A marathon day of interviewing candidates for the LSU athletic director position concluded with four recommendations to replace outgoing Athletic Director Skip Bertman.
After nearly eight hours, the search committee voted to recommend Joe Alleva, Duke athletic director; Verge Ausberry, LSU senior associate athletic director; Rob Mullens, Kentucky deputy athletic director; and Herb Vincent, LSU senior associate athletic director.
Acting Chancellor William Jenkins will consider the four candidates and make a recommendation to LSU System President John Lombardi. Committee chairman Jack Weiss said he is unsure how Jenkins and Lombardi will make their decision or when that decision will be final.
The committee also interviewed Florida Atlantic Athletic Director Craig Angelos and former Florida State Athletic Director Dave Hart.
Weiss said he was pleased with the committee’s selections. He called Ausberry and Vincent two “excellent internal candidates.”
Weiss said Mullens is a “rising star” at Kentucky and said Alleva was an “outstanding, proven director” with impressive academic success at Duke.
Several committee members asked Alleva questions related to Duke’s 2006 lacrosse team scandal, in which three players were accused of sexual offenses against an exotic dancer.
“It was a very, very difficult situation,” Alleva said. “I’m a much better athletic director now than I was prior to that situation.”
Alleva said if hired, he would first interview everyone in the LSU athletic department to hear their ideas or concerns.
“I’m a really good listener,” he said. “I really care about my people, from coaches, to secretaries and the laundry guys. If you called any of my employees, they’d tell you that.”
Ausberry, the first to interview, wasted no time emphasizing his extensive knowledge of LSU gained from athletic and administrative experience at the University. Ausberry suggested a reformed athletic attendance policy with heightened consequences for athletes who miss class.
“I can hit the ground running,” Ausberry said. “I know what it takes.”
Ausberry also addressed the potential challenges of working near Bertman, who will remain at the University in an emeritus position.
“I will be the person making the decisions,” he said. “The buck will stop with me and me only.”
Mullens said he would bring a wide range of knowledge from his current post at Kentucky and his previous positions at Maryland and the University of Miami.
Mullens stressed the importance of supporting lower profile sports.
“The swimmer who gets up at 6 [o’clock] each morning and gets in the pool has just as much of a right to a national championship as any other athlete,” he said. “Everyone should be able to compete at the highest level.”
Vincent, like Ausberry, emphasized his inner knowledge of LSU’s athletic department. He began at LSU in 1988 in the sports information department and has since held various communications-related positions.
He said his calm demeanor would be beneficial when managing the “craziness” of an athletic department.
“I’m not really loud, and I’m not going to be loud,” Vincent said. “I’m well-grounded, and I have common sense.”
Hart, who was eliminated by the committee, faced tough questions related to his departure from Florida State. Hart left his post in October 2007 after Florida State President T.K. Wetherell informed Hart his contract would not be renewed.
Hart denied his departure was related to the recent academic scandal in which 60 Florida State athletes -including football players – were linked to academic fraud related to online testing.
—-Contact Amy Brittain [email protected]