< PreviousWWW.VILLANOVA .COM 50 2019-20 VILLANOVA BASKETBALL VILLANOVA GAMEDAY BASKETBALL STAFF JEFF PIERCE Head Athletic Trainer DR. MICHAEL DUNCAN Team Physician ROB DEPERSIA Graduate Manager JIM BRENNAN, PHD. Team Performance Consultant JOHN SHACKLETON Strength Coach MALCOLM GRACE Assistant AD/ Compliance DR. WILLIAM EMPER Team Orthopedic Surgeon JOE FLANNERY Graduate Manager MATT FRASCHILLA Video Coordinator DR. ROB GOOD Team Orthopedic Surgeon TOM LIEBIG Graduate Manager MARISSA PAFFAS Coordinator of Academic Support HELENE MERCANTI Administrative Assistant To Coach Wright ARLESHIA DAVIDSON Special Assistant to the Head Coach REV. ROB HAGAN, O.S.A. Team Chaplain BLAKE BURKEY Assistant AD/Equipment Operations JENN BROPHY Assoc. Director of Academic Support MIKE SHERIDAN Director of Media Relations TYSON WEST Graduate ManagerWWW.VILLANOVA .COM 52 2019-20 VILLANOVA BASKETBALL VILLANOVA GAMEDAY GLIMPSE OF VILLANOVA SINCE 1842, Villanova Universi- ty’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, grad- uate and law students in the University’s six colleges – the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University School of Law. As students grow intellectually, Villanova prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. Villanova University was founded in 1842 by the Order of Saint Augustine. To this day, Villanova’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition is the cornerstone of an academic community in which stu- dents learn to think critically, act com- passionately and succeed while serving others. Villanova prepares students to become ethical leaders who create pos- itive change everywhere life takes them. The strength of the Villanova experi- ence comes in part from the University’s welcoming community. All members are bonded together by a shared respon- sibility to uphold the ideals of Saint Augustine and let the principles of truth, unity and love guide their lives. The Vil- lanova community helps students grow intellectually, professionally and spiritu- ally, and challenges them to reach their full potential. The University’s rigorous academic experience, rooted in the liberal arts, forms an environment in which students and professors are partners in learning. The Villanova community is dedicated to providing a personalized experience that fosters every student’s intellectual and spiritual well-being. As part of their education, students are encouraged to enrich their own lives by working for those in need. Through academic and service programs, students use their knowledge, skills and compassion to better the world around them. Villanova University is located in a suburban community 12 miles west of Philadelphia, Pa. AN EXCELLENT ACADEMIC REPUTATION For nearly two decades, Villanova has ranked first in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” in its category of Master’s Universities (North). Villanova is also a member of the two most prestigious honor societies – Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi. Villano- va’s College of Nursing is designated a Center of Excellence in Nursing Educa- tion by the National League for Nursing. The value of the Villanova education has also been recognized: U.S. News & World Report ranks Villanova first in Great Schools, Great Prices (Master’s, North Region) and Bloomberg Busi- nessWeek ranks Villanova in the top 25 nationwide in Top Undergraduate Return on Investment. THE STUDENTS Villanova’s more than 6,300 under- graduates come from 45 states plus Washington, D.C.; Guam; Puerto Rico; the U.S. Virgin Islands; and 53 foreign countries. The mid 50 percent SAT scores of the recently admitted class is 1330–1440/1600, ACT: 30–33, and the GPA range is 3.80–4.20 on a weighted 4.0 scale. 53 percent of first-year stu- dents receive need-based financial assis- tance from the University. THE FACULTY Villanova’s 585 full-time faculty - 90 percent of whom hold the highest degree in their field - teach classes that average 22 students. The student : facul- ty ratio is 11:1. THE EXPERIENCE Villanova is a welcoming, caring com- munity of learners. Villanova offers themed Learning Communities, which create innovative educational environ- ments where first-year student live in the same residence hall, take their Augus- tine and Culture Seminar together, and participate in tailored co-curricular pro- grams. Service to others through volun- teerism and service-learning projects is a fundamental part of the Villanova experi- ence, and 75 percent of undergraduates participate. Villanova students may also choose to study abroad for a summer, a semester or a year; compete on one or more of 11 men’s and 13 women’s sports teams at the NCAA Division I level or on one of 44 club and intramural sports; and take part in any of more than 250 extracurricular groups and activities. ACCREDITATION Villanova University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. In addition, Vil- lanova and its undergraduate programs have received accreditation from the American Chemical Society, the Comput- ing Accreditation Commission, and the National Catholic Education Association. Villanova is a member in good standing of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Villanova School of Business programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Villanova College of Engineering programs are accredited by the Accreditation Com- mission (EAC) of ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). The Villanova