Happel named director of communications at Central College

Central College

PELLA — Larry Happel has accepted the position of director of communications at Central College after serving as interim director for the past eight months.

“The leadership Larry is demonstrating is vitally important to the college as we continue to make a transition to a communications environment that is more content-driven, interactive and digital,” said Mark Putnam, Central College president.

Happel has already guided the communications office in that direction with the introduction of Civitas, an interactive, digital alumni magazine. As director, he will lead the communications team as they take on more digital strategies and projects.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity,” said Happel. “The communications field is evolving at a frantic pace, and we are fortunate to have a president in Mark Putnam who not only understands that, but has the vision to put Central on the leading edge of that change.”

Happel graduated cum laude from Central College in 1981 with a B.A. in communications. He has served as the sports information director at the college since 1979. During his time at Central, Happel has been interim director of the communications office four times and has served as the director of public relations, director of publications, assistant director of the news bureau and associate director of marketing/media relations. Putnam calls him a “devoted team player.”

“Larry has dedicated his career to solid journalism, publicity, accuracy, promotion and recognition for the college and its people — especially students,” said Putnam.

Happel has been nationally recognized in his field several times. He was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) hall of fame in 2010. He has also received the Warren Berg Award for outstanding achievement in the college division sports information field and has earned more than 34 publication and writing awards at the national level.

Currently, Happel serves as president of the Division III Sports Information Directors of America (D3SIDA). He has previously served on the COSIDA board of directors and currently sits on three committees. In 2003, Happel took a professional sabbatical to become visiting assistant in sports information at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He returned to Central as sports information director in 2004.

“The magic of Central is its people, and our simple task is to tell their remarkable stories through multiple channels,” said Happel. “That’s what I’ve tried to do throughout my time here. I continue to feel blessed to serve Central’s students and to be a part of the Central family.”