Mizzou, UM Board of Curators comment on ongoing athletic director search
ROLLA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Nearly two months after ex-Mizzou Athletic Director Desiree Reed-Francois left Columbia for the same job at Arizona, MU Athletics and the UM System Board of Curators said they are 'slowly narrowing down,' candidates.
On Thursday, the Board of Curators met at Missouri S&T, in part, to discuss the upcoming renovations to the north end zone at Memorial Stadium. However, in the press conference that followed the official meeting, the group fielded questions regarding the ongoing AD search.
"When somebody looks at something and says why is it taking so long, it depends what your perspective is on things," UM Curator Bob Blitz said.
Blitz said that, in his opinion, the wait for a new athletic director is well worth it to find the right candidate for the Tigers. According to the board, a mass of applications came in once the position opened up and now they are 'slowly narrowing down' their options, but feel like they are close.
The hire will be MU's fourth athletic director in nine years. UM System President Mun Choi was asked about the turnover rate, on Thursday, and if there's anything that the university needs to change in order to stop that.
"There's always time for reflection, to ask what can we do to support the AD at the University," Choi said. "The AD that we are trying to hire is going to come with really strong expectations from all of us and as long as we are consistent in holding those characteristics that we want in an AD so there's an understanding from both the AD and the university administration and the board about what is expected, I believe we are gonna have an AD that's going to stay here for the long run."
Mizzou did not give a timeline on when fans should expect an announcement, but continued to reiterate that they are close to a hire.
MU is also still dealing with the fallout of Reed-Francois' departure from Columbia. Multiple reports said that the University of Arizona wants a 'reduced or eliminated' buyout in her contract with Mizzou.
Blitz said that the Board of Curators does not deal with contract issues. However, Choi did comment and said that the university, "does expect the contract terms to be honored."
