EIU Media Relations

Two of Five Athletic Director Finalists to Interview Week of Feb. 11

Two of the five finalists for the position of athletic director at Eastern Illinois University will participate in on-campus interviews in the coming week.

Bruce Van De Velde, director of development at the University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo., will be on campus Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 11 and 12. Open interview sessions are scheduled for 2:45 p.m. Monday and 11 a.m. Tuesday, both in the Effingham Room, MLK Jr. Union. In addition, a Panther Club/community reception -- also open to the public -- is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday in the Lantz Club Room, located on the main floor (south side) of Lantz Arena.

Barbara A. Burke, deputy director of athletics and senior woman administrator at The University of Wyoming, Laramie, will be on Eastern's campus Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 13 and 14. Open interview sessions have been scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Effingham Room and 9:15 a.m. Thursday in the Charleston/Mattoon Room, MLK Jr. Union. Burke's Panther Club/community reception is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Lantz Club Room.

On-site interviews with the remaining three candidates -- Jean A. Berger, associate athletic director for student services/SWA, Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa; Terry L. Wanless, director of intercollegiate athletics, Sacramento State, Sacramento, Calif.; and Vaughn A. Williams, associate director of athletics/facilities management and planning, University of Connecticut -- will begin taking place the week of Feb. 18.

Resumes for all five finalists and complete interview schedules as they become available can be found at the following Web site: http://www.eiu.edu/stuaff/staff/ad_search.php.

A tentative timeline for the athletic director's search, which began in Fall 2007, has a new athletic director scheduled to begin employment in July.

Ken Baker, who has served as director of Campus Recreation at Eastern since 2000, is currently serving as full-time interim athletic director.