1-General | 9/15/2022 1:00:00 PM
MELBOURNE, Fla.- The Sunshine State Conference is pleased to announce that Barry University President Mike Allen, Ph.D., has been named the Chair of the Sunshine State Conference President's Council. His two-year term became effective on July 1, 2022.
The SSC President's Council is composed of the president of each conference member institution. The council determines and directs the policies of the SSC. Dr. Allen also leads the Executive Committee of the SSC President's Council. The Executive Committee meets more frequently than the larger SSC Presidents Council to act on conference issues such as recommendations from Athletic Directors, Senior Woman Administrators, and the Commissioner.
"I'm honored to have an opportunity to chair this esteemed council in a premiere athletic conference that regularly produces championship teams in many sports and student athletes who go on to have successful careers," Dr. Allen said. "We look forward to another exciting year of high-quality competition and excellence in the classroom."
As the seventh president of Barry, Dr. Allen has significantly increased the institution's visibility and presence in South Florida, focused heavily on strengthening community partnerships as well as Institutional Advancement, and has skillfully marshaled the university through the disruption of the global health crisis, prioritizing student support as students and their families face the many challenges brought by the pandemic. Dr. Allen joined Barry in July 2019 and has been making an impact in higher education for nearly three decades.
Dr. Allen came to Barry University from The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. where he served as Vice President for Student Affairs for six years and as Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics for eight years. Additionally, he designed and implemented academic support programs for students at Florida Atlantic University and the University of Connecticut between 1993 and 2005.
President Allen holds a Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College, and a Master of Arts and Doctoral degree from the School of Education at the University of Connecticut, where his dissertation and research focused on the academic socialization and personal development of intercollegiate student athletes.
About the Sunshine State Conference
Established in 1975, the Sunshine State Conference has risen from a single sport organization to the NCAA Division II "Conference of National Champions." Since its inception, the conference has grown steadily in sports played, membership, and national prominence. SSC members have won 117 NCAA national championships across 12 sports. SSC student-athletes achieved an 88-percent Academic Success Rate (ASR) for 2020-21, breaking a 10-Year streak of 86-percent Academic Success Rates. The SSC ranks second among NCAA Division II conferences in 2020-21 ASR and has never fallen below that mark in the metric's 16-year history.
The SSC consists of 11 member institutions, all within the state of Florida: Barry University (Miami Shores), Eckerd College (St. Petersburg), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach), Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne), Florida Southern College (Lakeland), Lynn University (Boca Raton), Nova Southeastern University (Ft. Lauderdale), Palm Beach Atlantic University (West Palm Beach), Rollins College (Winter Park), Saint Leo University (Saint Leo), and the University of Tampa.
