Masking at the Nutter Center | Photo by Kelsie Tomlinson | The Wright State Guardian
Bob Grant has held the position of Wright State University’s Athletic Director for the last 16 years. As Grant is entering retirement, Joylynn Brown is set to take over the role of interim AD starting April 1.
Retirement of the previous AD
Grant commented on his time at WSU and what it has meant to him.
“Wright State is a special place that I love and care for deeply. I am proud of the many successes we have had here—15 NCAA tournament appearances since 2018 alone, as well as the multitude of student-athlete and coaching recognitions along the way—but I am most proud of the way we do things the right way here,” Grant said.
After working for many successful years, Grant has decided to retire.
Nick Phillips, assistant athletic director of communications, shared that Wright State is thankful to Grant’s work and dedication to athletics and student-athletes.
“Bob has dedicated half of his life to our university and Raider Family, guiding us to countless successes on the courts and fields of play,” Phillips said.
In his many years working for WSU’s Athletics Department, Grant has been behind many types of successes, both in and out of the games his student-athletes played in.
The PSA mission
PSA stands for “People, Student, Athlete.”
“When I took over as the AD 16 years ago, we instituted the PSA mission, and that has truly become a way of life around here,” Grant said.
Phillips shared that the PSA mission’s goal is a holistic development of student-athletes as people, not growth based on athletic performance.
The PSA mission sets out to remind everyone involved in athletics of the order in which student-athletes exist: person first, student second and athlete third.
WSU staff works to ensure that students are taken care of in all of their needs, and the Athletics Department is no exception. The PSA mission is an important pillar of the philosophy that is employed by the staff.
“The championships and athletic achievements take a back seat to [see] our awesome student-athletes graduate with their Wright State degrees and go on to become successful champions and leaders in life,” Grant said.
WSU’s student-athletes can succeed in other areas of life as a result of this program, according to Wright State Athletics staff.
“This mission has played a large part in maintaining our remarkable four-year average graduation success rate of 91% among our student-athletes,” Phillips said.
What the future holds
Grant provided a comment about the incoming interim AD.
“I am super excited and have all [the] confidence in Joylynn Brown to take over the department. She has been involved in all facets of our athletic department for years, and I know her passion for this university, our student-athletes and coaches are as deep as the passion I hold,” Grant said.
With such high praise from the current AD, it is difficult to doubt that Brown will do an excellent job in taking over the role.
“We could not be more pleased with the naming of Joylynn Brown as the interim director of athletics. Joylynn has been associated with Wright State for over 24 years—as a student-athlete, a coach and as an administrator—and is rooted in our culture and our PSA mission and values,” Phillips said.
Brown will be starting as interim athletic director on April 1, but this interim period has no clear end in sight.
“I am excited for the opportunity to lead and continue working with our tremendous student-athletes and coaches. We will continue to do things the right way on and off the fields of play, in the classroom and the community through our PSA mission as we strive to make Wright State and our Raider Family proud,” Brown said.
At the turning of this chapter in Wright State Athletics, the Raider community seems to be in good hands.
