4 AD finalists named

• By JORDAN BLUM
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Apr 3, 2008 - Page: 1A - UPDATED: 8:30 a.m.

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LSU could have a new athletic director as early as today after a search committee whittled the list to four finalists.

The athletic director search committee publicly interviewed six semifinalists from 8 a.m. until just after 3 p.m. Wednesday before picking as finalists: LSU Senior Associate AD’s Verge Ausberry and Herb Vincent, Duke AD Joe Alleva and Kentucky Deputy AD Rob Mullens.

LSU System President John Lombardi said he had hoped to select a new AD Wednesday night but that the process became more difficult than anticipated. So the decision will take at least until today, if not longer, he said.

“The better wisdom is to sleep on it,” Lombardi said.

Lombardi, interim LSU Chancellor William Jenkins and a handful of LSU Board of Supervisors members privately interviewed the four finalists late Wednesday night.

“They’re all good people,” Lombardi said. “There’s no easy way to sort them out.”

Lombardi said he would not rule out reopening the search or selecting someone else.

Earlier in the day, the search committee eliminated from consideration Florida Atlantic University AD Craig Angelos and former Florida State University AD Dave Hart Jr. from consideration.

The candidates are vying to replace outgoing LSU AD Skip Bertman, who is expected to remain in the job as late as June. Bertman currently has a $425,000 annual salary. He will continue assisting with fundraising and special projects as athletic director emeritus.

LSU officials hope to pick a new AD quickly so a new men’s basketball coach can be hired as early as next week.

The LSU athletic director oversees a nearly $70 million budget and 20 sports teams, including the national championship football team.

Search Committee Chairman and LSU Law Center Chancellor Jack Weiss said he believes the committee did its job well.

Both Ausberry, 40, and Vincent, 47, are “outstanding,” Weiss said. “We had Mr. Mullens, a rising star from the University of Kentucky, and Mr. Alleva, an outstanding and proven athletic director from a great program at Duke that also has outstanding academics. We felt that all four were worthy of additional consideration by the chancellor and the president.”

• Alleva, 54, has worked at Duke since 1976 and served as AD starting in 1998. He was the athletic department’s finance director for much of his career. He manages a $50 million budget that includes 26 sports and more than 190 staff members.

During interviews, Alleva said he knows that football is the main focus in LSU athletics, unlike Duke, traditionally a basketball powerhouse.