College of Nursing pro- gram is fully accredited by the CCNE (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Edu- cation) and is approved by the State Board of Nursing of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX (registered nurse licensing exam) WWW.VILLANOVA .COM 54 2019-20 VILLANOVA BASKETBALL VILLANOVA GAMEDAY PRESIDENT REV. PETER M. DONOHUE, OSA, PHD. PRESIDENT’S CABINET PRESIDENT Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA PROVOST Patrick G. Maggitti, PhD EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Kenneth G. Valosky SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT Michael J. O’Neill VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATION & MARKETING Ann E. Diebold VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL E. Michael Zubey, Jr., JD VICE PRESIDENT FOR TECHNOLOGY AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER Stephen W. Fugale VICE PRESIDENT FOR FINANCE Neil J. Horgan DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Mark W. Jackson VICE PRESIDENT FOR FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Robert H. Morro VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT LIFE Rev. John P. Stack, OSA VICE PRESIDENT FOR MISSION AND MINISTRY Barbara E. Wall VICE PROVOST FOR ACADEMICS Craig M. Wheeland, PhD ASSOCIATE VICE PROVOST FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AND CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER Teresa A. Nance, PhD THE Reverend Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, became the 32nd president of Villanova Uni- versity on June 1, 2006. Under his leadership, Villanova has charted a course of significant transformation that includes embarking on an ambi- tious ten-year strategic plan, launch- ing the University’s largest compre- hensive fundraising campaign, initiat- ing a vibrant physical campus renova- tion and dramatically expanding stu- dent opportunities. PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE Throughout this transformative peri- od in Villanova’s history, the Univer- sity has introduced new initiatives, become more nationally recognized for its academic prowess and broken University admission records. Father Donohue has also worked together with students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents to strengthen the Villanova community and renew its commitment to the institution’s Augustinian, Catho- lic educational mission. A champion of the role of service learning at Villanova, Father Dono- hue instituted an annual St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service as a way for the University community to pro- pel its Augustinian ideals into action. Each September, nearly 5,000 stu- dents, faculty, staff and alumni take part in projects throughout Greater Philadelphia. This is just one of the many service learning opportunities at the University, which boasts more than 250,000 hours of service in the local, national and international community. AN ACCOMPLISHED SCHOLAR Born in the Bronx, New York, and raised in Royal Oak, Michigan, Father Peter earned a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University in 1975 and was ordained an Augustinian priest in 1979. He has a master’s in Theatre from the Catholic University of America, a mas- ters in Divinity from the Washington Theological Union, and a PhD in The- atre from the University of Illinois. Father Donohue is a tenured asso- ciate professor at Villanova who served as chair of the University’s department of theatre from 1992 to 2006. He annually directed musi- cal theatre productions on campus, earning six Barrymore Award nom- inations and one Barrymore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musi- cal from the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia.WWW.VILLANOVA .COM 56 2019-20 VILLANOVA BASKETBALL VILLANOVA GAMEDAY DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS MARK JACKSON MARK Jackson is in his fifth year as the Villanova University Director of Ath- letics in 2019-20. He is part of the university’s senior leadership team and serves as a direct liaison between the Athletics Department and the broader campus community. As the Director of Athletics, Jackson is responsible for providing executive leadership, strategic direction and oversight for all of Villanova’s 24 varsity sports and more than 600 student-athletes. He is also charged with managing the department’s fiscal affairs, personnel, strategic planning, facilities, gen- eral operations and public relations. Villanova is a member of the BIG EAST Confer- ence and the Colonial Athletic Association Football Conference, and also competes in the Colonial Athletic Association (rowing) and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (water polo). Club sports and an extensive intramurals and recreation program fall under the auspices of the Athletics Depart- ment. Jackson’s vision for Villanova Athletics during his time on campus has been a commitment to excellence in every facet of the student-athlete experience, and to fostering an environment that allows the Wildcats to be successful on all fronts while maintaining the university’s place among the nation’s elite institutions for the combination of its academic prestige, athletic achievement and community service. To this end, Villanova was pre- sented with the BIG EAST Conference President’s Cup in three of the first four years. Under Jackson’s watch, the Wildcats have cel- ebrated two national championships