Victoria M. Chun was appointed Yale’s director of athletics, physical education, and recreation by President Peter Salovey on Feb. 1, 2018. Chun, who served as vice president and director of athletics at Colgate University for the past six years, joined Yale on July 1, 2018.
Chun oversees 35 varsity teams within Yale College, an array of intramural and club sports, and extensive facilities enjoyed by all students.
Recognized by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal as a “Game Changer,” Chun has earned a stellar reputation as one of the most innovative and well-respected leaders in NCAA Division I athletics and was selected as a NACDA Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year in March of 2018.
At Colgate, Chun worked closely with faculty, students, and staff to foster a high level of academic rigor and integrity among student-athletes. Under her leadership, the average grade point average (GPA) of Colgate student-athletes surpassed the average GPA of the student body, with the student-athlete GPA increasing every year. Colgate’s 98% NCAA Division I Graduation Success Rate in 2017-18 placed it second in the country.
A former student-athlete and Division I coach, Chun cultivated respect and integrity within the athletics program while helping shepherd teams to new levels of success. During her years at Colgate, the men’s and women’s hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s lacrosse, and volleyball teams earned national rankings. She hired eight new head coaches who demonstrated success and brought their programs to national prominence. She also took steps to improve the student-athlete experience, initiating a head-injury reduction strategy for practices in contact sports.
Chun helped raise millions of dollars for major capital projects at Colgate, including a 97,000-square-foot arena; a soccer and women’s lacrosse complex; a football locker room renovation; and a new academic services center.
At the national level, Chun has been an advocate for excellence in intercollegiate sports. One of only 40 members of the NCAA Division I Council, she also serves as vice-chair of the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee and on the newly created Division I Football Competition Committee. She recently served as president of the organization called Women Leaders in College Sports. The first female Asian-American athletic director in NCAA Division I history, Chun is the first woman and the first Asian American to serve as director of athletics at Yale.