Tigerville, SC (January 27, 2024) North Greenville University Director of Athletics Jan McDonald will retire on May 31, 2024. The long-time administrator announced her decision to the university’s athletics staff on Friday, January 26.
When she steps down, McDonald will have served with NGU Athletics for 41 years, including more than three decades as director. She joined the school in 1983 as an assistant and began North Greenville’s softball program in 1985, leading that program for 18 years. Over her career in Tigerville, she has taught an array of courses, served as an assistant volleyball and basketball coach, and also started the women’s soccer program in 1986.
“Jan McDonald has invested her entire career at North Greenville and it is a career marked by care and concern for our students, and dedication to helping them prepare for life beyond college,” said NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr. “Her passion for coaching young people in a Christ-centered community has benefitted our university in manifold ways over the past four decades. We are grateful for her commitment to our mission and look forward to joining together to celebrate her career later this semester.”
“I have been very fortunate,” McDonald said of her NGU tenure. “Just to be here this long is one thing, but to have been surrounded by such a great team of colleagues has been another. The many people I worked with made me look good. But now I just feel like it is my time to step aside. I’m grateful to the administration for the wonderful opportunity I’ve had to serve and look forward to seeing what’s next. I believe the future of NGU athletics is bright!”
As director of athletics, McDonald guided NGU through transitions from junior college competition to the NAIA, the NCCAA, and into NCAA Division II. The university fields 20 varsity sports teams and is a member of Conference Carolinas, with NGU football transitioning from the Gulf South Conference to Conference Carolinas over the next two seasons. NGU has constructed or renovated all athletics facilities during her tenure as director. The university’s softball field was named in her honor in 2016.
A native of Fountain Inn, SC, McDonald earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Erskine College and a master’s degree in health and exercise science from Furman University.
The university will announce plans for naming McDonald’s successor in the coming days.
