http://www.goblackbears.com/pres0102/050302.html

May 3, 2002
SUZANNE TYLER TO STEP DOWN AS UMAINE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

ORONO, Me. -- University of Maine President Peter S. Hoff announced today
that he has approved a request by UMaine Athletic Director Suzanne J. Tyler
to step down from that job as of June 30 and to join the UMaine faculty.

"Sue has done a remarkable job running the Black Bear athletic department,"
Hoff says. "She took over the intercollegiate athletics program at one of
the most difficult periods in the university's history and took many of our
teams to a new level of competitiveness and success, while at the same time
ensuring that they complied with all national regulations. And she did it
with far fewer resources than her counterparts at other universities.

"Sue's tenure has brought with it significant gains in important areas,
like gender equity and the improvement of athletic facilities," Hoff
continues. "Under her stewardship, hundreds of student-athletes have
proudly and successfully worn the Black Bear uniform and had all of the
positive experiences that go with being a varsity athlete."

Tyler came to UMaine in 1995, having previously served as senior associate
director of athletics at the University of Maryland. Before becoming an
administrator, Tyler was a legendary coach at Maryland, where she led the
Terrapins to a total of three national championships in two sports -- field
hockey and women's lacrosse. She was also a teaching faculty member at
Maryland and, before that, at Cornell University.

"My time as UMaine's A.D. has been professionally rewarding and personally
fulfilling." Tyler says. "The Black Bears enjoy a wonderful level of
community support, which is well-deserved. UMaine fans everywhere have good
reason to be proud of the effort that is put in by our coaches, our players
and our entire staff."

Tyler arrived at perhaps the most tumultuous time in the history of UMaine
sports, as the NCAA was investigating a series of rules infractions that
had occurred under previous administrators. That investigation led to
sanctions against the Black Bear men's hockey and football programs.

"While that was a difficult time for all of us, I was gratified to watch
the way the process played out," Tyler says. "I learned very quickly about
Maine resiliency, determination and pride. Those traits carried us through
the tough times, to the point where we have a fully integrated compliance
program that is the cornerstone of our relationship with our
student-athletes."

Tyler's announcement comes as UMaine is looking for ways to reduce its
athletics budget. Tyler stresses that her decision to leave the athletic
director's job is not related to that process.

"My primary motivation is my family. The traveling associated with being an
athletic director is significant and I'm at the stage in my life where I
want to spend more time with my children and my husband," she says.

Tyler and her husband, UMaine bursar Dennis Casey, have two children, ages
nine and 11.

Highlights of Tyler's UMaine tenure include:
·       dramatic improvement in UMaine's compliance with Title IX, which
requires gender equity in intercollegiate athletics;
·       the development of two new athletic facilities: the Harold Alfond
Stadium/Morse Field complex and the Kessock Softball Field;
·       national recognition for both student-athlete academic success and
for participation by student-athletes in community and university activities;
·       a national championship in men's ice hockey in 1999, along with a
championship game appearance in that sport in 2001;
·       the continued success of the women's basketball program, which
competed in four NCAA tournaments during Tyler's tenure; the men's
basketball team making it to conference championship game in 2002;
introduction of women's ice hockey and women's volleyball, which played the
America East championship game in just its third season as a varsity
program; and the 2001 football team finishing in the top eight nationally
in Division 1AA, while winning a postseason game for the first time in the
program's history;
·       an increase in corporate sponsorships for UMaine athletics to
$500,000 from a starting point of under $50,000.
"While some of our successes got headlines, I am just as proud of some of
the things that happened more quietly," Tyler says. "I get great
satisfaction from watching our student-athletes perform to the best of
their ability, to find their own definition of success and to take
advantage of the life lessons we can learn from sports."

"Sue has been a strong leader of a department that is an important part of
this university and the way in which it connects with the people of Maine
and beyond" says Richard D. Chapman, UMaine's vice president for student
affairs. "She has shown great ability to balance a variety of concerns and
to lead in a way that is even-handed, positive and complimentary with our
educational mission."

Tyler, who has a doctorate in sports psychology, will serve for the next
year as a senior adviser to UMaine Provost and Vice President for Academic
Affairs Robert Kennedy. In that role, she will take the lead in studying
the feasibility of a new sport and fitness center at UMaine. Tyler will
also prepare course materials for the fall of 2003, when she will join the
UMaine faculty.

Chapman says he will immediately begin consulting with people in the
athletic department to find out what qualities they would like to see in a
new athletic director and to develop an appropriate arrangement for filling
the post in the near term. A national search will be conducted to find a
permanent replacement.