L; Dick Rasmussen; R: Rasmussen with Melissa Curtis and Timothy Farrell
Former UAA Exective Director Dick Rasmussen Honors UAA’s Timothy Farrell for National Award
UAA Assistant Commissioner for Communications Tim Farrell has been selected as the D3SIDA Conference Communicator of the Year. The award recognizes his exceptional work on behalf of UAA student-athletes during the 2024-25 academic years as well as a body of compelling storytelling and feature writing spanning decades.
The D3SIDA Conference Communicator of the Year award is a prestigious recognition given to NCAA Division III sports communicators for their outstanding work, creative content, and storytelling abilities. The award was first introduced in 2024 and is awarded annually by the D3SIDA Board of Directors. The award aims to honor NCAA Division III sports communicators who navigate difficult conversations and excel in their roles.
“Tim is well-liked and respected by individuals across all levels of the UAA governance structure as well as among his colleagues at other NCAA Division III conferences,” commented retired UAA Executive Vice President Dick Rasmussen. “He has developed close personal relationships with many coaches and student-athletes across the UAA, particularly with LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented individuals. His work around diversity, equity, and inclusion has been exceptionally valuable and has been recognized by the NCAA and other professional groups for its quality and its impact, not on just the UAA but on Division III athletics nationally.”
“When the George Floyd killing happened, we struggled with how to respond as a conference. We didn’t want to just issue a one-time statement. We wanted to something more to do – something that would have a broader impact and include other voices. Sharing these concerns with Tim, we imagined a series of feature stories highlighting the impact of race and racism on individual student-athletes and coaches. What I couldn’t begin to imagine was what Tim would do with that concept. His year-long series of feature stories enabling an array of individuals to make their voices and their stories heard was so meaningful and impactful beyond what I could have imagined. Tim’s efforts in this area continue forward to today, highlighting voices from the LGBTQ+ community, the Asian, Desi, and Pacific Islander community, Hispanic and African individuals, and others.”
“Tim has a unique ability to get people to open up to him. They trust him. They respect him. That’s what makes his storytelling so compelling. It’s real. It brings individual voices to the forefront. It raises their collective voices. Tim’s efforts go well beyond great writing and phenomenal social media postings. He has worked with groups of coaches and student-athletes from under-represented groups across all our member institutions to bring them together, creating forums for them to share their common experiences and aspirations and to help them raise their voices within their own institutions and across the UAA. His support for the development of our many affinity groups has been truly inspiring. We all owe him a great debt of gratitude!” concluded Rasmussen.
Farrell earned a degree in journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and sportswriter and as a sports information and communication director in several NCAA Division III conference offices over a 30+ year career.