Jim Phillips, associate athletic director at Notre Dame, was named NIU’s new athletic director Monday.

The Chicago native was announced as the new AD Monday morning at Mike Ditka’s Restaurant in Chicago. NIU President John Peters followed up the first announcement with another formal introduction at the Convocation Center Monday afternoon.

Phillips said his primary focus is to make sure student-athletes are treated as students as well as athletes.

“We want NIU to be an opportunity for student-athletes to have a world-class experience,” Phillips said. “That includes academically and on the playing field.”

Phillips went on to explain his reasoning for coming to NIU, and President Peters’ role in that decision.

“His enthusiasm and vision is very important for me and the department,” Phillips said.

Phillips stressed that being on the same page with those surrounding him will go a long way in seeing NIU’s program succeed.

“It’s a great day to be a Huskie,” Peters said during the Convocation Center ceremony.

He then presented Phillips with a red No. 10 football jersey he felt was appropriate for Phillips.

“For me, Jim Phillips is a ‘10,’”Peters said.

Tony Yelovich, Notre Dame’s assistant athletic director, among others, had high praise for Phillips’ work ethic and said he has done a great job with securing money for the Notre Dame program.

“In fund-raising, he’s done a remarkable job,” Yelovich said. “We’re in the final stage of building an addition of the Loftus Center [ a $22 million indoor facility for sports programs] and he’s played a major part in getting it done.”

Phillips was brought in after a five-month search that began after former NIU athletic director Cary Groth left NIU on March 8 to assume a position as AD at the University of Nevada in Reno.

“With Cary leaving, it caused me to reflect because I knew we had big shoes to fill,” said Peters. “At the same time, we had reached a new plateau.”

The athletics department created a search committee from NIU to make sure that the decision not only benefited the athletic department, but the university as a whole. The committee’s process provided a “national pool of blue chip candidates,” Peters said.

“We were looking for a person that would embrace NIU values, would fit our community and reflects the excitement of the region,” Peters said.

During the summer, George Shur, former NIU general counsel, filled in as the interim AD and provided NIU with the leeway to take time in making the decision, Peters said.

Phillips is tentatively scheduled to take over Aug. 30.