Administration: Making a Good AD

Northwestern is currently in the process of searching for a new Director of Athletics and Recreation after former director Mark Murphy stepped down to become the CEO and president of the NFL's Green Bay Packers.

University President Henry S. Bienen is conducting the search for a new athletic director. Director of Media Relations Charles Loebbaka said the search may take a long time, but it is continuing.

To fill the gap between the previous athletic director and the next one is Bob Gundlach. Bienen named Gundlach the Interim Director of Athletics and Recreation on Dec. 18. Gundlach has performed the duties of athletic director since Jan. 1.

Gundlach has been around the athletic program since 1988, when he was part of the committee on athletics and recreation. The linguistics professor has served as a faculty representative for the school at the conference and national level since 2002.

He said he was not being considered for the permanent position and will return to his role as a faculty representative once a new AD is found.

Gundlach said being the chair of a large organization -- or even a small one like his linguistics department -- is about being able to manage different leaders. Linguistics professor Gregory Ward said what Gundlach did well as chair was listening to different opinions and making sure everyone's voices were heard. He very rarely moved forward without a consensus in his department.

Despite being in the position for a short time, Gundlach still has a vision for what NU athletics should aspire to be. He said the program's foundation is integrity -- playing ethically and fairly and working as a team -- and then on striving for excellence.

"Any time a new person comes in, I think it’s an opportunity to take a fresh look at how we balance the different goals we have," Gundlach said. "A new athletic director would have to take a look at all the programs and ask again how we are aligned with the mission of the entire university and ask what it means to maintain that commitment to integrity and to strive for excellence in all the programs that we tackle. I think the main challenge is to take full fresh look at what we’re doing.”

Gundlach said he believes the new athletic director will need to have a firm commitment to NU's values as a school. They will need to balance the academic experience of student-athletes and the academic excellence the entire school strives for.

Ultimately a good athletic director is someone who is committed to the best possible experience for the student-athletes and the university.

"You need someone -- and I think we were fortunate with Mark Murphy -- who is committed to the highest quality experience for student-athletes across the whole spectrum, not only as students, but also as athletes and maybe that combination of what you learn as a student-athlete at Northwestern," Gundlach said. "It's not always easy, it's not always perfect at Northwestern. But I think to keep pushing as hard as we can for the highest quality experience for student-athletes is a good cornerstone for the quality you look for in an athletic director."