Date: May 19, 2008
Contact: Carol Connelly, Director, Media & Communication Services, ext. 5267, cconnelly@pnc.edu

PNC Presents Student Service Award to Bill Back

Vice Chancellor of Administration William Back accepting the Student Service Award. Download photo here.

Westville – Purdue University North Central recently honored Vice Chancellor of Administration William Back with the Student Service Award, given annually to person who has the greatest positive impact on student life during the academic year.

Back is responsible for PNC business and financial areas of operation.

According to PNC Dean of Student John Coggins, “With Mr. Back's involvement in student life, we have made a giant leap for the students at PNC. So many more resources have been made available to students because of his efforts. Mr. Back makes a great contribution every year for students.”

John Weber, director of Student Athletics and head baseball coach noted Back’s impact on PNC athletics, “Mr. Back's contributions in student athletics at PNC is extraordinary. His tireless efforts and extreme generosity have had a major impact, not only for our department, but for the entire University."

“We are proud that our baseball team contended for the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) regular-season championship to the final day of the season, but finished third overall of 11 teams. PNC baseball established a new record for wins in CCAC play after finishing 14-6 and finished with the second most wins in program history at 28-21, despite losing 11 games to weather. The team reached a program high of being ranked as high as third in the region.

“Softball set a program record for wins in a season, breaking the record of 21 wins set last season. They finished 25-19 overall and 8-10 in conference. Volleyball concluded its first season of intercollegiate competition and will join the conference next year. Our student-athletes established a new high for GPA, outdistancing the overall student body GPA once again.”

Coggins listed some of Back’s most noteworthy achievements:

• Raising over $ 30,000 in scholarship money for student athletics
• Arranging the 2008 Athletics golf outing at the Valparaiso Country Club
• Working tirelessly to bring a multi-purpose complex to PNC
• Bringing a $4 million donation to the campus in 2007
• Playing a vital role in the redesign of the PNC College Bound program
• Leasing a new 25-passenger van for the sports teams to ensure the safety of the student-athletes as they travel to and from games.

The award was presented by PNC Student Government President Jon Sichtermann.

Upon receiving the award, Back noted, “Student athletes bring a great deal of credit to themselves and to the campus. They will be outstanding members of the community and I am happy they will represent PNC. The PNC student athletes have a lot to overcome because of the lack of training facilities on campus. Our PNC student athletes are tremendous and it gives me a great deal of satisfaction to be able to help them.”

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