Jim Pignataro

Jim Pignataro is in his eighth year as the Associate Athletics Director for Student Services and Director of Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) and his 12th year overall at Michigan State University. His duties include: overseeing the operations of the Clara Bell Student-Athlete Academic Center which houses 12 full-time employees, a graduate assistant and over 85 tutors; overseeing athletics department units athletic training and strength and conditioning; and serving as the athletic director’s liaison to MSU Sports Medicine.

Under Pignataro’s guidance, MSU’s sports teams academically have posted record cumulative grade-point averages ranging from 2.9573 to 3.0052 and for the first time in school history, the athletics department has posted back-to-back 3.00 or higher cumulative GPA. During his tenure, student-athletes have posted the largest number of sports with a 3.00 cumulative team grade-point average or higher at 14 (61 percent). In addition, the highest number of student-athlete maintaining a 3.00 cumulative GPA (333) came after the Fall 2007. The Spring 2009 term produced the highest department GPA of 3.0052, and 37 student-athletes achieved a perfect 4.00 grade point average.

Community outreach and service have been a priority for Pignataro’s program, placing more than 300 student-athletes in outreach activities during the 2008-09 academic year. Now in its seventh year, the outreach initiative called PACT (Putting Athletes and Community Together) has reached more than 50,000 area children as well as touched the lives of many.

Pignataro’s vision on diversity programming has had a significant impact on the daily lives of student-athletes. In 2003, he created the Student-Athlete Multicultural Center, which now provides quality leadership programming for MSU student-athletes as well as provide social and outreach programs. The mission of the program is to provide student-athletes with cultural and diversity experiences that enhances their professional growth, development and leadership. The program is designed to collaborate with campus resources, elevate the academic success of student-athletes and increase the campus involvement of student-athletes. The program has seen measurable increases in African-American male semester GPA as well as increases in year-to-year retention.

No stranger to Michigan State, Pignataro served as the Assistant to the Director and Athletics Academic Counselor at MSU from 1996-2000. He left MSU to serve as the Assistant Athletic Director for Academics at Eastern Michigan University from June 2000 to June 2002. Prior to MSU, he also worked in athletic academic services at Florida State University (1995-96) and the University of Tennessee (1994-1995).

Born in Queens, N.Y., Pignataro grew up in Raymond, Maine, and graduated from Gray-New Gloucester High School in 1990. He was a multi-year varsity letterwinner in baseball at the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF). He received his bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Business Administration and Economics from UMF in 1994 and a master’s degree in athletics administration from UT in 1995. Pignataro is married to the former Alana Inkala, who competed on MSU’s women’s tennis team, and has two children, Alison and James.

Todd Edwards

In his sixth year at MSU and 21st year overall in intercollegiate athletics, Todd Edwards serves as Director of Academic Services for Student-Athletes as well as Head Academic Coordinator for the Spartan football program. His primary responsibility is overseeing academic support, which includes detailed monitoring of degree progress and eligibility. He also assists with the overall management of the unit and supervises the academic coordinators that serve the other MSU sport programs.

Over the last six seasons (2004-08), Spartan Football has produced 77 Academic All-Big Ten selections, including a school-record and Big Ten-best 18 in the 2005 season. In 2009, Blair White became the program’s first Academic All-America First-Team selection since 1993 with his 3.89 GPA in human biology. Two former Spartan leaders, center Chris Morris and quarterback Drew Stanton, also received Second-Team Academic All-America accolades in 2005. Spartan student-athletes posted their first-ever all department cumulative GPA above 3.0 in Spring 2008, then followed it up again in the Spring 2009 semester. Last spring also marked the highest number of teams (13) to achieve a term GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Prior to arriving in East Lansing, Edwards served as Academic Coordinator for the football program at Colorado State University (1998-2004). During his time there, the Rams had 78 Academic All-Conference selections as well as six Academic All-America picks. The Rams also enjoyed considerable success on the field, winning three Mountain West Conference titles (1999, 2000, 2002) and earning five consecutive bowl bids (’99-’03). From 1989-97, Edwards coached football in various positions at Southern Illinois, Colorado State, Oklahoma, South Dakota Tech and Westmar (Iowa).

A native of Stroud, Okla., Edwards earned a B. A. in Business Administration and Economics in 1989 from Tabor College (Kansas), where he was a three-year starter as a defensive lineman. He holds an M. Ed. in Education and Human Resource Studies from Colorado State University. He is married to the former Kari Clifford and they have four children.

