General | 6/9/2023 10:00:00 AM
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Interim Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Kathy Anderson will retire June 30, 2023, after 18 years with the University of Central Missouri, it was announced Friday, June 9.
During her 18-year tenure with UCM Athletics as an administrator, Anderson has been instrumental in helping numerous student-athletes and coaches achieve their goals both inside and outside of competition.
"Being able to serve my alma mater and all of the outstanding UCM student-athletes, coaches and staff the last 18 years has been incredibly humbling and rewarding," Anderson said. "I am forever indebted to this university and, most importantly, the individuals who make the University of Central Missouri the phenomenal institution that it is."
She was elevated to Interim Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics in January 2023 after previously serving as the Associate Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations and Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations. Anderson also serves as the Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) for UCM Athletics.
"I am incredibly grateful for Kathy's 18 years of dedicated and selfless service to UCM," University of Central Missouri President Dr. Roger Best said. "She has been a tremendous colleague to all of us and has had a strong and positive impact on athletics and UCM as a whole. Her leadership, work ethic and good sense of humor will be greatly missed."
During her 18 years at Central Missouri, the Mules and Jennies captured 97 MIAA Championships, 27 NCAA Division II Regional Titles and five NCAA Division II National Championships.
UCM student-athletes earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-America® honors 82 times during Anderson's tenure, and numerous Mules and Jennies have been named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll and received MIAA Scholar-Athlete and MIAA Academic Excellence recognition.
"Kathy has been instrumental in helping UCM student-athletes and coaches achieve success for almost 20 years," MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy said. "Not only has Kathy left her mark and impacted thousands of lives at UCM, but she has committed her time to service on committees and in leadership roles with the MIAA and NCAA Division II. From student-athlete to administrator to campus/conference leader, Kathy has always brought her 'A' game and committed her work to enhancing the student-athlete experience."
Before returning to her alma mater in 2005, Anderson had served previously as Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance and Student Services at fellow MIAA member Northwest Missouri State University.Â
Prior to assuming her role at Northwest Missouri, Anderson served a brief stint as admission and eligibility coordinator at the University of Washington. She added those duties in the summer of 2002 to her responsibilities as operations coordinator for men's basketball for the Huskies. In addition, Anderson was assistant basketball coach in 2000 for the Seattle Storm and in 1998 for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA.
Her coaching career began in 1980, when she was hired as assistant women's basketball coach at California State-Fullerton. She served there from 1980-85 before moving on to the University of Washington as assistant basketball coach from 1985-96, and as assistant director of basketball operations from 1996-98.
Anderson received a bachelor's degree from UCM in 1980, graduating cum laude in physical education and mathematics.
While wearing the Cardinal & Black, she lettered four years in basketball, three years in softball, and once in track & field. She was Jennies basketball's first-ever Academic All-American, earning second team honors in 1979-80. In 1980, she was honored as UCM Outstanding Senior Female Student-Athlete and Outstanding Senior in Physical Education.
With the Jennies belonging to the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) and playing today what would be considered a Division I schedule; she helped lead the Jennies to an 82-31 record. She also was named to the Jennies Basketball All-Decade Team for 1970-80 and the Jennies Basketball Silver Anniversary Team for 1970-95.
She is one of just four student-athletes in Jennies basketball history to have her number (32) retired.
Perhaps her most outstanding accomplishment was being a member of the USA Women's National Basketball program for the three years leading to the 1980 Olympics which the USA boycotted. In 1977, Anderson served as captain of the USA Women's Junior Basketball team to Taiwan. In 1978 and 1979, she was a member of the USA Women's Senior Basketball teams that traveled to China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and Russia.
During the summer of 2010, Anderson was inducted into the inaugural MIAA Hall of Fame class for her outstanding accomplishments at UCM. Along with her brother, former UCM National Champion head men's basketball coach Kim Anderson, she was honored by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame as one of the 2011 "Filbert Five" honorees and she was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
Anderson has also served as past chair for the Division II softball and women's basketball committees and Chair of the Institutional Representatives for the MIAA.
Anderson earned a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle Pacific University in 2000.
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