Lehigh University Athletics
Faculty Athletics Representative and Council
Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR)
The Faculty Athletics Representative serves Lehigh’s Athletic Department in several roles. The FAR represents Lehigh on the Patriot League Faculty Athletics Representative Committee and at times the Patriot League Policy Committee. The Policy Committee oversees the unique guidelines for our league. Recommendations on policies that affect admission, financial aid, academics, recruiting, cost containment, etc. are guided by this committee. For student-athletes' participation in intercollegiate sports at Lehigh, the FAR is one of your resources for academic eligibility and legislative issues. The third role of the FAR is the most important for student-athletes. This is to co-chair the Faculty Athletics Council. This council is generally comprised of faculty from each of Lehigh's undergraduate colleges: Arts and Sciences and Arts Engineering, Business and Economics, Engineering and Applied Sciences, College of Health, as well as at-large members.
Faculty Athletics Council (FAC)
Overview & Purpose
The Faculty Athletics Council (FAC) serves as a vital, approachable interface between student-athletes, faculty, university administration, and athletics staff. Chaired by the Associate Athletics Director for Compliance and Administration along with the Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR), the Council generally comprises faculty members representing Lehigh’s undergraduate colleges (Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the College of Health) along with at-large members.
Core Functions & Impact
- Bridging Academics and Athletics: The FAC fosters open dialogue to help the athletics department learn and understand current classroom experiences, academic policies, and evolving expectations. In turn, faculty gain deeper insight into how student-athletes manage demanding schedules, intentional programming, and athletic support systems.
- Constructive Feedback & Critical Inquiry: The Council plays an active role in asking challenging questions, identifying potential opportunities, providing academic perspectives on proposed initiatives, and offering actionable feedback.
- Academic Policy & Student Support Collaboration: FAC members partner with academic services leadership to review and refine critical processes, including:
- Absence communication forms and policies
- Finals conflict communications
- Course registration education and academic awareness
- Individual student-athlete support
- Integration into student-athlete leadership development programming (e.g., Flight45)
- If a student-athlete finds him or herself in academic trouble the first action should be to contact his or her academic advisor.
Dynamic & Responsive Agenda
Meeting agendas flex dynamically to address timely, evolving topics across both the local university context and the national collegiate landscape:
- Emerging Academic Trends: The FAC engages in open discussions around emerging priorities, technology and pedagogy—exploring syllabus guidelines, department policies, and classroom expectations—to ensure alignment across First-Year Foundations, SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee), and general athletics programming.
- Education & Situational Awareness: The Council acts as a sounding board and educational forum during timely situations providing outside perspectives to enhance how the athletics department manages student welfare and safety.
2026-2027 FAC
| Hannah Dailey (FAR and Chair) | EN | email: hlr3 |
| Ian Oakley (PL Policy Rep) | General Counsel | email: iao323 |
Other Members (New members may be added throughout the academic year)
| Mike Spear | EN | email: mfs409 |
| Shamim Pakzad | EN | email: snp208 |
| Kelly Austin | AS | email: kfa212 |
| Ken Mawritz | BU | email: kem919 |
| Frank Pazzaglia | AS | email: fjp3 |
| Joe Manzo | BU | email: jmm6 |
| Chelsea Horne | AS | email: chh526 |
| Allison Zengilowski | COE | email: alz324 |
| Vince Munley, Emeritus | BU | email: vgm0 |
