Mountaineers Supervisor of Varsity & Community Engagement, Matthew Schnarr, who also doubles as the women's volleyball head coach, was appointed this past week to Mohawk College's Board of Governors.
Schnarr will serve as the Administrative Staff representative and his term will run until August 2023.
Schnarr has made a major impact on the Athletics and Recreation department since joining Mohawk in 2007.
"I can't think of a better person for a role on our Board of Governors than Matthew. He's a driven and determined human being that has experienced success in every project he's taken. He's also quickly helped reshape the Mountaineer high-performance varsity program into a community that has our student-athletes as the focal point of our operation," says Matt Ferreira, Director of Athletics and Recreation.
"I believe he will take this mindset and be able to apply it to the larger campus community. Matthew is an advocate for doing what is right, especially when right isn't the easy thing to do. I'm excited to see the impact that Matt will have on the greater campus community and the voice he will bring to the table for students," added Ferreira.
Schnarr has been an employee at Mohawk since 2007 which was the same year he began coaching at the college. Although he began as an employee at Mohawk in 2007, he was already a Mountaineer prior to that, competing as a dual-sport athlete.
During his time as a student, Schnarr competed for both the men's volleyball team and the badminton team.
He says it's a privilege to join the Board of Governors.
"Joining the Mohawk College Board of Governors is an honor and privilege. Through my 18 years at Mohawk College as a student, alumnus and employee, I have understood the true impact that the post secondary experience can have on a student's life," says Schnarr. "The mission, vision and decisions discussed amongst this group have tremendous impact on students lives so to sit at the table and contribute means a lot to me as this institution has shaped where I am today."
Schnarr's expertise on the athletic side has been with volleyball, coaching the men's volleyball program for ten seasons until taking over women's program in 2016-2017. That first season, Schnarr continued coaching the men's team for one final season. He also coached the badminton program for one season.
Beyond the volleyball court, Schnarr always has something exciting and innovative up his sleeve to help keep the student-athletes engaged and to help them continue to develop as leaders.
Schnarr has held his title as Supervisor of Varsity & Community Engagement since 2019. He's also held several different positions within the athletic department over his career, including his time as a student-athlete, and he says he's forever grateful for the Mohawk community.
"The Mohawk Mountaineer community has allowed me to find my way in life. Through the failures, mistakes, opportunities to grow and successes, this athletic community has given me the space to learn, develop and become the human being I am today," added Schnarr. "I am forever grateful for the college and the community I have been surrounded with and continue to be surrounded with. Here's to hoping for an experience where we can continue to enhance the campus culture, human connection and student experience."
Schnarr is an integral piece in the operations of Mountaineers Athletics and he's made a positive impact in every role he's taken on. We're all extremely happy for Matthew on this amazing honour and opportunity.
Congratulations, Matthew!
