ITTA BENA — A new day will soon begin for the Mississippi Valley State University Athletics Department.
At an on-campus press conference on Wednesday, Ashley Robinson was announced as the school’s next athletic director. It will mark the second stint at his alma mater after serving as the university’s athletic compliance director from 2007-08.
Robinson returns to the Mississippi delta after serving as the Assistant Vice President of Athletic Compliance and Academic Advising at Prairie View A&M University. Robinson, who previously served as Assistant Commissioner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), began his duties at Prairie View A&M on April 1, 2010.
“I’ve waited a lifetime for this moment and I’m elated that this opportunity brought me back home to the place it all began,” said Robinson. “Mississippi Valley State is embedded in my pedigree and I look forward to serving the institution, community, alumni and fans.”
A native of Jackson, Miss., Robinson was a four-year letterman and is the single season and career record-holder in assists while playing point guard for the Mississippi Valley State University basketball team. Robinson also was named MVSU Athlete of the Year in 2002 and received the President’s Scholar Award that same year.
In August of 2006, Robinson left his native state and began a career in athletic administration as an academic coordinator at Delaware State University in Dover, Del. Robinson helped implement a comprehensive academic support system for the department’s 300 student-athletes and was the department’s liaison to DSU’s faculty, campus academic offices and support services. He also assisted with the CHAMPS / Life Skills and Student-Athlete Advisory (SAAC) Board.
After eight months in Delaware, Robinson received the opportunity to return home as he accepted the position of assistant compliance director at Jackson State University. His duties included assisting the compliance director in eligibility, student-athlete certification and reinstatement and enforcing the compliance bylaws of the NCAA, SWAC and Jackson State. Robinson continued to advance up the compliance ranks quickly by returning to his alma mater of Mississippi Valley State as the athletic department’s compliance director in August of 2007.
During July of 2008, Robinson advanced once more as he was named the SWAC’S Assistant Commissioner for Compliance. As the SWAC’s Assistant Commissioner, Robinson supervised a NCAA Division I Collegiate Conference Compliance and Academic Service department, National Letter of Intent (NLI) program and was a liaison between the conference and the NCAA for rules, interpretations and appeals. He served as liaison to faculty athletic representatives, athletic directors and compliance directors. He also served as the conference office sport administrator for men’s and women’s basketball, track & field and volleyball in addition to event management assistance in terms of staffing, budgeting and coordinating.
Robinson is an active member of the NCAA Division I Legislative Council, NCAA DI External Advisory Group and the National Association for Athletic Compliance (NAAC). He also is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., the Black Coaches Association (BCA) the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) and the Mo Williams Foundation.
