University of Massachusets Athletics
Message From A.D. John McCutcheon
December 21, 2005 | General
Dec. 21, 2005
Dear UMass Fans,
Happy Holidays! It is a pleasure to be writing in the midst of the festive holiday season with so many exciting initiatives going on at UMass.
For some time now we have been maintaining an "Ask the AD "page on UMassAthletics.com to address questions that many of you have about our program and issues in college athletics. Over the past months the number of topics raised on the site dropped off significantly. I don't know if that was because my previous responses to your questions were so clear and insightful that you all simply couldn't think of anything to ask or that you were on vacation. OK, so you were on vacation. In any event, we thought we would try a different format. I will periodically post an open letter on our web page in which I will provide updates on various topics related to our program. If any of you have issues you would like me to address please feel free to email them to me. I will try to address as many areas as possible in my responses.
As we start the new year we could not be more excited about UMass athletics and some of the initiatives that are currently underway. In terms of capital projects the new track was completed late this fall and it will be one of the finest facilities in the country. The new recreation and intramural field lights which increased the number of lighted fields are now in place. We have opened new academic advising and support facilities in Boyden Gym and we are very excited about the new video scoreboards that will be installed this winter in the Mullins Center.
The new agreement we recently entered into with adidas will provide significant new equipment and apparel resources for our teams and once the agreement is fully implemented in three years, give us a standardized image department wide. These are just a few of the projects that will add to the momentum and excitement that is building within UMass Athletics.
In order for us to reach our objective of being a nationally competitive athletic program it will take initiatives like those mentioned above and much more. It will take the commitment of our student athletes, coaches, staff, administration and our fans and supporters like you. So many times the thing that makes the difference between winning programs and those that struggle is that level of external support that is provided. I hope that you continue to stay involved and if possible increase your commitment to UMass Athletics in any way possible over the next year.
The future is bright and we couldn't be more proud to have you all on the team.
Go UMass!
John McCutcheon