Towson University Athletics Director Mike Waddell, announced Monday that he will be leaving the university in June.
He was with the university for two-and-a-half years.
"In a relatively short amount of time, Mike Waddell began an impressive transformation of Towson University's NCAA Division I Intercollegiate athletics program," Towson University President Dr. Maravene Loeschke, said.
Waddell has been accepted as the senior associate athletic director for external operations and strategic communications at the University of Arkansas. He served in a similar role at the University of Cincinnati. The university has yet to name an interim athletic director and has launched a nation-wide hunt to replace Waddell.
Waddell's leadership featured six Colonial Athletic Association championships including football, men's lacrosse and women's lacrosse; four Tiger coaches named CAA Coach of the Year; five students honored as CAA Player of the Year; qualifying for Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the first time, nine players selected as All-Americans, around 53 named to All-Conference status and men's basketball team recording the NCAA single season turnaround in the history of college basketball.
He finalized a new multi-year footwear and apparel agreement with Baltimore-based Under Armour.
However, Wadell also faced criticism after recommending axing of NCAA Division I mens' baseball and soccer teams due to economic concerns and Title IX agreements.
Officials said that the changes were proposed in order to maintain the athletic program's financial stability. According to Waddell, the suspension of both the programs would result in savings of nearly a half-million dollars by fiscal year 2014.
The baseball team was subsequently brought back with Governor Martin O'Malley's allocation of $300,000 for Towson's athletic budget; sufficient money to continue baseball at Towson until 2015. It has also provided time to search for more funding resources till the sport can be made self-sufficient.
However, the soccer team has not yet been restored. The team is yet to accumulate funds that are required to continue.
Mike Gill, who served on the search committee at Towson, said that Waddell's employment brought in positive and fresh energy to the otherwise declining athletic program.
At Arkansas, Waddell will be managing Razorbacks' marketing efforts, licensing, public relations, media relations and ticket sales. He will also serve as the liaison with the new SEC Network, which will be launched in August 2014
"The opportunity to work with a program that has a rich, long-standing tradition and for an athletics director in Jeff Long who has proven to be one of the most innovative and proactive in all of college athletics is something that I am eager to engage," Waddell said.