Ceplikas to Retire After Four Decades at Dartmouth
2/18/2021 4:00:00 PM | Athletics
The 1978 Dartmouth graduate served the college as an admissions officer, coach and athletics administrator for 41 years
HANOVER, N.H. — Bob (Cep) Ceplikas, a 1978 Dartmouth graduate who has served the college as an admissions officer, coach and athletics administrator for 41 years — including 26 years as Deputy Athletics Director — will retire at the end of this month on his 65th birthday.
"Working for Dartmouth Athletics has been a labor of love, interacting every day with extraordinary colleagues, coaches, alumni and student-athletes," said Ceplikas, "but I think it's time to pass the baton on to others."
Upon his graduation, Ceplikas joined the college's admissions office, where he held four different positions in 11 years. For six of those years (1979-85), he also served as assistant coach of Dartmouth's women's ice hockey team, helping build that program from a fledgling varsity to a competitive team.
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| Bob Ceplikas (far right) with the 1982-83 women's hockey team |
After earning a master's in education from Stanford in 1990, Ceplikas returned to Hanover as Special Assistant to Athletics Director Dick Jaeger '59. In 1993, he advocated successfully for merging the Friends annual giving accounts in all sports in which Dartmouth offered both a men's and a women's team, ensuring equitable resources regardless of how long ago or how recently a team was founded.
In 1994, Ceplikas was promoted to Deputy Director of Athletics and served in that role under Jaeger until 2002, and then under JoAnn (Josie) Harper, the Ivy League's first female athletics director, until 2009.
Following Harper's retirement, Ceplikas served as Dartmouth's Acting Director of Athletics and Recreation for 14 months. While overseeing one of the nation's most comprehensive athletics programs, he was credited with spearheading efforts to rebuild a championship-caliber football program; guiding the department through one of the most significant budget reductions in the college's history; and overseeing the hiring of several new head coaches.
Upon the appointment of Harry Sheehy as Director of Athletics and Recreation in September 2010, Ceplikas returned to his position as Deputy Director. During his 26 years in that role, he has acted on the director's behalf in a variety of settings and has undertaken a wide range of other responsibilities:
- Serving as the coaches' liaison to the Admissions and Financial Aid Offices as they navigate the challenge of recruiting elite student-athletes within stringent Ivy League admissions requirements in the only Division I conference with no athletic scholarships;
- Overseeing the Dartmouth Athletic Sponsor Program, through which alumni and parents give more than $500,000 annually in support of recruiting for all varsity sports;
- Supervising the external relations staff and working in collaboration with the college's athletics fundraisers as the department's annual giving programs — including sport-specific Friends Groups — have collectively swelled from $1.5 million to nearly $7 million annually;
- Serving as staff liaison to the Dartmouth Athletics Advisory Board (DAAB), which provides invaluable counsel and extraordinary generosity to the athletics program;
- Promoting the unique strengths of the Ivy League by serving on numerous subcommittees and working groups; and
- Playing a central role in the planning and execution of athletic facility improvements totaling nearly $140 million, including Boss Tennis Center, Scully-Fahey Field, Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse, Zimmerman Fitness Center, Floren Varsity House, Burnham Field, Chase AstroTurf Field, Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park, Evans Basketball Suite, Dartmouth Softball Park, Memorial Field, Reilly Pavilion, Friends of Dartmouth Rowing Boathouse, Berry Center Squash Courts, and the game-changing 70,000-square foot Indoor Practice Facility that just opened in 2020.
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| Ceplikas in an interview with WMUR |
For most of those facility projects, Ceplikas was the department's spokesperson during the often-contentious Town approval process, advocating for the interests of Dartmouth's student-athletes in the face of stiff neighborhood opposition, including a total of 22 public hearings for the Boss and Scully-Fahey projects and 17 hearings for the Indoor Practice Facility. Ultimately each project gained approval, either from the Town or the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
Ceplikas has also been President of EARC Rowing and Chair of the ECAC Hockey Executive Committee, and he has been a longtime member of the DHMC Assembly of Overseers and the Dartmouth United Way Steering Committee. He was also a long-time volunteer youth hockey coach and headed the Lebanon High School varsity girls ice hockey team for three years, guiding them to the state championship game in 2009.
Ceplikas and his wife, Lynn, who teaches English at Hanover High School, reside in Lebanon. Their daughter, Holly, graduated from Dartmouth in 2013 and Tuck in 2019, and she is Co-Founder and COO of a clothing startup in Hanover, while their son, Luke, is a 2015 University of Vermont graduate and a Key Account Specialist for the Boston Beer Company in Portland, Maine.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING"Cep has been an invaluable advocate for Dartmouth Athletics for decades. He is the driving force behind so many groundbreaking initiatives and fundraising efforts over the years. He has worked tirelessly to promote excellence and community within the Department and his warm smile and positive attitude will be missed."
— Tracy Hagan Mallory '92, Chair, Dartmouth Athletics Advisory Board (DAAB)
"Through a lifetime of dedicated service to Dartmouth, Bob Ceplikas has set an aspirational standard for all Ivy League athletics administrators. His underlying student-centered focus, uncommon work ethic and devotion to his alma mater have guided his peers and the development of rising leaders who have admired his unwavering ethics, broad knowledge of the collegiate athletics landscape and tireless advocacy for integrity in all things Ivy League."
— Andy Noel, The Meakem*Smith Director of Athletics & Physical Education, Cornell University
"Cep has been a great friend, a valued colleague and a loyal Dartmouth alum for over 40 years. He has served the College well, and I've enjoyed and appreciated his help and dedication to Dartmouth and our football program."
— Buddy Teevens '79, Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach
"Cep's dedication and love for Dartmouth has always been an inspiration to me. He has been a wonderful mentor, steward and champion of Dartmouth Athletics. His legacy surrounds us in our beautiful facilities, championship titles and life-long memories. I am so grateful to have learned from him and hope to carry his joy and enthusiasm for the College and Dartmouth sports into the future."
— Katie Dowty, Head Coach of Dartmouth Women's Rugby
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| Ceplikas admires the interior of the newest addition to the athletics facilities, the Indoor Practice Facility. |
