May 19, 2008
Grand Rapids, Mich. - Davenport University President Randolph K. Flechsig has been appointed to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Council of Presidents. He will represent higher education institutions, including Davenport University, for the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.
The Council of Presidents is the chief governing body of the NAIA, which oversees athletic programs at its nearly 300 member colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The NAIA has about 650,000 student members, including 50,000 participating student athletes. Its 14 regions offer 23 annual national championships in 13 sports.
Flechsig was named president of Davenport University in 2000. Under his presidency, an athletic program was created which, today, offers fifteen varsity sports for men and women, plus lacrosse and hockey. The Panther hockey club won the 2007-2008 American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II National Championship along with the third straight Great Midwest Hockey League (GMHL) regular season and tournament title. Davenport's women's basketball team won the 2007-2008 Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Championship. With a 28-6 record, the team was among the Sweet 16 for the first time in the school's history. The university's men's golf team also won its second straight WHAC title.
As president, Flechsig has led the unification of three Michigan colleges into one Davenport University, including the ongoing construction of the main campus in Caledonia Township near Grand Rapids. An 87,000 square-foot multipurpose student center currently under construction will include a field house and other athletic facilities.
Flechsig also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Legacy Trust, Grand Rapids Economic Club, Grand Rapids Griffins Youth Foundation, Hope Network and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. He had earlier served for 10 years as a member and chairman of the Davenport University-Central Region Board of Trustees.
Davenport University--the only West Michigan-based private university specializing in business, technology and health professions--serves approximately 12,000 students through its campus in Caledonia Township (Grand Rapids), other locations in Michigan, and online. Focusing on innovative, practical and affordable education, Davenport offers graduate and undergraduate degrees. More information is available at www.Davenport.edu.
