SPRINGFIELD, Ohio--Carl F. Schraibman, Wittenberg University director of athletics and recreation, Saturday announced his intention to resign his position effective Aug. 31, 1999.
At Wittenberg Schraibman led a re-organization of the university's athletic department and helped spearhead major improvements in the school's athletic and recreation facilities.
After 42 years in education and program administration, Schraibman said said he and his wife Nancy are looking forward to new professional challenges that require a "less total commitment of time and energy."
"These seven years at Wittenberg have been a capstone of my full-time career," Schraibman said. "I have enjoyed it, and I have loved the excitement of all the challenges. I don't intend to retire. Now I'd like to look at new opportunities that have a little less intensity."
"It is a loss to us," said Wittenberg Provost Sammye Greer, who oversees the athletic program. "Carl has been an outstanding athletic director and we value his work highly."
Greer said a search committee would be appointed shortly with a goal of having a new athletic director in place by Aug. 31. The timing of Schraibman's announcement would help ensure a smooth transition, she said.
"Carl's decision was a shock to me, and I'm sorry to see him go,"said President Baird Tipson. "He has brought needed structure and professionalism to our athletic programs. He is second to none in his love for Wittenberg athletics," Tipson added. "I don't think I have ever been to a game that Carl wasn't also there in the stands."
Schraibman was selected as director of athletics of a department which was molded into one from separate men's and women's departments.
Wittenberg now supports an athletic program which includes 22 intercollegiate sports with more than 500 student-athletes participating in almost 400 events per academic year.
Schraibman's own list of highlights for his tenure at Wittenberg includes the overall success of Tiger sports teams. Long considered on the top programs in small college athletics, the Tiger athletic program has continued to thrive during Schraibman's tenure.
Since 1992 Wittenberg has won a total of 27 NCAC team championships. Until 1994 Wittenberg had never finished higher than fifth in the annual NCAC All-Sports Trophy competition, since then Wittenberg has never finished lower than forth, winning the trophy in 1996.
He said he is also gratified by the wealth of athletic facilities and the greater balance between men's and women's programs that have been achieved during his years as athletic director. But Schraibman credited his coaches and departmental staff for the success of the program which "gives outstanding students the opportunity to compete at the highest level of Division III athletics."
Schraibman came to Wittenberg after 24 years at Kent State University, where he had been director of the school sport management program. He took over direction of Wittenberg's athletic program just two years after the school joined the North Coast Athletic Conference after leaving the Ohio Athletic Conference, in which it had been a member for 73 years.
Since Schraibman's arrival, Wittenberg's athletic and recreation facilities have seen remarkable improvement. In 1993 a new artificial surface playing field and all-weather track was built to replace the grass playing field and one-fifth of a mile cinder track and in 1995 a new grandstand was built to replace the crumbling Wittenberg Stadium.
In 1997 12 modern tennis courts, six of them lighted, were built giving Wittenberg one of the finest tennis complexes in Division III athletics. Also that year, improvements were made to Wittenberg's softball facility which included dugouts for home and visiting teams.
Schraibman is a 1957 graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College. He received his master's degree in physical education from Indiana University in 1962 and his doctorate in physical education and administration from Indiana in 1979.
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