Richard F. Laskowski

Dr. Richard F. Laskowski has just completed his 30th year as an administrator in higher education. His first nineteen years were at St. John's University where he served as the first full time academic counselor for the student athletes, then as the Assistant Director of Intramurals, Recreation, and Club Sports, the Director of Intramurals, Recreation and Club Sports, Assistant Director of Athletics, and then the Associate Director of Athletics. In 1993 he accepted the position of Dean, Physical Education and Athletics at Stony Brook University with the Athletic Director as a direct report. His first mandate was to elevate the athletic program to Division I from Division III. He achieved this goal in 1999 and joined the America East Conference in 2001.

While at St. John's, Dr. Laskowski's responsibilities included radio, television, and arena contracts, scheduling for men's basketball, the department’s liaison for the men’s basketball trip to Spain and served as the St. John's representative to the NIT’s summer basketball tour of Australia. He was the Chair of the Big East Tennis Committee, and a member of the baseball and soccer committees. At the 10th anniversary of the Big East, he was recognized as an "Outstanding Administrator " in the conference.

During Dr. Laskowski's ten-year tenure at Stony Brook the athletics budget grew from less than $1,000,000 per year to the current $9,300,000. New facilities included the $26,000,000 LaValle stadium, home for the Seawolves football, lacrosse, and soccer teams, a new softball stadium, and six new tennis courts. Major improvements to the baseball facility, the Sports Complex arena, the Pritchard Gym, the weight training facility, and all outdoor practice facilities also were implemented. Revenue increased from 50K to more than $1,500,000 this year. The department now funds 200 athletic scholarships as compared to zero in 1994. The athletics staff tripled in size and its diversity improved dramatically. In its second year in the America East Conference, five teams played in the Conference championship games in their respective sports.

Dr. Laskowski has extensive experience in college athletics, having been a scholarship student athlete, a coach, an umpire, a counselor and advisor, a member of the faculty, and an administrator. He served on the Board of Directors of the New England Collegiate Conference and the America East Conference, and presently serves on the Board of Directors for the ECAC. He has recently been nominated for the Board of Directors of Florida Atlantic University's MBA Sports Management program.

Dr. Laskowski earned four degrees from St. John's University: a BA in the Social Sciences, an MA in Guidance and Counseling, a PD in Guidance and Counseling, and an Ed.D. in Administration. He was inducted into Phi Delta Kappa and the Golden Key Honor Society. He was one of seventy individuals chosen worldwide to study at the East-West Institute of Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii. In 2000, Dr. Laskowski was invited to South Africa to advise the government on promoting and marketing their sports program locally, nationally, and internationally.