Albertus Magnus AD Abromaitis to retire

Jim Abromaitis will retire as the Albertus Magnus athletic director effective at the end of the school year, the school announced on Monday.

Abromaitis became Albertus’ athletic director in 2013. During his tenure, the number of varsity athletic teams expanded — adding women’s field hockey and swimming and diving, men’s ice hockey, golf and, most recently, swimming and diving. Abromaitis spearheaded the expansion of athletics staff with new coaches, sports marketers, athletic trainers, student success mentors, and graduate assistants.

Albertus athletics facilities also have grown and improved, including upgrades to the Cosgrove, Marcus, Messer Athletic Center’s training facilities, renovations to the pool, the addition of permanent bleachers and a “jumbotron”, and the construction of the Shea Softball Complex in the heart of the campus. Abromaitis led collaborative partnership initiatives that facilitated Hamden’s Rochford Field to be the home of Albertus baseball, Hamden’s New Haven Country Club to be the home of Albertus golf, and New Haven’s Ralph Walker Ice Rink to be the home of Albertus ice hockey.

“When I joined Albertus, I wanted to bring my experiences to help build upon the College’s tradition and success. One of the things I am most proud of during my tenure here at Albertus is raising student-athlete success in the classroom by expanding academic support of athletes throughout the campus,” Abromaitis said in the email put out by the school.

A Farmington resident, Abromaitis played men’s basketball at UConn, was drafted by the New Jersey Nets and played professionally overseas for six years. Before coming to Albertus, he served as the executive irector of the Capital City Economic Development Authority in Hartford, overseeing the Adrian’s Landing Downtown Development project.

Abromaitis was also a member and elected chair of the State of Connecticut Sports Advisory Board and was a 10-year member of the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees.

Albertus will conduct a national search to identify Abromaitis’ replacement.

Albertus Magnus College / File photo Albertus Magnus announced that athletic director Jim Abromaitis, right, will retire at the end of the current school year.