ITHACA, N.Y. -- Andy Noel, whose leadership has guided Cornell to unprecedented athletics' success in the 21st century, has announced plans to retire as the Meakem*Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education. Noel will serve in the position through the end of the 2021-22 academic year and into the 2022-23 academic year until a successor is named. A national search will commence in late summer.

Serving in his 23rd season as athletics director and his 42nd year at Cornell overall, Noel is the longest tenured Ivy League athletics director, the second-longest in Cornell history behind the legendary Bob Kane '34, and the 12th longest in Division I among more than 350 schools playing at the highest level of collegiate sports.

"When I arrived in Ithaca 40 years ago, I did not anticipate that over four decades of my professional life would be fully invested in all things Big Red," Noel said. "This moment harkens deep feelings of gratitude for the thousands of alumni who have supported our dedicated staff and the young adults who have benefited mightily from their mentorship. Beloved colleagues, outstanding coaches, program leaders and many thousands of athletes have earned my respect and care, shaping my life in ways that find me forever blessed."
 
Noel's legacy of student-centered leadership, as well as his laser-focused commitment and loyalty to his coaches and staff, has been the foundation upon which he built an athletics department considered a model by those who value excellence on the competition field, in the classroom and beyond.
 
"Following a career spanning more than four decades including 23 years as the Meakem*Smith Director of Athletics, it is impossible to put into words the impact that Andy Noel has had on the Big Red, said Ryan Lombardi, Cornell's Vice President for Student & Campus Life. "Andy has been a champion for Cornell student athletes, our coaching staff, and our Cornell athletics alumni throughout his tenure. I am grateful for the strong foundation he has created for our Big Red athletics community and am excited to see the impacts of the legacy he leaves."

The person.
 
More than performance stats demonstrate, Andy's enduring love and support of student-athletes, their families, coaches, staff, and our Cornell alumni have positively impacted countless lives.
 
Noel helped shepherd the department through the many significant highs and lows our athletics department, campus community, nation, and world has faced in the past decades thanks to his steady hand, strong leadership, and positive stewardship. 

He has been called upon to lend that leadership on campus and in the Ithaca community over the past four decades serving on numerous NCAA committees to help advance the interests of college athletics. He has chaired and has served on the Cornell President's Councils on Alcohol and Other Drugs and Mental Health and Welfare. The most successful years of fundraising under the University's long-standing relationship with the United Way have come with Noel as co-chairman.

He is committed to community service and has led partnerships with organizations like the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, Adopt-A-Family holiday effort and many others, challenging and inspiring others to join along while bringing focus to critical areas of need in the community. The athletics community responded by providing thousands of hours of service per year to the Cornell and greater Ithaca communities.

People first.

That has always been Noel's strength. Integrity, honesty and fairness. It is essential when one serves 200 coaches and staff and approximately 1,200 student-athletes every year. Furthermore, Noel has always had an eye for talent, whether recruiting successful student-athletes to Cornell or hiring talented coaches and staff. In all, Big Red coaches have earned national coach of the year honors 14 times during his tenure - 11 of them being awarded to Noel hires who were first-time head coaches. Of the top 14 winningest coaches in school history, nine were hired by or coached under Noel's leadership.

The numbers.

The numbers are extraordinary: 106 Ivy League team titles, 35 individual and team national championships, nearly 2,300 All-Ivy athletes, including more than 850 first-teamers, and 400 All-Americans during his tenure as Athletics Director. A member of five Halls of Fame. Four additional Ivy titles in 14 seasons as Big Red wrestling head coach. Five previous years in Cornell Athletics administration.
 
Cornell teams have routinely competed at the very highest levels of collegiate athletics. Ten squads have reached the NCAA Final Four, and three more were poised to do so in the top two of the national rankings when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In addition to the scores of individuals that qualified for NCAA championships during his tenure, 57 teams have represented the Big Red at championships since 1999 with four finishing as national runner-up and 14 placing among the top four. The Cornell Athletics department has won 37 individual national titles in its history and nearly half - 18 - have been won with Noel leading the department.

During his time as Athletics Director, Noel has built a program that is nationally competitive across the board. In 16 of the past 17 seasons, Cornell has ranked among the top 100 programs in the country in the NACDA Director's Cup standings with a high of 52nd in 2009-10. It has finished in the top half of the Ivy ladder by that measure in 11 of the past 14 seasons, including holding down the top spot among Ancient Eight schools in 2006-07.

The legacy.

Noel's ability to connect with others has allowed him, along with his team in Alumni Affairs and Development, to raise more than $70 million in support of capital projects and endowment and over $100 million in support of annual operations. In just the past year, four coaching and staff positions have been endowed, bringing the total number of endowed positions within the department to 36, the most of any school in the country. Since taking over in 1999, Cornell athletics has grown program endowment from a market value of $24 million to $160 million, with annual giving increasing from about $1.9 million per year to a record high of $9.1 million in 2018 and $8.4 million in 2021 in the midst of a global pandemic. The department realized 26 gifts ranging from $750,000 to $2 million to name head coaching, assistant coaching, and administrative positions.

In the past quarter century, Noel has successfully upgraded a number of department facilities including the renovations of Schoellkopf Hall, Lynah Rink, the Cornell Rowing Center, Hoy Field, Niemand*Robison Field and the Friedman Wrestling Center. He led the charge to build the Merrill Family Sailing Center, Marsha Dodson Field and the Noyes Fitness Center, and he was at the helm as Outdoor Education completed a massive transformation of the Lindseth Climbing Wall, a signature achievement for the entire campus. Noel has recently closed in on finishing a fundraising campaign toward a field house to be constructed on the university's central campus. Many other transformative projects took flight under his leadership – included among them the creation of McGovern Fields, installation of synthetic fields at Schoellkopf and Hoy Fields, scores of office and locker room enhancements, and the resurfacing of the Barton Hall track and scoreboard.

While the infrastructure has been key, he has also invested in student-athletes - adding women's sailing to become the department's 37th varsity sport, creating the first-ever athletic student-services position in the Ivy League, doubling the size of the sports medicine and strength and conditioning staffs, adding a nutritionist, supporting the creation of the Ivy League Digital Network, and many other transformative initiatives.

The results? An athletic cohort that regularly posts a grade point average higher than the rest of the student body. An engaged and supportive alumni base. One of the most successful physical education, outdoor education and varsity athletics programs in the country. A recognized model of how to successfully blend Ivy League academics and high-level Division I athletics.