in men’s basketball and an individual national title in men’s cross country. The last four years have seen 10 different sports programs earn team or individual berths to national postseason competition, while Villanova has won 20 conference championships and produced dozens of individual conference titles during Jackson’s tenure. Several notable success stories highlighted ath- letic competition in 2018-19, beginning with men’s basketball continuing to set the BIG EAST standard by winning the conference regular season and tour- nament titles as the defending national champions. The women’s swimming & diving team set a pro- gram record by winning the BIG EAST title for a sixth consecutive year, while the women’s cross country and track & field teams completed a second straight “triple crown” with BIG EAST titles during the cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons. The men’s and women’s cross country teams each earned team berths to the NCAA Champi- onships, the men’s basketball team played in the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time in the past 15 years and the women’s basketball team advanced to the WNIT to notch its 17th national postseason berth in the past 20 years. The academic achievement of Wildcats stu- dent-athletes continues to break records even at a university with a history of standing out on the national level for success in the classroom. Villano- va has topped all of Division I in the last two years with the highest number of its sports programs earning NCAA public recognition awards by hav- ing a multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) score that ranked within the top 10 percent of their sport. Villanova had a total of 18 teams achieve this distinction for the 2016-17 academic year, while 17 programs were recognized in 2017-18. Villanova has had the highest number of stu- dent-athletes named to the BIG EAST All-Aca- demic Team in each of the last four years, including over 300 honorees for both the 2017-18 and the 2018-19 academic years. The football, rowing and water polo teams have also been well-represented on their respective conference all-academic teams. Jackson created the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll starting with the Fall 2016 grading period to rec- ognize Wildcats student-athletes with a semester GPA of 3.2 or higher. The number of student-ath- letes on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll has steadily increased and most recently set a record with 402 honorees for the Spring 2019 semester. The overall GPA for student-athletes in Spring 2019 was 3.346, a new athletics record and the second straight year that the spring semester saw a new record GPA. With this latest figure, the Athletic Department has now tallied 32 straight semesters with a GPA above a 3.0, including the last nine consecutive semesters in which the GPA was 3.2 or higher. More than 81 percent of stu- dent-athletes – 469 in all – achieved a GPA of at least 3.0 in Spring 2019. Jackson’s leadership has enabled Villanova Ath- letics to reach record levels of fundraising in the past four years. Since his arrival on campus, Vil- lanova Athletics has raised more than $120 million while posting three consecutive record-setting years in terms of fundraising dollars. Jackson has steadily increased the number of leadership and major gift donors in support of athletics facility projects, most significantly helping to make pos- sible $65 million in fundraising for the 100% donor funded Finneran Pavilion renovation. Other major projects include the October 2016 opening of the $18 million Andrew J. Talley Athletic Center and $4 million in facility enhancements to the Davis Center. Jackson also played a key role in securing $2 million for men’s and women’s lacrosse locker room upgrades and led construction of the $2 million track & field and cross country locker rooms and offices. In June 2016 Jackson helped to secure an anonymous $1.3 million gift, the largest ever to a Villanova Athletics women’s program, for the con- struction of a new home venue for the field hockey team at the Proving Grounds in nearby Consho- hocken, Pa. This transformational gift provides a new home for the field hockey team and positively impacts both the competitive and recruiting land- scape of the program. A similar project was com- pleted in September 2016 at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth, where the baseball team plays its home games. Through the generosity of alumni and friends of the baseball program, artificial turf was installed on the infield and behind home plate. Outfield wall padding was added in March 2017. In addition to numerous capital projects, Jackson has overseen the successful implementation of the “Nova Points” donor and season ticket holder points system and has prioritized fundraising for staffing, scholarship and operational support in the Athletic Department. Jackson is involved with several external com- mittees in addition to his responsibilities on cam- pus. He was named by the NCAA to its Division I Council, a four-year term which began on July 1, 2019 and continues through June 30, 2023. The Division I Council is a high-level group com- prised of practitioners who work daily in Division I athletics, and it has primary legislative authority for Division I. Jackson will also represent the Division I Council on the Strategic Vision and Planning Committee which has oversight respon- sibility of administrative