William McCormack

In a continued effort to reorganize Yale’s athletic administration, Director of Athletics Vicky Chun removed the office of Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student Services — a position currently held by Brian C. Tompkins.

Tompkins, who joined Yale Athletics in 1996, will not return to the University this fall. In an email to board members of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee acquired by the News, he announced the elimination of the Student Services position and his subsequent departure from the University.

“I am writing to let you know that due to an administrative reorganization within Yale Athletics, my position as Sr. Associate Director for Student Services has been eliminated, and therefore I will not be at Yale this fall,” Tompkins wrote. “The new plan for student services will be revealed in due course, but in the meantime, please refer all SAAC-related business to Jason Strong.”

Prior to assuming the Student Services position, Tompkins led the men’s soccer team for 19 years, retiring after the 2014 season as the second winningest men’s soccer coach in school history. In his role at the helm, Tompkins coached eight student-athletes who went on to play professional soccer, including Brian Roberts ’04, who became the first Eli to start a Major League Soccer game with Kansas City in 2005. 

Strong told the News he will serve as a liaison to the SAAC this year, as he did last year. He highlighted many of the initiatives the group plans to sponsor — a welcome-back BBQ, study breaks, an end-of-year banquet and community service projects for student-athletes — but was unable to comment on any personnel changes, including Tompkins’ release.

Neither Chun nor Tompkins responded to request for comment from the News and members of the SAAC could not be reached. However, while the exact nature of this administrative shakeup remains opaque, Chun has quickly built out her administrative team over the past year.

Deputy Director of Athletics Anne-Marie Guglieri followed Chun from Colgate last fall, and this spring, Mary Berdo also joined as Deputy Director after leaving the Raiders. Her listed responsibilities,such as equipment services, championships & events management, physical education and recreation, also include student-services, a department currently headed by Tompkins. 

With the elimination of the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student Services position, Yale Athletics will lose a long-tenured employee. Tompkins, who worked for Yale for over 20 years, now follows former fencing coach Henry Harutunian, who had led the Elis for 49 years and was fired controversially in April, out the door.

In addition to his role as Director for Student Services, Tompkins was also the sports administrator for cross country, squash, track & field and sailing.

William McCormack | william.mccormack@yale.edu .

Cristofer Zillo | cris.zillo@yale.edu .

WILLIAM MCCORMACK
William McCormack covered Yale men's basketball from 2018 to 2022. He served as Sports Editor and Digital Editor for the Managing Board of 2022 and also reported on the athletic administration as a staff reporter. Originally from Boston, he was in Timothy Dwight College.
CRISTOFER ZILLO