Interim President Neil Kerwin announced Thursday that he chose Keith Gill, senior associate athletics director for administration at the University of Oklahoma, as AU's new director of athletics and recreation.
According to an AU press release, Kerwin chose Gill for the position because of his leadership abilities and his commitment to making athletes' academic achievement a priority.
"In Keith Gill we have the right blend of expertise and enthusiasm to lead AU athletics for years to come," Kerwin said.
Gill said he was excited to take the position, according to the press release.
"I am eager to make a positive contribution to all phases of campus life and continue the American tradition of challenging every student-athlete to be high achievers in the classroom and on the playing fields," Gill said.
Gill's duties at OU include supervising a variety of administrative matters, such as student-athlete issues. Additionally, he manages the men's basketball and women's baseball and soccer programs.
According to an article on the OU Athletic Department Web site, OU President David Boren chose Gill for his current position because "the combination of his experiences, skills, perspectives and passion for excellence made him the perfect fit for our senior management team."
Prior to working at OU, Gill was director of membership services at the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Gill also served as assistant athletic director at Vanderbilt University, according to the press release.
Gill's selection came more than two weeks after Presidential Chief of Staff David Taylor and Vice President for Campus Life Gail Hanson presented a search committee's recommendations to Kerwin. The search committee originally received more than 60 applications for the position, but eventually narrowed the field down to three finalists. They interviewed each finalist on-campus in late February before making their recommendations to Kerwin, The Eagle previously reported.
The committee outlined some of the qualities they wanted each of their finalists to have, including an "appreciation of Patriot League values." The Patriot League stresses the importance of academics in an athlete's life and directs its member schools to hold athletes accountable to the same academic standards as other students. Additional qualities the committee stressed were skills in athletic management, fund raising and a commitment to making athletics an important part of campus life, The Eagle previously reported.
The position was last held by Joni Comstock, who left on Sept. 29, 2006, to become senior vice president for championships at the NCAA, The Eagle previously reported.
Gill is slated to take over the position on June 1. Previously, Hansen told The Eagle that whoever was chosen as athletic director would not be able to take over until early summer because all three final candidates were in senior positions and whoever was chosen would "have to figure out when they can responsibly leave those positions and make the move here"
