A Conversation with Joyce Wong
Dr. Joyce Wong has been director of athletics at Eastern Connecticut State University since 1999, overseeing Division III intercollegiate sport programs such as basketball, soccer, baseball, swimming and track and field. Wong also has 309 career wins coaching Division III women’s basketball. She spent three years at Brooklyn College in the 1970s, then another 21 years at the University of Rochester before taking her position at ECSU.
Wong holds a bachelor’s in health from Bridgewater State College and a master’s in physical education from Indiana University, where she also earned a doctorate in biomechanics.
DI: You spent so much of your career as a coach. What’s challenging for you, as athletic director, to now lead an entire department?
JW: It’s hard getting coaches to see they’re small parts of a big puzzle. And even though the previous athletic director was a woman, there’s still a stereotype, just like at many schools, that this is a man’s position, a power position with someone aggressive and demanding. An Asian female is not what they think of!
DI: Did you play many sports as a child?
JW: Hardly any until high school. I had great rapport with my physical education teacher, who encouraged me to join every team I wanted. I played basketball, tennis and volleyball. Before high school, I already knew I wanted to be a teacher. High school was when I realized I wanted to teach sports.