functions related to the management of the Division I governance struc- ture, including business and legal affairs, strategic planning and research, Division I membership activities, and health and safety matters. Jackson has been the chair of the BIG EAST Athletic Directors Committee and the Big 5 Ath- letic Director’s Committee, as well as the Co-Chair of the Collegiate Sports Summit for Athletic Direc- tors. Villanova has been on a remarkable run of success since Jackson’s arrival at the start of the 2015-16 academic year. His first year on the job was marked by the men’s basketball team winning the second national championship in program history. Head coach Jay Wright was named the Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year and men’s basketball was one of four Wildcats teams that advanced to national postseason play. The women’s cross country team earned a berth in the NCAA Championships, while the volleyball team made its second-ever NCAA appearance and the women’s basketball team played in the WNIT. In 2016-17, the men’s basketball team returned to the No. 1 national ranking and won its fourth consecutive regular season BIG EAST title in addi- tion to winning the postseason conference tour- nament for the second time in three seasons. The women’s basketball team won 20 games for the fifth straight year and reached the semifinal round of the WNIT for the first time. Men’s cross country student-athlete Patrick Tiernan capped his story- book collegiate career by becoming the second Villanova men’s athlete to win the NCAA cross country title. The football team returned to the FCS playoffs in 2016 and the men’s soccer team made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Highlights from 2017-18 included the dominant run made by men’s basketball during the NCAA Tour- nament en route to a second national title in three years. The women’s basketball and men’s lacrosse programs also earned at-large NCAA Tournament bids, with the men’s lacrosse team earning its high- est-ever national ranking when it landed at No. 4 in the USILA Coaches Poll during the year. Jackson was born in Boston, Massachusetts and played defensive back at Colby College in Water- ville, Maine. He received his bachelor’s degree in government from Colby in 1995 and a master’s degree in public policy from Trinity College in 1997. Jackson, 46, and his wife, Tricia, are parents to four children: Grace, 18; Hannah, 16; Kevin, 14; and Sean, 12. HOME OF WWW.VILLANOVA .COM 58 2019-20 VILLANOVA BASKETBALL VILLANOVA GAMEDAY COMPLIANCE LETTER TO OUR FANS AS a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Villanova University is respon- sible for exercising “institutional control” over its intercollegiate athletics program. The NCAA holds the University accountable for the acts of anyone identified as a Villanova University “ath- letics representative.” By definition, an “athletics representative” is any individual who is: • A season ticket holder. • A member of an institutional athletics booster club. • Involved in providing jobs or internships for enrolled student-athletes. • Involved in promoting the institution’s athletics program. • Has ever been involved with the Villanova University athletics program. • Has made contributions to booster clubs or to the athletics department. Once “athletics representative” status has been reached, fans retain that status for life. Under NCAA legislation, “athletics representatives” are prohibited from any contact (e.g., letters, telephone calls, face-to-face, and social media) with a prospective student-athlete or the prospect’s relatives or legal guardians for purposes of recruiting. Such contacts are to be initiated exclusively by authorized athletics department staff members. Athletics representatives are subject to NCAA legislation which requires member institutions to revoke or withhold privi- leges from any individual who has engaged in conduct that is determined by the NCAA, or its member conferences, to be in violation of NCAA legislation, regardless of whether such violation results in the imposition of sanctions. Such benefits or privileges may include, but are not limited to, ticket privileges being withheld by the University to any University-hosted athletics event, for a period of time which the NCAA, and its member conferences, deems appropriate. We request that “athletics representatives” do not make recruiting contact with prospective stu- dent-athletes at any time. No matter how well-meaning your intentions, any contact you make with a prospective student-athlete places you, our University, and the Villanova University athletics program at risk of receiving NCAA sanctions. If you have any questions, before taking action, please contact our compliance office at the address below and telephone number for clarification. Should you wish to receive more information on applicable NCAA policies, our compliance office will be happy to provide additional information and clarification to you. To request a free copy of our “Guide to NCAA Rules…for Alumni, Faculty & Friends” or to receive clarification of NCAA rules before taking any actions, please email athletics.compliance@villanova.edu or call 610-519-6607. We are grateful for your wonderful and enthusiastic support, and we appreciate your attention to all NCAA regulations regarding Villanova University prospective and enrolled student-athletes. Thank you, Katie LeGrand, Associate Athletic Director for Compliance Next >