General | 5/26/2017 3:21:00 PM

STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein has agreed to and signed a contract extension to remain the leader of the athletic department, as announced Friday. Kleinlein's new contract is for four years through July 30, 2021 with the option to extend the deal one year at some point that can be executed by either party.

"My family and I appreciate Dr. Jaimie Hebert and the Athletic Foundation coming together to create this contract," Kleinlein said. "Moving forward, we know that we're a part of the Georgia Southern family for the next several years and I'm really excited about the future of the department. We have a lot of great things planned for the future and I look forward to working with Dr. Hebert as we continue to excel both academically and athletically while representing the University in the best way."

Additionally, Georgia Southern University President Jaimie L. Hebert, Ph.D., announced the appointment of the direct reports to the President for the new Georgia Southern University. The selection of the direct reports, decided with input from cabinet-level vice presidents, whose appointments were announced on May 5, and University System of Georgia (USG) staff, nearly completes the senior organizational structure for the consolidated University.

Now wrapping up his fifth year as the director of the athletic department, here are just a few of the many highlights under his tutelage:
• Kleinlein has spearheaded an overhaul of the Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation, creating a regionally based organization. These changes have resulted in an increase in annual fund donations from $800,000 to well over a record-setting $1.8 million on an annual basis. In addition, new donor programs have been created that have generated additional revenue of $2.5 million to help cover the cost of the Eagles' move to the Sun Belt Conference. 

• In providing a quality experience for Eagle student-athletes, Kleinlein has overseen renovation projects totaling more than $33 million during his time in Statesboro. The projects include a new locker room and coaches' offices for men's basketball, new locker rooms for women's basketball and volleyball, and new locker room and players' area for baseball, and a new tennis scoreboard. In 2016, J.I. Clements Stadium underwent a renovation as well as the new "Blue Monster" in right field was erected, complete with an old-school manual scoreboard, and a new video board replaced the old scoreboard in left field.

• With the move to the Sun Belt Conference, Kleinlein has worked to increase the department's annual operating budget from $13 million to $26 million annually. He also negotiated and signed a 15-year multimedia rights deal with Learfield Sports for the first time in school history, which is valued at $11.825 million.

• Over his tenure at GS, Kleinlein has negotiated a few of the largest contracts in school history, including deals with Coca-Cola and adidas. The deal with Coke, valued at $13 million, included scholarships and contributions to both the academic and athletic foundations and is the largest corporate sponsorship in the university's history. In 2013, the Eagles signed the department's first all-sports apparel contract with adidas, which provides approximately $800,000 in product. That contract was renewed in 2016 and now runs through the 2023-24 season.

• Kleinlein reinforces the department's commitment to "rings and diplomas," giving each student-athlete the opportunity to earn a college degree and win a championship ring. During each of the past two academic years, student-athletes posted the highest combined grade point averages in history with a 3.01 for each the year, the first time ever the department has reached the 3.0 plateau. Eight of the nine female programs, and four of the six male programs, posted a team GPA of 3.0 or higher for the 2016-17 academic year.

• Grade point average is but one indicator of academic success for Georgia Southern Athletics and the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate, or APR, a team-based benchmark calculation that accounts for retention and eligibility of student-athletes, is another. In the latest report, seven of the department's programs recorded a perfect single-year APR score, while the GS volleyball and women's basketball programs recorded APRs that ranked first in the Sun Belt in their respective sports. Volleyball and rifle have been recipients of the NCAA's Public Recognition Award in the past two years, which goes to programs with a multi-year APR in the top 10 percent nationally of all squads in each sport. 

• Total development of the student-athlete is a top priority and Kleinlein has implemented the "Eagles in Transition" program, which strives to help student-athletes build skills necessary to compete in the job market upon graduation. The first-of-these-kind seminars include topics such as resume writing, interviewing, career exploration, life after graduation and networking skills.

• Created two women's sports in rifle and golf. The rifle squad won the 2017 Southern Conference Air Rifle Championship and the golf squad won its first individual tournament in 2017.

• Kleinlein's vision and planning was critical as Georgia Southern navigated the changing landscape of college athletics by accepting an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference in March of 2013, moving the FCS powerhouse to the highest level of competition in football and securing a new league for the Eagles' athletics teams. This announcement placed GS among new peers, both as a department and as a university. The football squad won the Sun Belt title in its first year and then won its first bowl game a year later.