Jim Schaus, a finalist for the top job in Ohio University's athletic department and current athletics director at Wichita State University, will tour the Athens campus today in his second round of interviews, the head of the search said yesterday.
While the university has not made an official decision yet, Schaus is one of the finalists to replace current Athletics Director Kirby Hocutt, who took the same position at the University of Miami, said Thomas Davis, interim secretary to the Board of Trustees and chair of the search committee. Hocutt's last day is April 15, and Davis previously said he hoped to fill the position sometime within the next two weeks. Hocutt earned an annual salary of $176,851 at OU.
Davis did not give any other finalists' names because of the sensitive nature of the search. Davis said Schaus is the only finalist scheduled to come to Athens at this time. It is not clear if the committee will bring in any of the other finalists or how many finalists there are.
We've got some exceedingly well-qualified people
Davis said. When it comes down to a person that is in this position they are pretty concerned about the fact their bosses might know.
It's a different animal hiring an athletics director than a vice president of finance or something, he said.
Schaus has spent more than 25 years in athletics administration. He has been the Athletics Director at Wichita State ' a member of the Missouri Valley Conference ' since 1999 after stints as senior associate athletics director at the University of Texas-El Paso and the University of Cincinnati.
He played a key role in fundraising at Wichita State. Schaus helped raise $25 million for Wichita State's Roundhouse Renaissance project for the creation of the Charles Koch Arena which is home to the school's basketball and weight training facilities
and he helped secure the largest outright gift in university history
$6 million.
According to a February 2006 article in the Albuquerque Tribune
Schaus was one of three finalists for the athletics director position at the University of New Mexico.
Schaus has 17 years of direct experience in marketing. He was the director of marketing for the Washington Redskins from 1983-86 and assistant athletics director of marketing and broadcasting at the University of Oregon. He also managed the marketing departments at Northern Illinois University
UC and UTEP.
He graduated from Purdue University with a degree in journalism and public relations where he was also a sports information assistant. In 1987
he received his master's degree in athletic administration from West Virginia University.
We feel like this is top-notch fellow, and we're excited to get him in (today), Davis said. We've looked at many and talked to a few, and he's the one that we brought in at this point and time G? he was certainly an individual that rose to the top.
The search committee consists of coaches
administrators
professors
community members and Board of Trustee members.
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23940,2008-04-07 00:00:00,Softball: Defensive mistakes lead to poor series for Bobcats,",Mental errors made the weekend difficult for Ohio.
The Bobcats played four games over three days against Buffalo and Kent State but came out with just one win
