| 9/5/2024 | General BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University President Stacy Volnick has announced a contract extension for Vice President and Director of Athletics Brian White through 2029. The five-year extension comes as White continues to guide the historic transformation of FAU Athletics, which is entering its second season as a member of the American Athletic Conference. “The entire university has benefited tremendously from the success of our athletics program under Brian’s leadership,” said Volnick. “We are celebrating the largest enrollment in our 60-year history, and the positive media attention we continue to receive from athletics is contributing to the increased interest in attending Florida Atlantic.” Since his arrival in Boca Raton in 2018, White’s leadership has produced record-breaking numbers in the areas of fundraising, ticket sales, earned media and student-athlete academic success, all while achieving at the highest levels in competition. “Florida Atlantic is a special place, and I’m so fortunate to work alongside the talented coaches, staff and student-athletes in our tireless pursuit of championships,” said White. “The success we have experienced as a department is only possible because of the alignment and leadership in place. I extend my thanks to President Stacy Volnick, the Board of Trustees and our board chair, Piero Bussani, for their support of and belief in the mission of athletics. We are building something that can be a point of pride for the fans, students, alumni and the hometown residents of Boca Raton as well as all of Palm Beach and Broward counties. The future is incredibly bright for the Owls and the best is yet to come!” The 2023-24 year culminated with Florida Atlantic boasting $23 million in athletics fundraising, an all-time high for the third consecutive year. Athletics fundraising climbed 51% over last year and an astounding 540% over 2020-21. White’s staff has solicited 34 six- and seven-figure gifts to athletics over the past six years – the most in any six-year span in school history. Ticket revenue has also soared with the Owls setting another school record with a 52% increase in revenue at the gates. Since 2021-22, Florida Atlantic’s athletic ticket revenue is up 136% overall. In September 2023, White announced a strategic partnership with Playfly Sports to become FAU’s multimedia rights holder. The agreement more than doubles the Owls’ sponsorship revenue from the prior contract. These funds have been directly invested back into the success of FAU’s athletics programs. A pair of generational gifts announced in the past two years have helped change the face of Florida Atlantic Athletics — $7.5 million from Eleanor R. Baldwin to kickstart renovations to the basketball facility and $5 million from the Hagerty family to create the Hagerty Family Athletics Village, encompassing nine of the Owls’ athletic facilities. In the six years under White, Florida Atlantic has experienced unprecedented athletic success defined by a pair of significant milestone markers – men’s basketball’s momentous run to the Final Four in 2022-23 and the move to the American Athletic Conference the next year – one of the most transformative changes in shaping the future of FAU Athletics. The Owls’ debut season in the American Athletic Conference was impressive with competitive success across the board, highlighted by softball winning the school’s first AAC crown and men’s basketball making consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in school history. Five FAU teams qualified for postseason competition, while six different teams were nationally ranked in their respective sports in 2023-24. In total under White, Owl teams have combined for 20 NCAA postseason/bowl appearances and eight conference titles. His high-profile coaching hires have included Dusty May, Tom Herman, John Jakus and Jordan Clark, who in her second season, led the softball team to the first AAC title in school history in 2024. The Florida Atlantic Athletics brand has never been stronger. The department consistently generates billions of dollars in earned media for the University, topping $2.5 billion in each of the last two years. Earned media is up more than 800% from the time of White’s hire. Thanks in part to the move to the American Athletic Conference, the Owls were nationally televised more in 2023-24 that any single year in school history.Academically, 115 student-athletes earned their FAU degrees in 2023-24, while the department produced a cumulative GPA of 3.259. For 18 consecutive semesters, Owl student-athletes have maintained a GPA above 3.0 – five consecutive semesters above a 3.1. Named Florida Atlantic’s sixth director of athletics on March 3, 2018, White was honored on Sports Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list in June 2023 and is an ex-officio member of the Orange Bowl Committee. #WinningInParadise |
