Vanderbilt University announced this week that its athletics communications department had been absorbed by the university, resulting in the layoffs of certain athletic department employees.
Those employees were notified by email Monday, and by the end of the day their email accounts had been disabled and their bios removed from the athletic department's website.
"I enjoyed my 13 years at Vanderbilt," Andy Boggs, Vanderbilt's assistant director for athletics communications who oversaw men's basketball and golf, told The Tennessean of Nashville on Tuesday. "It was a great place to be and work with great coaches and great student-athletes. I loved working with the media every day. I'm sorry to have to leave under these circumstances, but there's bigger and better things for me, and I'm ready to go get them."
As reported by The Tennessean, assistant director for athletic creative media Catherine Hilley also was laid off Monday. Longtime football and track and field sports information director Larry Leathers accepted a buyout from Vanderbilt in June.
According to Vanderbilt's updated athletics website, Alan George is associate athletics director for communications, Eric Dolan is director of communications for women's basketball, lacrosse, cross country, and track and field, Carl Danoff is director of soccer, Andrew Pate is assistant director of football and baseball, Chad Bishop is senior editor of the website and Laken Walkeris communications assistant for men's and women's tennis and swimming.
Boggs said the email stated existing employees in the athletics communications department would be given the opportunity to re-apply in September for jobs in the new structure. At that point, every employee in the department except George will be laid off.
