UND has already begun the process of finding the school's next athletic director and the position will be filled as soon as possible, Phil Harmeson, vice president for general administration, said Thursday.
School officials announced Wednesday that athletic director Tom Buning had resigned after consecutive leaves of absence spanning about seven weeks. In an anonymous survey, Buning received low marks from many subordinates, but he also has been praised by some since his leaves as a strong budget manager and a victim of cronyism in the school's athletics department.
Harmeson, who supervises the AD position, said he plans to name a search committee to find Buning's successor by early next week and that a new AD could be in place before UND President Charles Kupchella retires in June.
That search committee will include faculty, staff and students, coaches of men's and women's athletics and alumni, among other constituencies, Harmeson said.
It's possible that uncertainty about who will lead the university after Kupchella retires could scare off some candidates, Harmeson said, but that's not guaranteed.
ADVERTISEMENT
"That could be the case," Harmeson said. "I don't know for sure. But that will be dealt with and addressed by the search committee."
Harmeson said any decision to delay the search until the next president is in office would also be made by the search committee.
"We'll take their wisdom on how to proceed," he said. "Everything is discuss-able. I don't think anything is, by any means, preordained.
One former UND athletic director cautioned against naming an AD before the next president is in office.
"It has been my experience that the athletic director and the president have to work in harmonious agreement," said Terry Wanless, UND's athletic director from 1990 to 1999. "It would be a serious mistake to move too quickly. . . . There really has to be a partnership between the AD and the president."
The search committee also will have the authority to consider hiring a search consultant, Harmeson said.
The AD job came under Harmeson's supervision July 1, part of a larger restructuring of the university's administration, meant to free up more of the president's time for external relations and fundraising.
It's possible UND's next president could take control of athletics again, but Harmeson said that's unlikely and would run counter to the judgment of the school's vice presidents and other top officials who unanimously approved the restructuring.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Because of the time and emphasis placed on athletics, the cabinet and the president did this to set the table for the next president," Harmeson said. "This was done to aid and assist the next president."
Harmeson said UND's AD position might be more attractive to candidates now than it was when Buning was hired in 2005. That's because of the school's commitment to transitioning to NCAA Division I status. The D-I transition is a five-year process, starting with an exploratory year that began this fall.
Since Buning's first leave request Sept. 17, the department has been run by co-acting athletic directors Betty Ralston and Steve Brekke. Ralston is an associate athletic director and Brekke is director of athletic development. Both have said they do not plan to apply for the AD position.
Herald reporter Brad Schlossman contributed to this report.
Marks reports on higher education. Reach him at (701) 780-1105, (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or jmarks@gfherald.com .
