BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Bowling Green State University announces the hiring of Jaysen Spencer as the associate AD for student-athlete services. Spencer joins the Falcon family after spending the last three years at Youngstown State as the director of athletic academic services.
Spencer will be responsible for the overall management and provision of the Student-Athlete Services office that supports all BGSU student-athletes while serving as the lead academic coordinator for the football program. He will also oversee the coordination of campus partnerships and serve as the athletics liaison to the offices of College Advising and Career Planning, Registrar, International Programs, Admissions (undergraduate and graduate colleges), and the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
"We are very excited to welcome Jaysen Spencer home to Bowling Green State University," said Senior Associate AD for Governance and Eligibility Erik Hildebrand. "Jaysen will be transformative in the student-athlete services department and will greatly enhance the student-athlete experience. He stood out during the search process and brings a high-level of experience to our athletics department.
"Walking on campus has brought back so many great memories of when I was an undergraduate student in the late1990s," said Spencer. "Although so much has changed around campus, many things have stayed the same.I am excited about the opportunityto return home to my alma mater and serve the next generation of Falcons and provide them with a world-class student experience, where like myself, they will want to come back to serve our great University."
Spencer's primary responsibility at YSU was leadership and oversight of academic success for all 19 YSU athletics teams, including strategically setting the vision for the Jermaine Hopkins Academic Center. His focus is to collaborate closely with university partners to ensure alignment between the athletics department and campus practices that put YSU student-athletes on a path to graduation and career success. He also oversees and coordinates academic services for the football and women's bowling teams.
Spencer came to YSU after four years as an elementary school physical education teacher in the Tulsa (Okla.) Public Schools. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he was engaged in the school community as a member of the Principal's Leadership Team, Safe & Healthy Schools Committee, as well as the Student Attendance Committee.
Furthermore, he served as head coach of the school's basketball and track & field teams.
Prior to his tenure in the Tulsa Public Schools, Spencer served as an Assistant Athletics Director for Academic & Student Services at The University of Tulsa. During his time at Tulsa, Spencer was involved in the renaming and rebranding of the Office of Academic & Student Services (OASiS) while refining its mission, goals, and objectives. In addition, he coordinated the academic support services for football, men's soccer, softball, and track and field and cross-country teams. Administratively, he was heavily involved in the collection, maintenance, and submission of student-athlete data including the Academic Progress Rate (APR) and the Graduation Success Rate (GSR). Spencer co-created and co-facilitated the Black Men's Initiative, a student-athlete group designed to provide African American males in football and basketball an outlet to discuss issues and concerns they encounter as African Americans at a Predominately White Institution (PWI).
Furthermore, Spencer served on the American Athletic Conference men's soccer sport & championship committee during the 2016 season.
Spencer's career in intercollegiate athletics includes experiences as an Assistant Director of the Lobo Center for Academic Success at the University of New Mexico (2011-12), Academic Coordinator at the University of Missouri (2007-2011), Coordinator of Student-Athlete Academic Support Services at Western Carolina University (2005-2007), and Academic Support Assistant at Villanova University (2001-2003).
Spencer is a member of the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Professionals (N4A) and Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA). As a member of N4A, he graduated from the Professional Development Institute (2006), earned his N4A Individual Certification (2014), and currently sits on the Ethnic Concerns Committee. In 2010, he graduated from the NCAA's prestigious Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute (2010), a nationally recognized professional development program designed to assist ethnic minorities in strategically mapping out their careers in athletics administration.
Spencer graduated from Bowling Green State University where he earned a bachelor of science in education degree in sport management. He also received his master of arts degree in exercise, leisure and sport from Kent State University.
Originally from Warren, Ohio, Spencer has two children, Malachi and Sydney.
