Coffey's appointment comes one year after Peter Gooding finished his 27-year tenure as the athletic director. A committee, chaired by Professor of English and Russian Dale Peterson, conducted a national search for Gooding's successor. "The search committee knew it wanted someone with coaching experience, Div. III experience, as well as experience at a highly competitive academic institution," said President Anthony Marx.
Coffey certainly fits that description. She began her career as a field hockey and women's lacrosse coach at the University of New Hampshire, and continued coaching at Bowdoin and Bates Colleges. At Bates she performed the dual role of head coach of the women's lacrosse team and associate athletic director, and was named athletic director in 1991.
In February, Coffey took a five-month leave to serve as the interim vice president of the Institute of National Sport in Kingston, R.I. In this position, she was the commissioner of the 2006 World Scholar-Athlete Games, where 2,000 students from 152 countries spent nine days participating in arts, sports and political conversation. "This was a great opportunity to work at international recruiting," said Coffey. "Most of the time was spent developing the pool of students. I spent lots of time talking with foreign embassies."
But it wasn't just the impressive resume that landed Coffey the athletic director position at Amherst. "It seems like she is very much interested in ensuring the success of the student-athlete," said women's rugby captain and member of the women's ice hockey team Tes Siarnacki '07. "This [success] comes from more community integration and interaction with the players, coaches, professors and other students, and I think this is where we'll step from as we seek progress."
Without a doubt, Coffey is ready to help the College progress athletically, and she will work to improve the relationship between athletics and academics. "[Coffey is] someone who has the ability and the track record to continue the success of the athletic department in creating high quality experiences for our athletes, as well as bridging what some perceive to be the academic-athletic divide at Amherst," said Marx. "It is the belief in an athletic-academic divide-a divide which Amherst rejects-that we have to work at."
While Amherst is renowned for its academics and athletics, some members of the community recognize that the two domains are not always in sync. "Being a student-athlete is oftentimes a difficult proposition, especially at a school as academically rigorous as Amherst," said Siarnacki. "Both disciplines require that your primary focus be theirs, which is usually a delicate balance, strenuous but possible, but on the rare occasions when the two collide, the balance is upset."
In addition to scheduling conflicts that may create tension with professors, athletes may also have to cope with negative stereotypes. "I think student-athletes often feel stigmatized by faculty and other students, and my own research at Amherst has shown that exposure to "athletes are dumb" sentiments leads to lower performance by athletes (the "stereotype threat" phenomenon often observed with women and students of color)," said Professor of Psychology Catherine Sanderson.
But with Coffey at the helm, these issues will soon be a thing of the past. "I am looking forward to working with Suzanne, Dean [of the Faculty Gregory] Call, and the athletics staff to better understand the academic-athletic divide, and then to find ways to bridge that divide," Marx said. "Indeed, the search committee identified Suzanne as a bridge builder."
Coffey has high expectations for the future of Amherst athletics. "Amherst athletics is healthy and strong," she said. "I think Amherst can be the best in every sport in the conference."
With an already top-notch academic reputation, Coffey believes that a strong athletics program will help Amherst become the model school in the country. "I see Amherst athletics as a central player in the direction of where the school is heading," said Coffey. "There is no better place to be in the country. We have a wonderful resource of coaches, terrific student-athletes and the opportunity to provide both conference and national leadership."
With that vision in mind, Coffey plans to infuse the athletics department and the college with a new sense of energy.