When Drew's new President, Thomas H. Kean, invited Mike McKitish to join his staff in 1991, he probably didn't anticipate the effect a new vice president of finance and business affairs would have on the University's athletic program.
Mike came to Drew after 18 years in the State of New Jersey's Department of the Treasury, where he worked closely with four governors, including Kean, on the state's budget matters. In making his mark upon Drew, Mike drew on his own athletic experience as well as his administrative and financial expertise. A Rider College athlete and later the coach of his son's highly successful Little League baseball team, he was quick to discover and advocate for the needs of Drew athletes. His financial background qualified him to propose and administer the necessary arrangements.
It was Mike who dusted off ten-year-old plans and created a financial strategy to build the Simon Forum and Athletic Center, fulfilling Drew's long-standing promise of new facilities. Viewing the athletic fields with an athlete's (and a baseball coach's) eye, he worked with the Development Office and the Trustees to upgrade baseball dugouts, build softball dugouts, resurface the turf stadium and the tennis courts, and refinish Baldwin Gymnasium. Resurfacing the Forum floor will begin soon, because Mike set up contingency budgets years before the need arose. Â
Facility improvement was not the whole story. Mike, fully understanding the value of athletics in a liberal arts education, took responsibility for administrative changes that provided adequate funding. He supported Athletic Director Connee Zotos's philosophy by enhancing coaching, adding four full-time coaches and creating or expanding ten assistant coaching positions to raise the level of instruction and the quality of the program. He also mentored many athletes, helping them identify internships and make contact with people who could assist their future careers.Â
