Phillips Named New Southern Miss Faculty Athletics Rep
6/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Phillips Named New Southern Miss Faculty Athletics Rep
Hattiesburg, Miss. -- Long-time University of Southern Mississippi professor, Dr. Dennis Phillips, has been named to succeed Dr. Robert Boothe as the new Faculty Athletics Representative for the Golden Eagle Athletics program.
Boothe, who is retiring from his teaching position with the University, had served in the capacity of Faculty Athletics Rep for the past five years.
Dr. Phillips, a tenured associate professor of human performance and recreation, earned his bachelor of arts from Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, Wash.) in 1973, his master of arts from Whitworth College (Spokane, Wash.) and his doctoral degree in teaching and administration with emphasis in athletic administration and sport management from Springfield College (Springfield, Mass.) in 1990.
"Dr. Phillips has long been a staunch supporter of Golden Eagle athletics and the results of his outstanding work in the classroom can be found in the person(s) of countless coaches and sport administrators throughout the country, who owe at least part of their success to him," said Southern Miss Athletic Director Richard Giannini. "That he will continue the outstanding work of previous Faculty Athletics Reps here at Southern Miss is a given. His extensive and varied experience in the field of athletics provides him a unique insight into intercollegiate athletics and will allow him to work immediately at a high level as our faculty athletic representative."
Phillips has been a college professor and administrator for 22 years, the past 11 at the University of Southern Mississippi. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in sport law, policy & governance of sport, sport psychology, organizational leadership, facility management, sport marketing, sport finance and economics, and sport ethics, in the coaching and sport administration program at USM. He is currently the graduate coordinator for the School of Human Performance and Recreation at USM.
?It is certainly an honor to represent Southern Miss in my duties and responsibilities as the faculty athletics representative," Phillips said. "Previous USM FAR?s, such as Dr. Sidney Weatherford, Dr. Ron Marquardt, and Dr. Robert Boothe, have laid the groundwork for strong leadership in this position, and I hope to follow the same path.?The role of the FAR encompasses a variety of tasks, involving academics, student-athlete welfare, compliance, equity and diversity, sporting conduct and governance issues.?I look forward to working with President Thames, Mr. Giannini, USM athletic administrators, coaches, student-athletes and NCAA and C-USA administration, to help insure the highest quality athletic and academic programs possible.?
Dr. Phillips has also been a college assistant athletic director, assistant director of marketing and special events for the Volleyball Hall of Fame, and collegiate basketball coach for 12 years. He has coached basketball, led clinics, and presented papers on various aspects of sport administration internationally in 18 foreign countries. He has been the President of the Mississippi State AAHPERD (American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance) organization, Chair of both the Athletic Council and Sport Management Councils of the Southern District of AAHPERD, and on the Executive Boards of the National Council on Accreditation of Coaching Education (NCACE) and The Sport Law and Recreation Association (SLRA).
Dr. Phillips has been an active member and presenter at the North American Society of Sport Management (NASSM) and SLRA for many years, and has been a reviewer of both organizations? presentation proposals. He has written two chapters in Law for Recreation and Sport Managers, one chapter on Legal Issues of Hazing in Sport, and is a co-author of the book Profiles of Sport Industry Professionals. He has also served as reviewer for several AAHPERD publications.
He currently serves on the Governor?s Commission on Physical Activity and Sport in Mississippi.
Phillips, and his wife of 23 years, Lenora, have two daughters, Paige, 20, a senior at Auburn University, and Abbey, 15, a sophomore at Oak Grove High School.