Albion Pleiad

Since taking over as Albion College’s athletic director in July, Matt Arend has been able to get to know Albion. However, Albion College students have had limited opportunities to get to know Arend. Allow the Pleiad to illuminate some of the mystery surrounding Albion College’s new A.D.

Name: Matthew Arend

Hometown: Bridgman, Mich.

College: Western Michigan University

Sport: Baseball

Food: Italian Beef Sandwich

Movie: Billy Madison

Holiday: Thanksgiving

Super-power: Flying

Color: Purple

On his favorite sports teams:

I’m a huge Chicago sports fan. Growing up on the southwest corner of the state, all the news we got was the Chicago. So Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls. I’m not a big White Sox fan.

On why he took the Albion College athletic director job:

We (Arend’s family) wanted to be closer to home, is one reason, because our kid’s grandparents are still in Michigan. When the Albion job came open, being a high school student (in Michigan) I knew about the great history and tradition at Albion, and with the great momentum in the department from the new field and track, there are a lot of positives going on. All the way around, from a personal perspective and a professional perspective, I thought that it was a great opportunity.

On his perception of Albion College and its students:

The first thing that comes to mind is that they are extremely motivated. The motivation and intelligence of the student body; I find very impressive. I think Albion as a community, it’s a very proud community, and it’s a very diverse community which I think is great.

Photo courtesy of Albion College Sports Information department