FIU athletic director Pete Garcia announced the appointment of Bill Shults to the position of Special Assistant to the General Counsel for NCAA Compliance.

Shults will be charged with implementing and overseeing all processes and systems necessary to assist the university in complying with NCAA and Sun Belt Conference rules and regulations. He will supervise the university’s eligibility coordinator and APR specialist and act as liaison between the Athletic Department and the Office of Undergraduate Studies, Admissions and related units.

Shults comes to FIU from the University of Connecticut where he was associate director of athletics/NCAA rules education and compliance services. Arriving at UConn in April 1997, he was credited with bringing the resources of the University and Athletic Department together to develop the first data exchange between a collegiate mainframe database and NCAA software.

He was also involved in the creation of the Student Welfare & Academic Team, which discusses student-athlete concerns with the Registrar’s Office, Counseling Program for Intercollegiate Athletes and the Compliance Office and the development of web-based exit interviews.   

Shults also served as the advisor to the UConn Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which was recognized by the University as the outstanding organization involved in community service.  The UConn SAAC has won the Student Life Award in each of the last 3 years.  Additionally, he formed a close affiliation with the FBI and spoke to agents at the FBI Academy regarding the Sports Presentation Program and their national gambling prevention initiatives.

Before UConn, Shults was a long-time member of the Florida State University athletic staff, first as swimming coach from 1979 through 1992 and then as assistant director for compliance/ student services from 1992-97. There, he helped lay the foundation for the Seminoles compliance program by implementing systems that are still in practice today. At FSU, he also assisted in the development and implementation of a substance abuse program and the student-athlete exit interview process.

Shults also served as compliance coordinator for the College Swim Coaches Association of America, directing that organization’s compliance program on a national basis. He is a 1976 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where he was a collegiate swimmer. He earned a master's degree in education administration from LaSalle University in 1996.

“Bill comes to FIU superbly qualified to direct our NCAA compliance program," said Garcia. “He has experienced the application of NCAA rules as a collegiate student-athlete, as a Division I head coach and as a compliance officer at two prominent Division I-A institutions. Nationally, Bill is highly regarded in his area of expertise, which should allow him to make a smooth transition into this very important position within our athletic program.”

Jeff Hathaway, Director of Athletics at the University of Connecticut, says “First and foremost, Bill Shults is an outstanding person who is committed to the student-athletes, coaches, and integrity of the Institution.  Having been a longtime coach and administrator at outstanding institutions, he has an excellent sense of both the athletic and academic aspects of a university.  His strong commitment to values and principles, combined with his desire for excellence, makes him a valuable asset to any organization.”

According to Rick Evrard at the prestigious law firm of Bond, Schoeneck & King in Kansas City, “Bill Shults brings more than 20 years of compliance experience from top tier Division I programs. He has been instrumental in assisting these institutions with maintaining the integrity of their athletics programs as they ascended to the top of their leagues and joined the ranks of elite Division I athletics programs.

“Florida International University has hired onto its athletics staff a true team player and a man of integrity. Bill Shults has a sparkling track record for developing and maintaining one of the strongest athletics compliance programs in America. This was a great hire for the University. 

“Under Bill's leadership I can see only positive experiences in the future for FIU's athletics compliance program.”

Shults began his professional career as a physical education instructor at Trinity College, where he also was head coach of water polo and assistant coach of men's and women's swimming and diving. He moved on to head coaching positions at New Hampshire and Florida State.

“I’m excited to be part of the team at FIU under the direction of Pete Garcia and I look forward to the challenges ahead.” Shults said.