The search for Lee Fowler’s replacement is on, even as the N.C. State athletics director finishes out his tenure with the Wolfpack.
In a May 12 press release, N.C. State chancellor Randy Woodson announced the formation of a nomination committee to start searching for candidates to replace Fowler. The release came on the heels of Fowler’s decision to step down, which he announced May 4.
“Selecting our next athletics director is an important decision for the future of the athletic program and for the university,” Woodson said in a prepared statement. “We are looking for a proven administrator and leader, who will help our student-athletes be successful in the classroom and on the field of competition.”
Smedes York, a former chair of the N.C. State Board of Trustees, will be committee chair, the release announced. Also appointed to the 13-member nomination committee were: Steve Carlton, chair of the Staff Senate, Derick Close, former trustee, Eileen Goldgeier, vice chancellor and general counsel, Kellie Harper, women’s basketball coach, Kelly Hook, student body president, David Horning, senior associate athletics director, Charles Leffler, vice chancellor finance and business, Margery Overton, chair of the faculty, Sam Pardue, faculty athleics representative, Ray Rouse, president of Student Aid Association, Steve Warren, Board of Trustees, and Cassius Williams, Board of Trustees.
The committee held a meeting May 17 at the Park Alumni Center, and elected to hire Parker Executive Search to assist in the candidate nomination process. Under president Daniel Parker, the firm has a proven track record helping universities nail down candidates for athletic directors and other university administrators.
The firm, based in Atlanta, recently helped the NCAA during its search for new president, Mark A. Emmert, who formerly held the same post at the University of Washington. Parker Executive Search has also aided in the searches for athletic directors at Notre Dame, Washington, and Mississippi State.
“Daniel Parker is part of an established search firm that has worked with N.C. State before, and he has helped with many other universities’ national searches,” Carlton said.
During the nomination process, Parker will work with the committee to identify the best candidates for the position, York said.
The nomination committee plans to conduct the first round of interviews with fewer than 10 candidates, said York. The committee then plans to recommend three or four candidates to Chancellor Woodson for the second round of interviews, after which the chancellor would make a final decision.
There is no timetable for naming the new athletics director, but “we’d like to get it done within 30 to 60 days; a lot of it depends on how things come together,” said York.
The nomination committee will meet June 8 via conference call and hold a face-to-face meeting June 14 at the Park Alumni Center.
The university said it plans to honor Fowler’s contract, which pays him $280,000 annually until September 2013. He will stay on the job until June 30, when an as-yet-unnamed interim athletic director will take over.