After 25 years, long-time Salt Lake Community College Athletic Director Norma Carr has retired, leaving an everlasting legacy of excellence for Salt Lake Community College athletics.
Stepping into the position is Kevin Dustin, a man who intends to not skip a beat leading Bruin Athletics into the post-Carr era.
Dustin began his administrative career as the Associate Athletic Director of External Operations at Utah State University, a position he held for 14 years. Upon his tenure at USU, Dustin joined the Utah High School Activities Association in 2009, serving as an Assistant Director.
A native of Logan, Utah, Dustin says he has always felt a tie to the Salt Lake area and jumped at the opportunity once the position for athletic director opened up at SLCC.
Changing of the guard
Although Carr did not officially retire until July 31, Dustin began July 1, in order to make the transition as smooth as possible.
“The fact that Norma stuck around for a month has definitely helped me get through the learning curve,” says Dustin. “We have an experienced staff here and I expect this program to continue to run on all cylinders.”
Dustin seems to be stepping in at a perfect time as three of the five sports at SLCC made their respective national tournaments last season. The other two teams came just a few wins away of making their own trip.
Yes, success in athletic competition is important to Dustin, as it should to any athletic director, but that’s not his entire focus. He expects academic success of all student-athletes.
Dustin also hopes to create an environment to receive more community engagement from the Salt Lake area as well.
Being in a position of external operations for 14 years, community engagement seems to be a field in which Dustin has expertise, but that does not mean he intends to come in and reinvent the wheel.
“Maybe a tweak here and there, but why not stick with an already proven strategy?” Dustin says. “If changes need to be made, we will do it collectively as a staff.”
Of course, each Athletic Director possesses his or her own managing style, and that is no different from Carr to Dustin. One thing that Dustin has taken away from Carr is her attention to detail—that there is always something little that could possibly go overlooked.
High standards
During Carr’s career, there have been multiple Bruin All-Americans, both athletically and academically. There was a lone national championship won by the men’s basketball team in the 2008-09 season, and there have been many national runner-up finishes as well, including three straight from the softball team between 2011 and 2013.
Leading a program that was basically in shambles when she took over in 1989, Carr has paved a remarkable path for Dustin to step right in and continue to aim high.
As the 2014-15 competitive seasons will be Dustin’s inaugural year, he hopes to improve that already proven success.
“During my time I see SLCC continuing to be where it is nationally. There is no reason why we cannot be one of the premier junior colleges in the country,” says Dustin.
As is it yet to be seen how this upcoming season will turn out, one thing for sure is that the future continues to look bright for Bruin athletics.
