The 10-person search committee responsible for choosing the new athletic director to succeed acting Athletic Director Bob Ceplikas '78 will consist of faculty members, staff, alumni and students, according to committee chair Joseph Belbruno, chemistry professor and faculty advisor to the football team. The committee appointed by acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears plans to make its selection before the beginning of Fall term, Belbruno said.
Tracy Walsh '91, assistant dean of development and administration, will serve as the vice-chair of the committee, Belbruno said. The committee also includes government Professor John Carey, economics Professor Patty Anderson, Assistant Dean of Student Life Samantha Ivery, Associate Director of Admissions Dan Parish '89, Chief of Staff David Spalding '76 and men's hockey head coach Bob Gaudet '81. Jabari Trotter '12, a member of the men's basketball team, and Marietta Smith '12, a member of the women's golf team, will also serve on the committee, according to Belbruno.
"The hope is that by the time Fall term begins, there will be an athletic director," Belbruno said. "That is our goal, and I think we'll get there. It turns out summer is a good time for interviewing candidates since most institutions have no summer programs."
Belbruno was appointed the chair of the committee in January. Since concern over budget cuts initially delayed the search from Spring to Summer term, some members who were selected for the committee were not available over Summer term and had to be replaced, according to Belbruno.
"This is the second version of the committee," Belbruno said. "There was an original plan to have a search earlier but it got delayed while budget cuts were being sorted out, and there were different faculty and students on the committee. We had to replace the students and one faculty member since they could not be at Dartmouth for the Summer."
Parker Executive Search, the Atlanta-based firm hired by the College to pool applicants for the new athletic director, and committee members began compiling a list of potential candidates in May. Belbruno said he expects the firm to come up with the pool "soon," although no specific timeline has been established.
"I think they've probably made contact with all of the people they were planning to contact," he said. "So it really shouldn't be too much longer until the pool is finalized."
Belbruno declined to disclose whether Ceplikas was being considered for the position, stating that all applicants would remain confidential.
The committee, which has met "several times" since April, has a "good consensus" about what they are looking for in the College's next athletic director, according to Spalding.
"Strong leadership, innovative thinking about athletics and experience running successful programs are the three key factors," Spalding said.
The committee will also evaluate candidates on their ability to play many different roles in Dartmouth's athletics department, according to Belbruno.
"The athletic director is also an administrator," Belbruno said. "They need to make sure each department or sport runs on a budget. Also, they need to make sure every sport has all the resources they need to be successful since all sports are competing for resources."
Candidates must possess an understanding of College's commitment to balancing academics and athletics, Belbruno said.
"Dartmouth is a unique place," Belbruno said. "Our athletes are truly student-athletes, and we need someone who understands how academics actually mean something at Dartmouth. They also need to be aware that the Ivy League does not offer athletic scholarships and recruits have to meet admissions criteria."
Parker Executive Search is conducting a national search to assess potential candidates for the position, according to Belbruno.
"This is an open search," Belbruno said. "We want to get the broadest pool we can so we can say that we chose the best candidate."
The committee has not yet determined when candidates will be interviewed, according to Belbruno.
"The shorter list will be brought to campus to visit with the committee, [College President Jim Yong Kim and Spears], but the schedule hasn't been set yet," he said.
