New man in charge at Cal State

Cal State San Bernardino finally has a new athletic director with Kevin Hatcher being named the successor to Nancy Simpson earlier today. Hatcher comes to San Bernardino from Colgate University where he has been instrumental in working with the budget, fund-raising and working as a liasion between the school and the community.

He has also worked in similar roles at USC and University of Texas-El Paso.

It sounds like he is just what the school here needs. It isn't unusual for there to be a disconnect between a school and the community, especially at a commuter school. But head to downtown San Bernardino and chances are few people could tell you where Cal State San Bernardino is located. That shouldn't be the case.

The university has national championship caliber teams in its primary spectator sports - men's basketball and women's volleyball. And it has one of the finest facilities in the country in which to play.

Cal State will probably never draw the crowds and get the booster support of a school like Chico State which is truly the center of its community. But a better job needs to be done here of promoting the college's team here in the community and even within the school. (Student attendance at athletic events is pretty much non-existant.)

The first step would be enticing youth teams, middle schools and even high school teams to come to different events. Then go to community groups. It shouldn't be that hard to market teams with that kind of track record of success.