UMAC 10-Year Administrator Profile: Greg Hayton, North Central
Interview by Michael Knipe, North Central Athletics Communication
Each Friday throughout 2018-19 as part of the “UMAC 10-Year Celebration”, the conference will highlight the people who have made an impact on the league and make it a special community to be a part of. This feature series focuses on UMAC administrators who positively impact the student-athlete experience.
Interview with Greg Hayton, Current Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) and Former Athletics Director at North Central University
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your current role at North Central University.
A: I currently am a faculty member in the education department and operate as the athletic faculty representative for our institution. I have been with North Central University for many years in a number of different roles and capacities. I’ve served as both a faculty member and an athletic director for NCU during my time here.
Q: What can you tell us about your role and responsibilities as a Faculty Athletics Representative at North Central?
A: In my current role, I am able to help bridge the gap between athletics and academics in a sense. I love being able to continue working with athletics as it is something that I am extremely passionate about. In my current role as a faculty athletic representative, I am able to give recommendations and input based on feedback from students, faculty, and coaches. It is incredibly rewarding.
Q: What does it mean to you to serve in this capacity at North Central?
A: I am extremely honored to be selected to serve in this capacity. It also is a privilege to serve with such fine faculty members and with such a great group of representatives across the UMAC as a whole.
Q: Why do you feel the role of the faculty athletic representative is important in Division III athletics?
A: The role of this position is incredibly important in order to constantly look at building a better student athlete experience. Everything that we do is geared towards how we can make the Division III athletic experience the best it can be for our student athletes.
Q: What do you think is your most important duty and responsibility as a faculty athletic representative?
A: It is hard to pin point just one duty as being the most important above all others, but I think that listening and becoming aware of what is going on throughout the institution, the conference, and NCAA Division III athletics is important in order to make informed recommendations.
Q: Why do you feel that faculty athletic representatives should have a strong relationship with student-athlete advisory committees (SAAC)?
A: At the grass roots level, who better knows how the student-athlete experience is going than the student?! Hearing what they have to say is huge in helping to understand the current environment that they are experiencing.
Q: What do you enjoy most about being a part of athletics at North Central University?
A: I think that North Central University offers a complete educational experience, including athletics, that helps to develop each student as a whole person. Our dedication towards seeing student athletes grow not only athletically, but also academically and spiritually, is something that makes me very proud.
Q: In the next ten years, what are you most excited for in North Central athletics and the UMAC?
A: For North Central, I’m extremely excited with the potential prospects of facility upgrades that will add a whole new level for our student-athletes. I think that the university will look quite different and that our athletes will be very happy with the new additions. In the UMAC, I think that our conference will continue to grow in strength and depth as a whole. I look forward to seeing more of our UMAC teams, especially North Central, competing for NCAA Division III championships!