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The basics:

• Rutgers partners with TurnkeyZRG for national AD search
• Advisory committee includes alumni, faculty and coaches
• Search aims to find leader to guide Big Ten program forward

Rutgers University revealed new details April 29 about the search for a new athletics director.

Last summer, former AD Pat Hobbs abruptly resigned amid a cloud of controversy as reports surfaced about an alleged relationship with the school’s gymnastics coach. Ryan Pisarri has served as the interim AD.

The school announced this week it retained Haddonfield-based executive search firm TurnkeyZRG to assist in the national search for its next athletics director. The university also revealed forming an advisory committee, which includes:

• Marco Battaglia School of Management and Labor Relations ’18, senior advisor to the Rutgers University Foundation president
• Arthur Certosimo Rutgers College ’77,  professor and chair, board of advisors, Rutgers Business School
• Meredith Civico, head coach, field hockey
• Hollis Copeland RC ’78, Rutgers board of governors
• Robert Friedman RC ’74, Rutgers Law–Newark ’83, Rutgers board of trustees
• Ann Gould, academic athletics oversight committee faculty representative and dean of academic programs, school of environmental and biological sciences
• Gary Taffet RC ’88, Rutgers board of governors
• Brian Ballentine, senior vice president for strategy and chief of staff
• J. Michael Gower, executive vice president – chief financial officer

Rutgers notes that TurnkeyZRG specializes in this space – and recently conducted athletics director searches at several prominent schools and commissioner searches for a few conferences; and also the NCAA president search.

President Jonathan Holloway, who will depart from that role June 30, will work with the chair of the board of governors, Amy Towers, along with his successor as university president, when named, to select the finalist.

Big Ten, big expectations

In a press release, Holloway said that athletics often serves as the front porch to a university.

“And it is essential that Rutgers partner with an established firm to identify a leader who continues to move the program forward during a period of transformational change,” said Holloway. “Rutgers is a Big Ten Conference institution in our nation’s largest media market, and we look forward to welcoming an athletics director who can leverage our many assets to build prideful results for our students, staff, faculty, alumni, and fans.”

Towers noted Rutgers echoed those sentiments from Holloway. She highlighted the assets – including being the birthplace of college football – that make the school well-positioned to attract the best and brightest to lead the athletics department, which comprises 24 men’s and women’s sports that serve more than 730 student-athletes.

“On behalf of the Board of Governors, we look forward to working with the administration and TurnkeyZRG to identify and select a candidate with the required skill, experience, and vision to guide Rutgers into this new era of intercollegiate athletics,” said Towers.