Elliott Daniels

Elliott Daniels enters his seventh year working at Student-Athlete Support Services serving as Associate Director of SASS. In this capacity, he assists the Associate Athletic Director and Director of Academic Services with the overall management and daily operation of the SASS Unit and administers academic services for both men’s basketball and football programs. Responsibilities include implementing academic programming and monitoring academic progress for at-risk and good standing student-athletes, ensuring that all student-athletes receive effective and efficient services. With this, he has oversight of learning disability services, full-time staff, graduate assistants and interns.

Daniels also serves as Assistant to the Faculty Athletic Representative on MSU’s Athletic Council and is an active member of various organizations including National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), Minority Opportunities Athletic Administration (MOAA) and National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics (N4A).

A native of Chicago, Ill., Daniels attended Eastern Michigan University where he played football. A three-year letterwinner (1999-2001), Daniels was one of the top scholars on the team, being awarded numerous Athletic Director Honor Roll awards while earning a spot on the All-MAC Academic Team three times. He earned a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Management from EMU in April of 2003 and completed a Master’s of Science in Sports Administration from MSU in June of 2005.

Mandy Chandler

Mandy Chandler enters her ninth year as a member of Student Athlete Support Services (SASS). As an Assistant Director of SASS, she is responsible for the oversight of one academic coordinator and the learning specialist while also serving as the academic coordinator for football and volleyball. She coordinates the bi-annual graduation open house celebrating the academic success of MSU’s recent graduates. Chandler has also worked with the NCAA’s Life Skills program, as she organized and facilitated the MSU outreach program and assisted in the organization of the career night.

Prior to coming to Michigan State, Chandler served as the Administrative Assistant for Event Management/Student Services at the University of Missouri. She is a graduate of Purdue University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Management and her master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Higher Education. While attending graduate school, Chandler served as a graduate assistant in Purdue’s Academic Support Services.

Mandy is married to MSU assistant wrestling coach Roger Chandler, and they have two daughters. She is the daughter of George Smith, who is Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Smith’s Raiders are the two-time defending state champs and have won five titles during his tenure. They also finished the 2008 season as consensus national champions. Mandy was born in Fort Lauderdale and grew up in Sunrise, Florida.

Jim Cotter

A graduate of Michigan State University, Jim Cotter has been a member of the Office of Admissions staff since 1984. Starting as an admissions counselor, he has risen through the ranks serving as Acting Director from August 2006 thru August 2007. In September 2007 he was officially appointed to the position, Director of Admissions. Prior to 2006, Cotter served as Senior Associate Director of Admissions for seven years.

Cotter has experienced Michigan State on many levels. He graduated in 1979 with a degree in Elementary Education. During his undergraduate years at MSU he was also a student athlete serving as captain to the 1979 Big Ten Baseball Championship team. Prior to beginning his professional career on the East Lansing campus, Jim pursued graduate level course work within MSU’s College of Education while teaching third grade for four years in nearby Portland, Mich., and coaching both high school and junior high school athletic teams.

Having seen the university thru the eyes of a student and administrators, he has also known MSU as a parent. Cotter and his wife Kim currently have a daughter who is a recent graduate of Michigan State University. Additionally, Mr. & Mrs. Cotter have a high school aged son.

Known for his passionate presentations pertaining to the Spartan experience, Mr. Cotter is a well recognized admission professional across the state of Michigan and the Midwest. His involvement in several admissions related organizations, such as the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, the Michigan Association of College Admissions Counselors, the ACT State of Michigan Executive Board, and the Overseas Association of College Admissions Counselors, has led to nationwide travel and his significant influence in the field of college admissions.

In 2003,Cotter was recognized by MSU Office of Human Resources as an Outstanding University Supervisor. That same year, he also received the College Assistance Migrant Program Service Recognition. The department of Intercollegiate Athletics recognized Jim with their Scholar Athlete Alumni Award in 2004 and in 2005 the Spartan Award. Additionally, Jim was recognized recently by the MSU Family Resource Center as recipient of their LaRonda E. Brown Service Recognition Award. He also received Michigan State University’s U.S. Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps “Spartan Battalion” 2007-08 Distinguished Service Award in May 2008.