Roger Ternes has been named athletic director at UW-River Falls according to Chancellor Dean Van Galen.
“I am delighted that Roger Ternes is joining the UW-River Falls team to provide leadership for Falcon athletics,” said Van Galen. “Athletic Director Ternes brings to UWRF significant experience and a record of accomplishment as an athletic director, coach and community leader. I am confident that Roger will build on the University's tradition of success in athletics, and will uphold our commitment to having an intercollegiate athletic program of high integrity that is strongly engaged with the community.”
“I'm looking forward to this great opportunity at UWRF,” said Ternes. “I'm also looking forward to working with Chancellor Van Galen and the entire athletic staff to move Falcon athletics forward. The opportunity for success at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls is limitless. I look forward to working with the students and staff to establish a high level of achievement in Falcon athletics.”
Ternes, 55, comes to UW-River Falls from Dickinson State, N.D., University where he was that institution's athletic director since 1999. Dickenson State, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic (NAIA) institution, competes in the eight-member Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC). DSU sponsors 17 varsity sports with 14 full time and 21 part time staff members.
In the past 11 years DSU had 11 different teams win 54 conference championships. DSU teams have won four national titles including volleyball in 2000 and men's track & field in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Participation has grown significantly under Ternes' leadership. There were 197 student-athletes participating in intercollegiate athletics when he became athletic director in 1999. In the 2009-10 school year there were 460 student-athletes competing.
In 2009-10 DSU won three DAC championships in football, men's indoor and outdoor track & field and softball. In the 2008-09 school year the Blue Hawks captured DAC championships in football, women's basketball, indoor and outdoor men's track and field, softball and baseball. In softball, Dickinson State won the DAC Tournament for the fourth year in a row and advanced to the NAIA playoffs for the third straight year. The Blue Hawk wrestling team won the North Region tournament for the third time in four years. Dickinson State's men's track & field team finished second at the NAIA national meet, and boasts three national titles and four runner-up finishes in the last eight years.
Five times in the last eight seasons Dickinson State has won the DAC Commissioner's Cup, which is given annually to the top athletic department in the conference.
Ternes, as a member of a leadership team, helped raise $16 million for the construction of the Badlands Activities Center located at DSU. The center, which opened in May, features the latest in artificial turf technology; a state-of-the-art Olympic standard, eight-lane track that boasts the latest in electronic information and scoring; an on-site locker room facility located under the stadium and a training/medical room, restrooms and additional locker rooms.
He has served on numerous committees at DSU and in the local community. He served on the DSU enrollment management, multi cultural and strategic communication committees. He was a member of the DSU Booster Club board of directors. He worked within the NAIA was a vice chair of the Region III management committee and the national council of athletic administrators. He is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. Ternes has been very involved in community organizations including the Dickinson Area Chamber of Commerce and the parks & recreation baseball facility advisory committee. He was a member of the Fulton, Mo., Red Cross board of directors, the parks and recreation board, the council of health and physical fitness and the YMCA.
Ternes was the athletic director at William Woods, Mo., University from 1979-99. In 1978-79 he was an admissions counselor and head basketball coach at Tarkio, Mo., College. He has taught classes at both DSU and William Woods. He was the head basketball coach at DSU (1975-76), at William Woods (1979-92) and head softball coach at William Woods (1982-95) and the interim softball coach at DSU (2000).
Ternes earned his undergraduate degree in 1977 from DSU and his master's of education degree in 1978 from Chadron, Neb., State College.
He replaces Rick Bowen who was the full time athletic director at UWRF since 2006.
UWRF, with an enrollment of 6,728 in 2009-10, sponsors 18 varsity sports and competes nationally at the NCAA Div. III level and in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
"We anticipate building a standard of athletic success at UWRF worthy of competing at a very high level in arguably the best Div. III conference in the NCAA," said Ternes.
