Pat Lyons Promoted to Executive Vice President, New AD Search to Commence
6/10/2019 1:46:00 PM | General, Pirate Blue, AD Newsletter with Bryan Felt
South Orange, N.J. – Patrick Lyons, Seton Hall's Vice President and Director of Athletics & Recreation since March 2011, has been promoted to Executive Vice President for Operations and Chief of Staff and will serve under Dr. Joseph E. Nyre, who begins his tenure as the University's 21st President on Aug. 1. A national search for a new Director of Athletics will commence immediately.
In his new role, Lyons will oversee athletics, facilities and operations, human resources, strategy, and the office of the President.
"I am very excited to take on this new role under President-elect Nyre's leadership and I am thankful for the opportunity serve Seton Hall in this expanded capacity," Lyons said. "For the last eight years, I've had the honor of serving as Seton Hall's athletics director, and I am grateful for having led a department with so many tremendous student-athletes, coaches and administrators who have developed a culture of excellence in the classroom and on the field of competition.
"I very much look forward to selecting and working with the next athletics director to continue elevating Seton Hall Athletics and providing a first-class experience to its student-athletes."
President-elect Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D. indicated, "Seton Hall is a remarkable institution with incredible faculty, staff and students. I look forward to the expanded role and adroit leadership of Mr. Lyons." He noted, "Pat Lyons is a remarkable leader at this key inflection point for Seton Hall."
Lyons has overseen a rich period of success in athletic competition, academic, servant leadership and infrastructure growth at Seton Hall. In competition, Seton Hall has produced seven BIG EAST Championships, 48 individual BIG EAST titles and 11 NCAA Tournament appearances. The men's and women's basketball teams have experienced resurgences with six NCAA Tournament bids since 2015, including four straight by the men, the program's first NCAA Tournament win since 2004 and the team's highest national ranking since 2001 (No. 13).
In the classroom, Lyons' student-athletes have proven to be elite, setting a new department grade point average record at the end of each academic year and standing at 3.426 after the Fall 2018 semester. Over 80 percent of Seton Hall student-athletes have achieved a 3.0 or higher in each of the last four years to earn BIG EAST All-Academic status. Among its peers nationally, Seton Hall has accumulated 40 NCAA APR Public Recognition Awards for finishing in the top 10 percent Div. I.
Lyons' commitment to student-athlete experience also lead to the creation of the H.A.L.L. Program (Helping Athletes Learn to Be Leaders), which includes community service and personal and professional development. The result has been thousands of hours of community service performed and student-athletes becoming leaders in the professional world.
In an effort to deliver a first-class experience to Seton Hall student-athletes and to maximize their potential, Lyons made fundraising and facilities a major priority, and thanks in large part to tripling contributions to Pirate Blue, Lyons has successfully transformed Seton Hall's athletic facilities footprint. After over $30 million in upgrades, Seton Hall has opened new locker rooms for each varsity program, an academic center double the size of its predecessor, new sports medicine and strength & conditioning centers, a golf lab, renovated baseball and softball batting cages, a renovated lobby with a new Hall of Fame and a new fitness center for the general student body.
