M. Dianne Murphy Position: Director of Athletics Institution: Columbia University

Dr. M. Dianne Murphy is in just her third year as Columbia's Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education. In that short time Columbia has won five Ivy League titles, the University's most ever. They are not surprised that the football team posted its best record in 10 years and men's basketball had its best season in 15 years. Success follows Murphy, and people who know her knew Columbia Athletics would represent quality and excellence under her leadership.

She has overseen a number of initiatives aimed at transforming the experience of Columbia's more than 800 student-athletes. She has undertaken a complete strategic planning process aimed at short- and long-term excellence in athletics. She has attracted several new high-level head coaches and administrators to the program, and spearheaded the creation of the Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame, which had its inaugural ceremony on February 18, 2006.

Murphy came to Columbia after six years as Director of Athletics and Recreation at the University of Denver, where she led the Pioneers' program from NCAA Division II to one of the nation's top Division I athletics programs.

The scope of Denver's athletics excellence was recognized nationally through the United States Sports Academy's Directors' Cup, which recognized the best overall athletics programs in the nation, determined by an award of points based on teams' finishes. The University of Denver finished among the nation's top third of athletics programs in each of its six years since becoming a Division I member in 1998-99. In 2004, the Pioneers set a University record when they finished 58th in the Directors' Cup, in the top 20 percent of all NCAA Division I schools.

Prior to joining the University of Denver, Murphy served as associate athletics director and senior woman administrator at Cornell University from 1995 to 1998. She oversaw nine Division I sports, marketing and promotions, sports information and alumni and booster activities. She helped hire football and basketball coaches and was an advocate for the coaches. Cornell enhanced its equity initiatives and increased its fundraising revenues under her guidance.

From 1988 to 1995, she was the assistant athletics director at The University of Iowa, serving as the university's lead administrator for external activities. She worked on behalf of Iowa's coaches, and was effective in enhancing a strong compliance program.

Murphy began her athletics administrative career in 1987-88 as the assistant athletics director at Kentucky State University. From 1986 to 1988, she chaired the school's Division of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, served as an associate professor and advised undergraduate students.

Recently, she took a major step to ensure that other women and people of color will readily discern the paths to top leadership positions in intercollegiate athletics by establishing her Distinguished Lecture Series in Sport Management at Florida State University, which granted her a doctorate in 1980.

She has also established The Dr. M. Dianne Murphy Female Student-athlete Leaders for Life Program at Tennessee Technological University through a gift to her alma mater.

Prior to becoming an athletics administrator, Murphy coached basketball for 13 years. She was the head women's basketball coach at Shorter College (1973-76), Florida State University (1976-79) and Eastern Kentucky University (1979-86).

Murphy was named to the 2004 NCAA Gambling Task Force. She was named the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Administrator of the Year in 2004. She chaired the NCAA Division I Basketball Issues Committee from 2002 to 2004 and currently is a member of the State Farm Wade Trophy Women's Basketball Player of the Year Committee. She also served on the NCAA Certification and Diversity Committee and the Board of Directors for the Women's Collegiate Sports Awards, the organization that presents the Honda Award and the Honda-Broderick Cup.

She is active in several national organizations, including the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA), the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the WBCA. She was named NACWAA's Division I-AAA National Administrator of the Year for 2000-01 and served as NACWAA's president during 2002-03. In 2004, NACDA honored her as the General Sports Turf West Athletic Director of the Year. The All-American Football Foundation has presented her with the Senior Sports Administrator Award.

At Columbia, she helped initiate the University's Sports Management master's degree program. She serves on the faculty as an instructor.

Murphy holds a Ph.D. in administration and curriculum from Florida State (1980), and master's (1973) and bachelor's (1972) degrees from Tennessee Technological University. The Tennessee Tech Alumni Association honored her with its 2005 Distinguished Alumna Award. Florida State presented her with its "Grad Made Good" award at its 2005 Homecoming.

She lives in Manhattan, near the Columbia campus.