In his 12th year at Western Illinois University, Dr. Tim M. Van Alstine has instilled a commitment to developing a broad-based gender-neutral, yet competitive NCAA Division I athletics program.

Western has won 27 conference championships under Van Alstine, winning three Mid-Continent Conference Commissioner's Cups, 2003, 2004, 2005 and finishing second the following three years. Twenty-three Western Illinois teams have advanced to NCAA postseason competition and 63 student-athletes have competed as individuals representing Western at the NCAA's. Further, since 2001, Western coaches have earned 27 'Coach of the Year' accolades.

Van Alstine challenged all coaches to improve the academic culture of the athletics department. The result is 10 consecutive semesters with a student-athlete cumulative GPA higher than the general student population, and recording a 3.00 cumulative GPA in six of the last seven semesters. All 20 sport programs exceeded the NCAA benchmark APR score during the 2010-11 academic year. Three of the last five Lincoln Academy Student Laureate Award winners have been Leatherneck student-athletes, and Jenna Verity, a member of the track and field program, became the University's first-ever Rhodes Scholar finalist. Since 2001, there have been 13 Leatherneck student-athletes earn the highest academic honor in NCAA Division I, CoSIDA Academic All-America.

Last season, the Leatherneck men's soccer team captured the 2011 Summit League regular season and tournament championship. Head coach Eric Johnson was named 'Coach of the Year' again as the program qualified for the NCAA College Cup five times in the last eight years. The men's basketball program advance to the Summit League championship game for the first time in 15 years, and qualified for its first-ever Division I post-season tournament playing in the CBI Tournament. The women's basketball team, in their first year with JD Gravina, advanced to the Summit League Tournament semifinals.

After promoting Mark Hendrickson to head football coach, the Leathernecks responded with one of the best turnarounds in Division I Football Championship Subdivision history, going from 1-10 to 8-5 and second place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (5-3). Western received an at-large bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs, making its first postseason appearance in seven years.  The Leathernecks won their first round FCS Playoff game advancing to the quarterfinals.

 
Hendrickson (Eddie Robinson Award), quarterback Matt Barr (Walter Payton Award) and linebacker Kyle Glazier (Buck Buchanan Award) all finished second in their respective voting for The Sports Network/Fathead.com awards - the first time in history one program had at least a runner-up finish in all three major awards.

Van Alstine insists on providing the best Division I experience for Leatherneck student-athletes, giving every opportunity to earn a degree and a championship ring. Fundraising continues to be a point of emphasis for Leatherneck Athletics.

Upon his arrival in 2001, he instituted the "Business Backs the 'Necks Ticket Campaign", a program through which local businesses support Western Illinois Athletics by purchasing ticket packages. Van Alstine also introduced the Varsity Letterwinners Club, a fund and friend-raising effort to reconnect Western with its prior student-athletes.

In 2002 Van Alstine negotiated and finalized a partnership with adidas America, a contract renewed again in 2010. He also created Rocky's Locker Room, an exclusive effort to market and sell authentic Western Illinois Athletics apparel, and started the Target: Western Forward Facilities Initiative, a campaign for the improvement and development of athletics facilities.

Since its implementation, there has been over $13 million in athletic facilities improvements, 20 major facility projects.  Completed projects include: an upgrade to the Leatherneck men's and women's basketball office suites, renovation to the Academic Services area, upgrade to energy-efficient lighting in Western Hall, Matrix Turf installation at Hanson Field, completion of the basketball practice facility court in Brophy Hall, and completion of the women's soccer locker room. Fund-raising efforts continue for the $20 million upgrade to the west side of the football stadium.

During the 2004-05 academic year, Van Alstine guided the Athletics Department through the NCAA Self-Study Certification process. The NCAA's final report "CERTIFIED" the Western Illinois University Athletics Department. Also in 2004-05, the department earned the prestigious President's Award for Commitment to Diversity and Equity. In June 2005, Van Alstine earned the Sportsmanship Award from the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance (CTSA) and NACDA. In July 2005 Van Alstine was promoted to Assistant Vice-President for Student Services.

Van Alstine is a member of the University's Gender Equity Committee and continues to advance the commitment to gender equity and the advancement of a gender neutral environment, including the unification of the Department's nickname and identity.

Van Alstine served The Summit League representative on the NCAA Division I Administrative Cabinet form 2004-09.  He is a member of NACDA's FCS Athletic Director's Association Executive Committee and served as President during the 2008-09 academic year. He served as the Missouri Valley Football Conference representative to the NCAA Division I Football Issues Committee and the NCAA FCS Football Committee. Van Alstine has served as chair of The Summit League Joint Council, chair of the Missouri Valley Football Conference Athletic Directors Council, and chair of The Summit League Men's Basketball Coaches Committee. He is currently chair of The Summit League Competition Committee and a member of the Membership Committee.

Van Alstine was named Director of Athletics at Western Illinois in July 2001, after serving as the Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs at Ohio University since 1995. While at Ohio, Van Alstine was responsible for all athletic department operations that impacted the general public, including ticket sales, media services, publications, marketing, promotions, and television and radio broadcast properties and licensing.

Prior to serving at Ohio, Van Alstine was the Director of Ticket Operations at the University of Wisconsin from 1990-95 where he was responsible for a ticket office that handled approximately 1.3 million tickets annually. While at Wisconsin, Van Alstine handled ticket duties for the 1993 Coca-Cola Bowl in Tokyo, Japan; the 1994 Rose Bowl; and the 1995 Hall of Fame Bowl. He also served as ticket director for the 1991 NCAA Volleyball Regionals.

He served as the Director of Athletics Services at the University of Maine from 1989-90. He began his athletics administration career at the University of Illinois, where he was an assistant academics counselor from 1986-89 while working on his doctoral degree.

Van Alstine earned his bachelor's degree from St. Norbert College in 1982. He received his master's degree from Fordham in 1984 and his doctorate from Illinois in 1992. He and his wife, Lynn, are the parents of twin daughters (and Western Illinois University graduates) Leah and Abby.