perry is credited with continued growth and increased success while with Wright State. He was charged with leading the department’s strategic and financial planning and overseeing academic advising, media relations, compliance, strength and conditioning, and athletic training. He also had sport oversight of the women’s basketball, baseball, men’s soccer, swimming and diving, and tennis programs.
He helped manage Wright State’s $10 million budget and played a key role in signing the department’s first-ever apparel contract with Impact Sports, outfitting Raider student-athletes with Nike apparel. He helped elevate the academic progress of the entire department as Wright State student-athletes achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or better every quarter dating back to winter of 2000.
Perry also helped elevate Wright State’s facilities through a variety of fundraising initiatives, including serving as a key contributor to the master planning committee for the $4.5 million Rinzler Athletic Complex renovation. Perry also serves on the NCAA Legislative Committee and has represented Wright State and the Horizon League on a regional and national level.
“I’m thrilled to be joining IUPUI and the Indianapolis community,” Perry said. “I feel as though IUPUI is a sleeping giant coming off a fourth-place finish in the Summit League Commissioner’s Cup. My vision is to put our coaches and student-athletes in the best possible light to compete for Summit League championships in all sports, and we need to do it the right way by working hard, with a focus on both academic and athletic excellence, and working together to achieve our goals.”
A native of Auburn, Ala., Perry earned both his bachelor’s degree in health promotion, with an emphasis in sports administration, and his master’s degree in higher education administration from Auburn University. He received his Ph.D. in educational leadership, with a concentration in higher education administration, from the University of Dayton.