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Game 6 vs. Nebraska < < < 9 COMBE FAMILY VP FOR ATHLETICS & RECREATION JAMES J. PHILLIPS James J. Phillips became Northwestern's 21st director of intercollegiate athletics and recreation on April 14, 2008, bringing with him a track record of success at the Division I level and a commitment to the values North- western always has maintained in collegiate athletics. Four years into his tenure, North- western President Morton Schapiro elevated Phillips to the position of Combe Family Vice President for Athletics & Recreation. A native of the Portage Park neighborhood on Chicago's northwest side, Phillips has proven to be the perfect fit to lead North- western's 19-sport program in the nation's third-largest city. His deep Windy City roots and family orientation are an integral part of a core philosophy of providing student-ath- letes with a "world-class experience" that enables them to thrive academically, socially and athletically. He was elected by his peers as the inaugural chair of the NCAA Division I Council. During a two-and-a-half year term, he served as the first-ever sitting athletic director on the NCAA Board of Directors and Board of Gov- ernors, and helped lead the most sweeping legislative reform in history for the benefit of student-athletes across the nation. He is currently a member of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee, the group's first Northwestern representative in 50 years. This year he serves on both the Rose Bowl Management Committee and Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors, and is a past president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). In May, Phillips was honored as the Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year. He also was recognized as the National As- sociation of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year in FBS in both 2012 and 2016. During Phillips' decade of leadership, Northwestern student-athletes and the department have reached new heights in the classroom, in the community and in competition. Academically, Wildcats student-athletes sur- passed 200 Academic All-Big Ten honorees each of the last eight years, and last year earned 81 prestigious Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors. The group of more than 500 young men and women combined to post a record GPA of 3.33 during the 2017-18 academic year. The spring of 2018 marked the 36th consecutive quarter in which the Wildcats exceeded a 3.0 average GPA as a group, with the average student-athlete GPA a record 3.36 during the term. During that most recent quarter, 81 percent of stu- dent-athletes posted a GPA of 3.0-or-better. NU scored a 97 percent overall Graduation Success Rate (GSR) in the latest data released by the NCAA, a figure which leads the Big Ten by five percentage points and ranks among the best scores in the nation. The Wildcats have scored 96 percent-or-higher overall in every year that GSR data has been released, finishing in the Top-4 among FBS athletic departments all 13 years. Northwestern football's 99-percent GSR is the top score among all FBS institutions across the nation, and leads the Big Ten by 14 points. Northwestern continues to be among the nation's leaders in community service, and Wildcats student-athletes totaled more than 5,500 hours in service of more than 100 community organizations in 2017-18. That emphasis on outreach has also included athletic department staff since 2012, during the annual Staff Service Day in early June. In 2012, Phillips guided the institution of the trailblazing 'NU For Life' program, an innovative four-year curriculum dedicated to guiding student-athletes toward their professional passion, connecting them with desirable internship and job opportunities, and preparing them for lifelong success after their playing careers are complete. In competition, lacrosse, softball, golf, fencing, soccer, tennis, field hockey, swimming, diving and wrestling all have won conference or national championships during Phillips' tenure. Eight of Northwest- ern's 14 all-time bowl appearances have been earned since 2008, and the football program has posted three 10-win campaigns and three bowl championships over the last six seasons, including back-to-back bowl wins the last two years. Over his decade of leadership, Northwestern student-athletes have piled up 123 All-America honors, 39 Player of the Year awards and more than 2,200 Academic All-Big Ten honors. The Wildcats have also been recognized with 26 Coach of the Year awards, and have won 34 conference championships. Mirroring the evolution across campus, Athletics & Recreation is in the midst of a fa- cilities transformation, led by unprecedented support from the Wildcats community. This year the department officially dedicated the Walter Athletics Center and Ryan Fieldhouse on Lake Michigan, the new nucleus of the day-to-day student-athlete experience. In November the new Welsh-Ryan Arena, home of basketball, volleyball and wrestling, will debut, followed next spring by the Trienens Performance Center. Over the last five years, Northwestern has opened a 30,000 square- foot expansion of the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion for recreation, a multi-million dollar sailing center serving the entire community, Miller Park, Martin Stadium, Hutcheson Field, and the renovated Lakeside Field. Phillips and his wife, Laura, have five children: Luke, Madeline, Meredith, John and James.