Say this for Chancellor Gallagher. He knows football still drives everything. Pitt announced its search committee for a new Athletic Director. There are 14 members and a search firm to boot.
Members of the search committee are:
Randy Juhl: Search Committee Chairperson; Vice Chancellor; Acting Athletic Director; Distinguished Service Professor of Pharmacy
Dave DeJong: Vice Provost, Academic Planning and Resources Management; Senate Athletics Committee; Chair, Student Athletes Admissions Advisory Committee; Professor of Economics
Al Novak: Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement
Jay Irrgang: Co-Chair, Senate Athletics Committee; Professor of Orthopedic Surgery
Susan Albrecht: Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR); Student-Athletes Admissions Advisory Committee member; Associate Professor of Nursing
Wendy Meyers: Executive Associate Athletic Director and Athletics Chief Financial Officer
Justin Acierno: Assistant Athletic Director, Ticket Sales and Operations; former Pitt football student-athlete
Jen Tuscano: Assistant Director of Academic Support Services, Academic Counselor
Artie Rowell: President, Pitt Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC); Pitt football student-athlete
Lindsay Offutt: Pitt Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Officer; Pitt gymnastics student-athlete
Alonzo Webb: Pitt Track and Field/Cross Country Head Coach
Suzie McConnell-Serio: Pitt Head Women’s Basketball Coach
Bryant Salter: Pitt Board of Trustees; former Pitt football student-athlete
James Covert: Pitt Board of Trustees; former Pitt football student-athlete
There are three former and one present member of the football team.
The search firm that will help the committee is DHR International. Specifically, Glenn Sugiyama, Global Head of Sports, and Pat Richter, Executive Vice President, Education and Sports Practice.
Artie Rowell is just building one hell of a resume even before he leaves Pitt.
Neither Jamie Dixon or Pat Narduzzi are on the search committee. I’m sure they will have input and their opinions will be solicited, but not direct influence on the search.
Reports are that Pitt has had as slew of applicants with the majority being sitting ADs.
I really don’t expect them to have a new AD in place until at least June.
I don’t think you go with an internal hire, sorry. Internal candidates may have some good traits, but gaining consensus for their ideas are probably not one of them. This isn’t meant to be hateful, but an AD needs to command a room and have great respect from his coaches. Anything less and it becomes a problem.
If our current internal candidates could not push an agenda under Pederson, how will they do it under Dixon, Serio and Nard. In my opinion, our internals are weak in those areas. Great guys, but they needed to hone their skills in a place where their ideas get rewarded and mistakes get….not rewarded! Just my opinion. Feel free to start throwing rocks at your computer screen to try to hit me…
The AD is a true Administrator and Ambassador that keeps out of the weeds and day to day operations. It’s a big position because the NCAA is going to be changing its framework in the next 1-2 years, especially around institutional standards. Last year, I indicated that the NCAA would not be around in its current state in three years. I still think that is true. Oliver heading there will bring a different focus to the organization and a complete re-shuffle of power. We need someone that carries a big stick for those discussions, a respected presence, not someone that is green. The question is whether we have one of those in our midst, had one in our midst….or we don’t have one and need one.
But of course, he has no college admin background .. but interesting.
I also don’t know the internal details but I think it was much different then what the public saw and heard.
I also don’t know the internal details but I think it was much different then what the public saw and heard.
link to triblive.com