AD
position still open, committee
to reconvene
By Jamie Rowe and
Andrew Delara
Online Forty-Niner
The search for a new athletic director will begin anew Wednesday, after the last
candidate withdrew her name last week, said Doug Robinson,
vice president of
Student Services and chairman of the Committee on Athletics.
“
It’s going to start over again,” Robinson said.
He said President F. King Alexander asked him to meet with committee members
this week to determine who would stay on for a second athletic director search.
Marilyn McNeil, director of athletics at Monmouth University in New Jersey, withdrew
her name last week. The candidate faced stiff opposition from boosters.
“
That’s very disappointing,” Robinson said. “Do you bring somebody
in and know they will face this kind of opposition?”
Some of the boosters expressed their doubts about McNeil.
“
Her outlook and some of the quotes about no sympathy for coaches looking to compete
with the moneyed programs and fundraising bothered me,” said Bruce Sparks,
a high-level athletics booster at the Director’s Circle level.
“
Some of our programs lack visibility in the community — we need someone
who’s going to get our coaches out there and more visible. And we need
someone who will jumpstart us to success. Once the new AD first finds success
at a high level, everything else will fall into place,” said Dennis Pitts,
a founding member of the Director’s Circle boosters, former president of
the Sixth Man Men’s Basketball boosters and board member of the Athletics
Foundation.
The top candidate, Bill McGillis, director of athletics at the University of
Evansville, pulled out of the running last Tuesday. Steve Lopes, the associate
athletic director at USC, also withdrew.
Robinson said the committee, which may have some different members this time
around because some members are in their coaching season now, will reconvene
this week and will hire a consultant to help with the search process. Robinson
said he was not worried about having to conduct another search.
“
I know it’s a wonderful university. I know it’s a wonderful
opportunity,” Robinson said. “We need a little effective leadership
to take us to the promised land.”
|
