Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The University of Pennsylvania has named Dr. M. Grace Calhoun director of recreation and intercollegiate athletics, effective July 1.
Calhoun, most recently the AD at Loyola University Chicago, will succeed Steve Bilsky after the latter announced in November that he will retire at the conclusion of the academic year.
Under Calhoun, who has led Loyola's athletic department since 2011, the Ramblers made a successful transition from the Horizon League to the Missouri Valley Conference and put together their best all-sports finish in the modern era during the 2012-13 season.
"We set out to find a star, and we did," said Penn president Amy Gutmann. "Dr. Calhoun brings to Penn an insurmountable treasure of experience that will help us build on the stellar legacy of Steve Bilsky. And her Ivy League student background gives her a valuable leg up in understanding the culture at Penn that values student-athletes for both their intellectual as well as their physical abilities. I am so happy to welcome Grace along with her husband, Jason, a PGA golf professional, and their daughters to the Penn Quaker family."
Prior to becoming Loyola's AD, Calhoun served as an associate athletic director at Indiana for six years and was Dartmouth's associate AD for compliance from 2002-05.
Calhoun graduated magna cum laude from Brown in 1992 and received her Ph.D. in higher education administration from Florida.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.