Despite a recent cessation in hirings because of budget cuts, NIU President John LaTourette said a new athletic director is a necessary exception.

When Gov. James Thompson’s tax increase proposal was dying a slow death last month and budget cuts seemed imminent, LaTourette imposed a hiring freeze. Budget cuts have stripped the university, but now LaTourette will hire a new director whose salary might range near $70,000 per year.

“We have a hiring freeze for all positions except for essential appointments, and I would imagine one could justify this appointment as being similar to appointing a department chair or a director of some other important division of the university,” LaTourette said.

LaTourette noted the athletic department has returned $50,000 to the university which was an agreed upon sum to save as an emergency. He also said the current budget reductions will leave athletics with about $70,000 less in university money for fiscal year 1988.

Chuck Shriver’s and John McDougal’s recent resignations, in addition to Ken Prentice’s upcoming retirement have freed up about $130,000, LaTourette said. Portions of the unused money could be applied to paying the new director’s and Shriver’s replacement’s salary. LaTourette said the new director only would be paid about half the fiscal year.

“The department is going to pay its fair share, if not more than its fair share, in terms of meeting these reductions,” LaTourette said. “One thing that we have to look at is that in a situation like this you always have to be concerned about the long run.

“And though your objective is to save funds for the short run, you can’t ignore the fact that we need to have an athletic director, and we need to have someone who will provide the appropriate leadership for the future.”

NIU’s pursuit of a permanent athletic director went another step further this week in the long, winding road with the naming of the complete search committee.

The 12-person committee contains three students, two coaches, two Athletic Board members, an operating staff representative, the Alumni Association’s president and three administrators. LaTourette, who also will take part in the committee’s activities, said it should find the new director between Oct. 1 and Jan. 1.

Nancy Vedral, NIU’s faculty representative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, serves as chair. Other administrators include Eddie Williams, vice president for finance and planning and Judy Bischoff, executive secretary of the University Council.

odney Davis, a men’s basketball team player, is part of the student contingent along with Student Association members Todd Kuzma and LeAnne Rossi. Kuzma represented the SA for the athletic department’s internal review, and Rossi is a former NIU swimmer. LaTourette said he talked to SA President Jim Fischer, who indicated one of the SA group would include a female to offset having no female athlete.

Football coach Jerry Pettibone and women’s basketball coach Jane Albright will take time out from their teams to represent their colleagues. The football season will progress along with the search, while preseason practice and the season opener for women’s basketball might come at the search’s tail end.

Curt Norton and Gary Scott represent the Athletic Board. Norton is chairman of the board and also an accounting professor. Scott is Career Planning and Placement director.

ounding out the field is Richard Bordman and Keith Lowman. Bordman is Alumni Association president, while Lowman works for the art/photo department.

Interim Athletic Director Jim Mellard said he would remain boss until the new director arrived permanently in DeKalb. LaTourette and Vedral said the committee might not need five months to complete the search but the person hired might not be released from his former employer until Jan. 1.

LaTourette said he has received about 30 names from other athletic directors, conference commissioners and NCAA personnel as possibilities. He said he expects the committee to look at between 50 and 60 applications.

LaTourette said he will participate in the interviews instead of letting the committee handle the chore and then simply approving or disapproving its choice.

“I’m going to be the one to hire this person,” LaTourette said. “I’ll be right in the front.”

Vedral, who also chairs the Curriculum and Instruction department, said the committee would have “at least two or three meetings to develop criteria (for selection) and then several meetings to screen applicants.”

Vedral said she does not know when the committee will have its first meeting because she has not contacted the other members yet. She said she would like to have a meeting before the summer semester ends.

LaTourette said he would like the committee to begin screening and application reviews about Aug. 17 while still accepting nominations and applications. The committee also could remove unqualified or undesired applicants at this time, he said.

LaTourette said all applications should be submitted by the beginning of September, with interviews starting later that month.

“When you come down to it, this is no different from academic searches,” he said.