The president of the University of Connecticut selected an interim athletics director for his ability to run an enterprise as she seeks to end problems related to fundraising and compliance with NCAA rules, The Associated Press reports.
Susan Herbst, president of the state’s flagship university, announced that former associate athletics director Paul Pendergast has been hired as interim director.
“I did not choose him because he is an excellent fundraiser, although he is,” she said Sunday in a conference call with reporters. “I picked him because he’s a manager and he’s a leader. He really knows how to run an enterprise.”
Pendergast, who is president of the St. Francis Foundation and senior vice president of development for St. Francis Hospital, succeeds Jeff Hathaway, who left his job Friday. Hathaway’s job had been the subject of speculation since Herbst began an evaluation this summer of the athletic department focusing on academic performance, NCAA compliance and fundraising.
Herbst praised Hathaway and told reporters he had said it was the “right time to move on.”
