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Keith Hackett speaks publicly for the first time as athletic director
Tho mas McIntyre

Keith Hackett was of f icially introduced as the new athletic director at a press conf erence Friday af ternoon. He used the event to share his vision f or UAA athletics and to address some lingering questions. Hacketts plan f or the department is a three-headed monster. T he f irst step is ensuring they are always in alignment with the educational mission of the university. He wants to stress the student aspect of being a student-athlete. Secondly, he is committed to the saf ety, health and wellbeing of the athletes. He vowed this will be the top priority when making decisions. Last of all, he wants to engage the community. T he more we get involved with the community, the more involved theyre going to get with us, Hackett said. T he only way theyre going to come is if we invite them to come. While it was third on the list, Hacketts approach to community involvement was a central theme during his time at the podium. He wants the coaches, players and staf f to become integral parts of Anchorage.

Ne w athle tic d ire c to r Kie th Hac ke tt intro d uc e d hims e lf to the Se awo lf athle tic s c o mmunity at a p re s s c o nfe re nc e Frid ay. Pho to b y Dan Duq ue .

He came f rom a university (Nevada, Reno) that had a strong relationship with the community around it. Creating the same atmosphere and culture at UAA is essential to him. Hackett is also reaching out to the groups closer to home. For example, he met with members of the UAA Hockey Alumni Association the morning of the press conf erence. And the day he landed in Anchorage, his f irst stop was the Sullivan Arena to sit down with the Kendall Hockey Classic committee. News of his early talks with these hockey groups should comf ort Seawolf f ans. But he did promise to extend his hand to all other f orms of alumni, as well.

Bef ore he became a candidate f or athletic director, Hackett wasnt very f amiliar with Alaska. In f act, his f irst visit to Anchorage was last Tuesday. T he challenge of acclimating himself to a f oreign environment doesnt scare him, though. He was a self -described outsider at Nevada, and he never allowed that to slow him down. Hacketts research on his new residence led him to the state motto, North to the f uture. T he phrase resonated with him. He f eels it represents what hes doing by taking on the athletic director role at UAA. Im just so f ortunate to have this opportunity to be here in Anchorage today to help continue the growth of this outstanding athletic department, Hackett said. Because of the tumultuous stretch the department went through, the idea of Hackett having to be a f ixer and healer was brought up. He acknowledged that need and thinks it will be a part of his duty as the new leader. Hackett has been preparing f or this opportunity his entire career. Accepting the position was a no-brainer. As he made clear several times on Friday, becoming an athletic director was always his endgame. Well, now his goal is realized, and hes on the clock.