President Robert ‘Doc’ Foglesong picked from a diverse cross-section when he comprised the 13-member committee that will search for MSU’s next athletic director. The names of the committee members were released Aug. 10.The committee will be led by Vice President Vance Watson who is the veteran administrator that leads the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine.
The goal of the committee is to have a candidate in place by July 1, 2008 to replace the current Athletic Director Larry Templeton who has served as AD since 1987.
Watson said in a university press release, “We’re accustomed to working within the structure of a search process at Mississippi State, and we’re confident the committee will work together to identify strong candidates we can send forward to the president.”
Senate Faculty President Robert Wolverton Sr. said he is honored to have been chosen by Foglesong to serve on the search committee.
Although the committee has not been scheduled to meet until sometime in September, Wolverton said he has a few ideas about the characteristics the committee will probably be looking for in an AD candidate.
“Number one, he has to be an exceptional person in a wide knowledge base,” Wolverton said. “This is needed as a person to whom so many people report.”
“The candidate should be very conversant with the NCAA and Title IX rules and regulations,” he added.
Templeton said that staying informed and abiding by the various SEC rules and university policies is among one of the hardest aspects of his job.
A second trait an AD candidate needs to have is the ability to raise money, Wolverton said.
“We want a person who’s going to be able to win and keep a lot of friends for the university,” Wolverton said. “Someone who has a personality, which can get along with people well.”
“The most difficult part is trying to manage a varied group of coaches, student athletes, fans and alumni particularly as it relates to funding,” Templeton said.
Wolverton went on to commend Templeton for doing a good job of this in the past.
Templeton said his contact across campus with different groups of people is one of the things he will miss most about his job.
Another important characteristic for a successful candidate will be some experience in the field already.
“I won’t be surprised if we attract either an associate or assistant AD,” Wolverton said. “The search of this kind is always hampered by the fact that we are not the only institution looking for an AD.”
Senior Hayle Guess, who is an outfielder for MSU’s softball team, will also serve on the committee. She said she expects a complete list of qualifications for AD candidates will be discussed at one of the first committee meetings.
“I’m excited about being on the committee as a student athlete because I think this will give me the opportunity to voice some of the concerns of other student athletes and hopefully act as a sort of liaison for student athletes and the committee.”
The complete list of committee members in alphabetical order is as follows: Gary Blair, former national president of the MSU Alumni Association; Ann Carr, associate athletic director for general administration; Ruben Doty, a 1991 industrial engineering graduate and former MSU cross-country runner; Bryce Griffis, an MSU Foundation director; Senior Hayle Guess, a physical education major and outfielder with MSU’s softball team; Senior Jeremy Johnson, current Student Association president; JR Love, SA president; Joy Odom, president of the campus Professional and Support Staff Advisory Council; Allison Pearson, professor of management and information systems and a John Grisham Master Teacher; Al Schmidt, head track coach; Leo W. Seal Jr., MSU Foundation director; and Robert Wolverton Sr., foreign languages professor and senate faculty president.