NDSU President Dean L. Bresciani announced Matt Larsen has been named NDSU’s 18th director of athletics, effective Oct. 14.
Larsen is in his 19th season at Stony Brook University, where he is the senior associate director of athletics. A member of Stony Brook’s senior management team, Larsen assists the director of athletics in establishing goals for the department, including strategic planning, policy development, revenue generation, sport oversight and facilities and budget management. He has been a part of Stony Brook’s rapid ascent in intercollegiate athletics from the department’s transition to Division I to becoming one of the top athletics programs in the Northeast.
“Matt’s preparation both in terms of breadth and depth is truly exceptional. He knows our program inside-out as well, and demonstrated that during the interview process,” Bresciani said. “He’s well-known and well-respected in NCAA Division I circles, and has a personal reputation for integrity and ethics that is beyond reproach.”
Larsen replaces Gene Taylor, who resigned after 13 seasons to become the deputy athletic director at the University of Iowa.
Jane Schuh, assistant dean of the NDSU College of Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources, chaired the search committee, which made a consensus recommendation to Bresciani.
“Jane stepped into this knowing that I wanted a fast, efficient process, but I also wanted the best possible candidates,” Bresciani said. “The committee was representative, it was comprehensive and they carefully analyzed every candidate from the very start of the process and did an exceptional job, but didn't let that become a belabored process you often see in university searches.”
“The search committee (Paul Bougie, Christian Dudzik, Colleen Heimstead, Emma Kusick, Jobey Lichtblau, Sam Markell and Jonal Uglem) made this process both enjoyable and seamless,” Schuh said. “In an incredibly short amount of time they checked and rechecked resumes and references, qualities and qualifications to make sure that our next athletic director would not only have the skills to manage NDSU's athletic program, but would be a person who would lead it.”
Larsen serves as the Stony Brook athletic department’s chief financial officer and has direct oversight of the annual development and fiscal management of the department’s $24.5 million operating budget. He was instrumental in developing the department's five-year plan to incorporate football scholarships at the Football Championship Subdivision level as well as numerous women’s scholarship upgrades. He also has overseen $35 million worth of facility improvements and capital projects during the last 10 years, including direct management of the $22 million Stony Brook Arena renovation project.
Larsen also provides oversight to the Office of External Services, which consists of the advancement, communications, corporate sponsorship, marketing and ticketing departments. He is responsible for overseeing the development of annual plans for annual giving, major gifts and corporate sponsorships. He has played a key role in some of the largest donations to Stony Brook Athletics, including the $500,000 gift from Major League Baseball All-Star Joe Nathan that helped build the baseball program’s Joe Nathan Field and the $4.5 million gift from Glenn Dubin that built the Dubin Family Athletic Performance Center.
In addition, Larsen is responsible for varsity sport program oversight for the football, baseball, men's lacrosse, women's soccer and men's and women's cross country/track and field programs. Larsen also serves as the primary liaison with the human resources department and is directly responsible for all personnel related issues including search and hiring processes.
Larsen graduated from Stony Brook in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences. He was a three-year starter at wide receiver for the football team and earned College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District honors as a senior. He earned a Master of Arts and Liberal Studies degree from Stony Brook in 1998 while serving as a graduate assistant coach for the football program and athletic facilities. He also has participated in the Sports Management Institute’s Executive Program.
Larsen and his wife, Kristen, have three children – Emily, Matthew and Rylee.
NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.