June 12, 2003

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Two administrators in the student services area of Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics have been promoted.

Megan Walbaum and Thomas Reiter were promoted to director of their respective areas.

Walbaum has been named academic support services director after serving as an advisor in the department since 2000. Walbaum began her new duties in February of this year. Her duties include supervision of the academic support services staff, monitoring all academic activities as well as the academic eligibility of all Purdue student-athletes. She will directly oversee academic services for women's basketball and wrestling.

Walbaum has been associated with Purdue athletics since 1999, when she was hired as a graduate assistant and tutor. She is a Purdue graduate, having earned her bachelor's degree in professional writing in 1994 and an English education certificate for grades 6-12 from Purdue in 1997.

"Megan filled the interim director position during an extremely difficult time for our department," assistant athletics director Ed Howat said. "She earned the permanent position by proving her dedication and desire to see our student-athletes succeed in the classroom. Her vision for the academic support services area will ensure our student-athletes are academically successful for many years to come."

Walbaum had served as interim director of academic support services since the passing of the late Chris Ribnek, who succumbed after a short battle with cancer on Nov. 9, 2002. Ribnek had served as academic support services director from mid-2000 until the time of her death.

Reiter will begin his duties as the compliance director on July 1. A compliance advisor in the athletics department since September of 2002, Tom will handle the monitoring of compliance with all NCAA, Big Ten and Purdue regulations, including recruiting activities, conducting rules education programs for all departmental constituencies, assisting with professional sports and agent issues, and rules interpretation for all sports.

A former assistant basketball coach at Purdue under head coach Gene Keady, Reiter earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Wisconsin in 1975 and a master's from Wisconsin in 1976 in the same academic field. Tom earned a second master's degree, in athletic administration, in 1988 from Purdue.

"Last year, I was very happy when Tom chose to begin his athletics administrative career back at Purdue University, " Howat said. "After a successful coaching career, Tom has met the day-to-day challenges of compliance at the Division I level. His desire and ability to educate our coaches and student-athletes make him worthy of this promotion."

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