Search continues for Athletic Director to replace Rubincam

When Paul Rubincam was named as Vice President in charge of Special Gifts over the summer, the Penn Athletic Department knew that its top administrator would be gone soon. While Rubincam still manages Penn athletics, a sense of urgency remains about finding an effective replacement who can continue to expand and improve Penn's athletic programs. Since Rubincam's acceptance of his new position was announced, Penn officials have undertaken a nationwide search for the next Athletic Director. So far, interest in the position has been high and recruiting efforts have been quite successful. Athletic Director Search Committee chairperson and Wharton professor Kenneth Shropshire said his committee has received many applicants and that the search process has begun to move forward. While the selection process is still in its infancy, Shropshire has already described the process as "sensitive" and would not comment on specific candidates for the post. The search committee chairman also refused to comment on whether or not any current Athletic Department employees applied for the vacant post. Shropshire did say there has been considerable interest in the position from a variety of individuals. He also noted that the committee is looking for an experienced manager and fundraiser who has had experience with an athletic program as large as Penn's. "We want someone with experience in managing a major athletic program," he said. While the deadline for formal applications has passed, Shropshire said the committee is keeping its options open as far as other candidates are concerned. "If someone nominated the best candidate, we'd consider it," he said. "We want the best for Penn." Nevertheless, Shropshire seemed very happy with current applicants and did not indicate a desire to receive additional nominations. "The pool contains many tremendous candidates," Shropshire said. "We want to find the person who is best qualified for the position. We are looking for the person that is going to move Penn forward as a leader in the Ivy League." While the new director must be able to manage an athletic program according to Ivy League rules, the Wharton professor noted that the next Athletic Director does not necessarily have to come from an Ivy institution. "Candidates do not have to be from the Ivy League," Shropshire said. "They just have to be ready to be a part of it." Another committee priority is that the new director has a plan to maintain established links between Penn's academic and intercollegiate athletic departments. "We don't want athletics to be an island within the institution," Shropshire said. "The new director must understand how academics and athletics fit together." The committee is still determining what other "Penn specific criteria" for the post should be and Shropshire said the committee is looking for as much input from the community as possible. "We plan to talk to many people on campus," he said. Shropshire hinted that limited athletic facilities and recent ticketing problems might be two of the problems the new director would have to address. He also said that very few decisions have been made about the post since the committee has only been in place for a month. Furthermore, the committee was not completed until the appointment of a student representative several weeks ago. As a result, most of the committee's recent activity has been focused on organization and procedure and no decisions about perspective candidates have been made.