Oregon State names Scott Barnes VP/Director of Athletics
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Scott Barnes, athletic director at the University of Pittsburgh, was named Thursday as vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics at Oregon State University. He will begin his new duties on February 13, 2017.
Barnes has served as Pitt’s athletics director since spring of 2015. He follows Todd Stansbury, who left Oregon State in late September, to serve as the athletics director of his alma mater, Georgia Tech.
Barnes is recognized as a national leader in intercollegiate athletics, including serving as the chair of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Selection Committee for 2014-15.
He will be welcomed to OSU on Thursday, December 29, 2016, at a news conference.
Barnes’ appointment was made by Oregon State University President Ed Ray following a national search that Ray said drew “incredibly strong interest from a deep pool of leading university athletic directors and top private sector sports administrators.”
“I chose Scott Barnes because he is the perfect fit for Oregon State University,” Ray said. “He will guide OSU Athletics to compete and win championships the right way – the Oregon State way.
“Scott is a proven leader and a champion with a long track record of success. He will lead the immediate and long-term achievement for all OSU sports programs and contribute greatly to the passion of everyone within Beaver Nation. He understands that at Oregon State University, good is not good enough. OSU and its student-athletes will be champions in all aspects of athletics, as students and in the community.”
“I look forward to working with Scott as we build the next generation of remarkable success within Oregon State Athletics,” Ray said.
“I am very excited to join Beaver Nation and am ready to hit the ground running and build upon the success of OSU Athletics,” Barnes said. “I guarantee that we will contribute to advancing the mission of this university. We will deliver the highest level of achievement on the playing field and for all student-athletes in the classroom, in the community and in their lives and careers.
“Everything that we will do will be defined by excellence. Success will be measured in wins, championships and by providing the best student-athlete experience possible.”
Prior to joining Pitt, Barnes spent seven years as athletic director at Utah State. Prior to his tenure at Utah State, Barnes spent nearly three years at UW as senior associate athletic director for advancement. In that capacity, he was responsible for all external operations for the Huskies' athletic department, including fund-raising, ticket sales, multimedia rights, marketing and communications. Barnes served as athletic director at Eastern Washington University from 1999 to 2005.
Barnes was recognized by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics in 2014 as an NACDA athletic director of the year recipient while at Utah State. At Eastern Washington, he was awarded a regional recognition by NACDA.
Since Stansbury’s departure, Marianne Vydra, deputy athletic director/senior woman administrator, has served as interim vice president and director of OSU intercollegiate athletics.
Oregon State has 18 NCAA sports, more than 535 student-athletes and an athletics department budget of $84 million. Pitt has 19 NCAA sports, more than 475 student athletes, and a $75 million budget.
While at Pitt, Barnes initiated an organizational restructuring and strategic plan to re-energize Pittsburgh athletics.
Barnes led many Pitt athletics achievements, including these highlights:
- The 2016 Pitt football team completed a consecutive an 8-4 regular-season record and are ranked in the nation’s top 25 and will play in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl this month.
- The Pitt gymnastics team won its first-ever East Atlantic Gymnastics League championship in 2015.
- The Pitt men's basketball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2015 for the 13th time in the past 15 seasons, becoming one of only eight programs nationally to accomplish that feat.
- In the classroom, 379 Pitt student-athletes were honored for achieving a grade point average of at least 3.0 in the 2015 spring or fall terms, while 24 earned a perfect 4.0. The Panthers had a record 245 students earn all-league ACC academic honors.
During Barnes’ tenure at Utah State, the Aggies won 20 conference team championships and the football program averaged 10 wins a year, compiled a 30-11 mark, and won a school-record three consecutive bowl games.
A native of Spokane, Wash., Barnes graduated from Fresno State University with a bachelor’s degree in 1986 and a master’s degree in athletics administration and physical education in 1993. He also played basketball at Fresno State. Barnes played professional basketball in Germany in 1985-86, and was the general manager of the Fresno Flames of the World Basketball League from 1988-89.
Barnes will be joined in Corvallis by his wife, Jody, who also graduated from Fresno State and competed in track as a student-athlete. The Barnes have a daughter, Milanna, 20, a college sophomore; and a son, Issac, 19, a high school senior.