Maintaining quality relationships and intentional diversity are the two main lessons a Troy University administrator wants to reinforce after his selection to serve on the Board of Directors of USA Diving.

Dr. Royce H. “Hank” Dasinger, Dean of the College of Education, was voted unanimously into the position of Independent Director for the Board. USAD is the national governing body of the sport of diving and a charter member of the US Olympic Committee.

“I, of course, was thrilled to be considered,” he said. “The Board discussed my nomination and ultimately I was honored to be selected to serve. [I have] no ties [to diving or the Olympics], although I frequently dive into things with a passion that will sometimes get me ‘in over my head.’”

The first inquiry to his interest in the position came years ago as an officer in the United States Air Force while on assignment at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He hired Dr. Megan Neyer as a member of his team, and the two maintained contact over the years. She eventually formally nominated him for the position at a meeting earlier this year.

“The key lesson here is the idea of relationships,” he said. “We should never underestimate the power of having and maintaining quality relationships, whether in our personal lives or our professional lives. In fact, at the end of the day, relationships are fundamental to our ability to be successful and to be happy, no matter what our work.”

The role of the Independent Director is to provide an “outsider’s perspective,” Dasinger said. Part of his job duties are to collaborate with other directors to form a plan to ensure that US athletes are competitive on the world stage.

“I have no expertise in the competitive world of Olympic diving,” he said. “USA Diving is interested in my experiences as an educator, as an organizational administrator and leader. I think that as the Independent Director, as an ‘outsider,’ I can provide a different perspective that hopefully will add to the discussion.”

The Board is intentionally filled with members of different backgrounds to ensure diversity, a trait Dasinger also appreciates at TROY.

“The power behind diversity is the degree to which diversity, as manifested by demographics and other differences, brings an expanded perspective and thinking which can lead to better analysis and decision-making,” he said. “That’s why the Chancellor often talks about the importance of TROY being an International University.  He knows and values diversity in the most powerful sense of the word.

“He knows that as faculty, staff and students, we will all be enriched by exposure to those whom are different from us. And through this exposure comes understanding, and through this understanding, an appreciation leading to quality relationships.”

Dasinger said he hopes for the opportunity to link programs at TROY to the Olympics or to USAD and that he knows he is not only representing himself, he is also representing Troy University in this new role.

“We may think we are not a TROY faculty member, or administrator, or student on the weekend, but we are,” he said. “We will be judged as an individual and so will the organization and profession of which we are a part as well. When I serve on USA Diving, yes I represent myself, but I will never forget I also represent TROY, and I must do so with civility, responsibility, and accountability, for that is the Trojan Way.”

Currently, he is helping to hire the new High Performance Director and define the process and procedures for advertising.