As Troy Dannen enters his fifth year as Director of Athletics at his alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa, one word can describe what has happened over the past four seasons - SUCCESS.  Under Dannen's leadership, the Panthers have enjoyed success on the field, in the classroom and in the fundraising, marketing and fiscal environments.

In the last four seasons, UNI's competitive success is unmatched at the FCS level. The Panthers have a combined 11 NCAA appearances in football, volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball in that time frame, more than any other FCS institution. UNI is the only FCS institution to qualify for the NCAA tournament in each of those four sports at least once in the past four years. The overall athletics program at UNI has also flourished with a top-half finish in the Missouri Valley Conference's All-Sports standings in each of Dannen's four years. In fact, UNI has secured six straight upper-division finishes in the all-sports standings altogether.

UNI captured regular season Missouri Valley Conference titles in volleyball and softball in 2011-12 to go along with a Missouri Valley Football Conference crown as well.

The Panthers' academic success is demonstrated by a 3.09 overall department grade point average in 2011-12. Dannen was responsible for upgrading athletics' academic advising position by tripling the full-time equivalent positions in the department. Athletics six-year graduation rate is over 70 percent (73 percent) and has exceeded the institutional graduation rate each of the past three years.

Dannen has also overseen great strides in the marketing of Panther athletics. In the three years as Director of Athletics, men's basketball, volleyball and football have all set venue attendance records. Volleyball continues to rank in the top-15 nationally in attendance. With the recent signing of Learfield Sports, UNI's television presence has doubled the number of locally televised games and expanded the audience beyond cable to over-the-air broadcasts as well. The Learfield annual marketing and media rights agreement doubled the revenue coming into the program just four years ago. Dannen also negotiated and signed a multi-year deal with Nike for apparel and equipment.

Athletics generated 51 percent of the department's $11.6 million budget in 2009-10, which was the first time the department had ever generated more than half of its annual budget. Dannen has reduced the amount of general fund money in the athletics budget by 24 percent since July 1, 2008. UNI has also doubled its football game-day revenue since 2008.

Dannen has been instrumental in the launch of Vesting in the Panthers (VIP) fundraising effort, part of the university's Imagine the Impact campaign. The three components to Vesting in the Panthers (Vision, Infrastructure and Pride) will ensure lasting resources to enhance current programs, facilities and scholarships. The success of this program has been shown as the fund-raising target has been exceeded with two years left in the campaign. UNI's original goal of $15 million has generated over $22 million in gifts, and a new target of $30 million by June of 2013 has been set. As a part of this campaign, Dannen helped secure the largest single unrestricted cash gift for intercollegiate athletics - $2 million. The Panther Scholarship Club, buoyed by the Rally in the Valley, a fundraising dinner/auction created in 2009, has seen double-digit growth in each of the past three years. Including a 15 percent increase in membership during the 2010-11 year.

There have been significant improvements in UNI's facilities in recent years as well. During Dannen's tenure, UNI has completed a new strength and conditioning center, new administrative offices and a new student-athlete academic center in the UNI-Dome. He has also overseen the development of suites in both the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center as well as the installation of new turf in the UNI-Dome. The completion of the north UNI-Dome concourse was also successfully completed to enhance the fan experience in the Dome.

He became the school's fifth director of athletics since UNI turned Division I. When he rejoined the Panther family in 2009, it was a homecoming for Dannen, who attended UNI as an undergraduate in the 1980s. He maintained close ties to the school during his nearly 20 years away from the University, and his passion and drive for the Purple and Gold was a key reason he chose to come back and guide the department.

For the six years prior to coming back to UNI, Dannen served as Executive Director of the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU). As the governing body for high school sports in the state of Iowa, the IGHSAU oversees nearly 400 schools and more than 70,000 students, in the 11 sports offered by the Union. Dannen had served in various capacities at the IGHSAU over 18 years, including nine years (1993-2002) as associate executive director.

Dannen oversaw a 40 percent growth in the Union's budget on his watch, all the while operating the IGHSAU with a financial surplus each year, which allowed for the establishment of a significant reserve fund. Sponsorship agreements soared to new heights during his tenure as executive director, as Dannen spearheaded expanding the Union's existing deals and developing landmark new corporate sponsors. He also developed a statewide multi-media rights agreement for the IGHSAU, and created numerous scholarship programs for high school student-athletes who excel in the classroom.

Dannen remains active in the community. He is currently a member of the Iowa Games Board of Directors, and the Cedar Falls Tourism and Visitors Bureau. He has also served on the Greater Des Moines Sports Commission and the AAU Junior Olympics Local Organizing Committee, the Iowa Athletic Council, Iowa Referee Committee and the Drake Relays Committee. Dannen has also been active internationally, having twice been a presenter in Malaysia - at the request of the Olympic Council of Malaysia - on the topic of youth sports and sport program development. He was named to the "40 under 40" business leaders in Des Moines in 2003 and was named 4^th among the most powerful Iowans in sports by the Des Moines Register in 2005.

The NCAA Administrative Cabinet has appointed University of Northern Iowa Director of Athletics Troy Dannen to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee. His four-year term will begin Sept. 1, 2013 and continue through Sept. 1, 2017.

During the NCAA FCS season, the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee is charged with evaluating programs, participating in numerous regional and national conference calls, assisting other committee members with the selection of teams to the playoffs and the creation of the annual NCAA FCS Playoff bracket.

Dannen served on the NCAA FCS Regional Advisory Committee in 2011 and 2012. As a member of the committee, he will discuss the FCS playoff field and assist the championship committee with the at-large selections.

Born and raised on a farm near Marshalltown, Iowa, Dannen, 45, received his bachelor's degree in public relations with a minor in journalism from UNI in 1989.

He is married to his wife, Amy, who works for Boston Scientific Corporation, and has two daughters, Emily and Holly.