Santa Clara hires former Syracuse assistant AD Renee Baumgartner
Santa Clara University has hired former Syracuse assistant athletic director Renee Baumgartner to head its athletic department, the school announced Tuesday.
A former collegiate golfer at USC, Baumgartner worked at the University of Oregon where she held the title of "senior woman administrator" from 1998 until 2011, becoming the second-in-command at one of the country's most lucrative athletic departments.
Baumgartner started at Syracuse in 2011 under the title of chief of staff for athletics, where she was part of athletic director Daryl Gross' "dream team," according to Syracuse.com.
Baumgartner was passed over for the role of athletic director at Syracuse after Gross stepped down, according to Syracuse.com.
The announcement of Baumgartner's hiring comes one day after Syracuse announced the hiring of Boise State athletic director Mark Coyle as it new athletic director.
• NCAA: Syracuse's Boeheim suspended 9 games; 12 scholarships lost, 108 wins vacated
In March, the NCAA leveled probation, fines, sanctions and reduction of scholarships, among other penalties, against Syracuse's basketball program for what it termed as coach Jim Boeheim's "failure to monitor his program."
Violations included impermissible academic assistance and services, the head basketball coach’s failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance and monitor his staff, and the school’s lack of control over its athletics program, according to the NCAA.
Santa Clara president, Father Michael Engh, said he welcomed Baumgartner with the hope that she would, "'lead Santa Clara's athletics program to greater national prominence.''
