NIU Associate Athletic Director Chuck Shriver, citing career opportunity and family priorities, will leave his post June 30 for a front-office position with the Chicago Sting.

Shriver’s duties will be divided among members of the athletic department until a replacement is found, according to men’s Athletic Director Robert Brigham. Brigham said the job will be filled “the sooner the better—around 60 days.”

Shriver said Monday the possibility of his departure to the Sting had been in the works for some time but he “didn’t start seriously considering it until a couple of weeks ago.”

e also said the timing of his leaving was “purely coincidental” in light of an unfavorable report on his office—promotions and marketing—by NIU President John LaTourette’s internal athletic review committee.

“The review report had nothing to do with it,” Shriver said. The committee reported “greater efficiency” needed to be achieved in several areas, with “promotions and marketing above all.”

The committee went on to say: “It does not appear the office is following the plan outlined in the Budget Officer’s statement of goals and objectives.” The committee stated, “The office is not promoting the revenue sports, especially men’s basketball and football, as heavily as it ought.”

The report later added Shriver might have been hampered in promoting the men’s revenue sports because of his added duties in marketing the women’s sports. But in discussing his departure, Shriver stayed away from the report.

“Truthfully, it mostly had to do with my family,” Shriver said. “I’m originally from Chicago and I live in Elk Grove, and I’ve been commuting back and forth. Plus my son wants to go to school in his district, and I didn’t want to move.”

Of the program he is leaving, Shriver said: “I think the possibilities are there given the proper support, both internally and otherwise. The support, at least verbally, from the administration was very good. But it never went beyond that.

“(Leaving) was a very difficult decision for a couple of reasons. I’m a Northern alumn and I still have very strong feelings for this university, and I feel many of the programs re very close to success.”

Shriver, who said his title with the Sting “is a little up in the air” but will involve broadcasting and public relations, said he feels NIU needs to fuel its program financially before it can expect to move up.

“On the field we’re trying to compete with the best, and we’re not competing with them financially. And we can be,” Shriver said.