A 17-member search committee has begun meeting to select the University of Maryland's next athletic director.
"We're having a meeting today," committee member Len Elmore, a former Maryland and NBA basketball player, said in an interview Thursday.
The committee will recommend a replacement for Debbie Yow, who left Maryland on July 10 to take the same position at North Carolina State.
Elmore said he expected the committee would act in an advisory capacity to the university's next president.
President C.D. "Dan" Mote Jr. is stepping down at the end of August, and no replacement has yet been named.
"I would think ultimately the incoming president would make the final decision. That's the person to whom the athletic director will be accountable," said Elmore, chief executive officer of iHoops, which aims to improve the quality of youth basketball.
Elmore was asked if the committee would recommend a single name to the next president — or more than one name.
"I think all of that is on the table," Elmore said.
No timetable has been set for completing the search. The committee is chaired by Linda M. Clement, vice president for student affairs.
Before departing, Yow recommended Connecticut athletic director Jeff Hathaway, a Maryland graduate who previously worked in the athletic department in College Park. Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione is also a Maryland graduate who has attracted media attention in connection to the vacancy.
Asked about specific names, Elmore said the committee was only just beginning its work. He said committee members will be bound by confidentiality.
Randy Eaton, the athletic department's chief financial officer, is the interim athletic director while the search progresses.
Maryland's athletic director will oversee 27 sports and a $55 million athletics budget.
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