Raleigh, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/12/2011 -- William Peace University (http://www.peace.edu), a private four-year university located in downtown Raleigh, has announced the hiring of Claude Shields as the university’s first head men’s basketball and men’s golf coach. Formerly serving as head coach of the junior varsity basketball team at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C, Shields will be responsible for recruiting prospective student-athletes for the 2012-2013 men’s basketball and golf seasons, as well as establishing a culture of excellence both on and off the court with the student-athletes who attend William Peace University. With two years of educational experience, Shields has worked at many basketball camps over the last three years and played two years of junior varsity basketball at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Shields has served as an assistant golf coach at Greensboro Day School as well.

QUOTES:
“It is a distinct honor to be selected as the first coach for men’s sports at William Peace University as it transitions into being a coeducational facility,” said Shields. “I intend to use my skills and experience in recruiting student-athletes at Guilford College to help find the best available talent to make our programs competitive.”

“Assuming the responsibility of launching the first teams and players for men’s sports at William Peace University is a large duty, and I am pleased that Claude Shields is ready for the challenge,” said Debra M. Townsley, Ph.D., president of William Peace University. “We are confident in his experience and ability to not only recruit our first male basketball and golf teams but his ability to lead our student athletes. I look forward to cheering on our university’s new athletes when they compete next year”

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DETAILS:
- Shields earned his Bachelor of Arts in history from UNC-Chapel Hill.

- He is a supporter of a nonprofit organization started by his brother, Robert Shields, and the latter’s wife, Nicole Keegan, called Sports that Serve, which holds various daylong sports camps emphasizing the importance of setting goals and working to achieve them. All proceeds go to orphanages in Ethiopia.

- Born in Raleigh and raised in New Bern, N.C., Shields resides in Raleigh.

About William Peace University
William Peace University is located in the heart of Raleigh, North Carolina. It was founded in 1857 as Peace Institute, offering education for boys and girls in primary grades and to women from high school to college. Peace, an all women’s college, became a four-year baccalaureate college and graduated its first bachelor’s students in August of 1996. Peace began offering coeducational evening courses through the William Peace School of Professional Studies in 2009. In 2011, Peace College transitioned to William Peace University and will begin admitting male students to its day program in fall 2012. Its mission is to prepare students for careers in the organizations of tomorrow. On average, more than 90 percent of the university’s graduates are placed in jobs or graduate school within one year of graduation. For more information, please visit http://www.peace.edu.

Jennifer Fair
MMI Public Relations
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