ANNVILLE, Pa. -- Rick Beard '90, M'92, Lebanon Valley College's athletic director since 2007, announced that he will join the College's Advancement Division as a senior major gifts officer, effective July 1. Rick will help LVC prepare for its upcoming comprehensive fundraising campaign. There will be a national search for the next athletic director.
Beard has been an integral part of LVC athletics since he arrived on campus as a first-year student in 1986, making significant contributions as a student-athlete, coach, and administrator. A 2006 LVC Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Beard was a member of the football coaching staff for 15 seasons and served as the director of the College's Arnold Sports Center. Before becoming the director of athletics at the College, Beard also worked as an assistant athletic director for six years.
During his tenure as athletic director, Lebanon Valley expanded its sports offerings by adding men's and women's lacrosse in the spring of 2010, women's golf in 2013, and women's ice hockey in 2016-17. The school's men's ice hockey program also returned to NCAA Division III status under his watch in 2016-17. Under his leadership, LVC added an esports program in 2017-18, the first in Pennsylvania to compete at the varsity level.
Additionally, Beard implemented numerous programs to aid in the success of LVC's student-athletes. He was instrumental in starting LVC's Academic Success program, LVC's Step-Up pro-social behavior program, the LVCares community outreach program, and the new Human Performance program under which the College's Strength and Conditioning, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Training departments operate. Under Beard's watch, LVC hired a strength and conditioning coach for the first time in 2015. He was also instrumental in launching LVC's athletics website, GoDutchmen.com, in September 2008 and constructing the LVC Hall of Champions museum in the winter of 2009-10.
In the summer of 2012, Beard also helped LVC install artificial turf, lights, a scoreboard, and a new track at Arnold Field, home to the football, lacrosse, field hockey, and track & field programs. In the summer of 2016, LVC's tennis complex was renovated and upgraded to include a court re-alignment and lights. A covered pavilion and handicap-accessible pathway were built for what now stands as the Shankroff Tennis Center.
Beard also had an impressive career as a coach and athlete, beginning his coaching career after graduating from The Valley in 1990. He was a four-year letterwinner and two-time conference all-star for the Dutchmen at the linebacker position. His past coaching responsibilities have included defensive coordinator, linebackers coach, offensive line coach, defensive secondary coach, JV defensive coordinator, JV offensive coordinator, and JV head coach. He also served as interim head coach in the spring of 2004.
In addition to these positions, Beard has previously served on the MAC Operations, the Central Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, and Falcon Foundation for the Cornwall-Lebanon School District committees.
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