bonwich Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 copyright 2004, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Santa Clara AD is top candidate for SLU job By Stu Durando Published: Monday, Jun. 14 2004 Santa Clara University athletic director Cheryl Levick has emerged as the leading candidate for the vacant AD job at St. Louis University and will undergo a second round of interviews Tuesday, sources have told the Post-Dispatch. The University of Missouri graduate and former Pattonville High teacher is one of several applicants who previously interviewed with the eight-member search committee. However, she is the only candidate scheduled for a second visit and is considered the frontrunner. She will meet with athletic department employees, coaches and student-athletes. Search committee chairman Michael Ross has not been willing to release the name of candidates to this point and was unavailable for comment. Levick was the first female AD at Santa Clara and in the West Coast Conference. If hired, she would be the second woman to hold the position at SLU, following Debbie Yow, who preceded Doug Woolard. Woolard was hired as AD at South Florida last month, and his last day at SLU was June 7. Levick did not return a phone message before attending the Division I-AAA Athletic Directors Association meeting over the weekend in Dallas. On Saturday she was named president of the organization, which represents the 90 Division I schools that do not have football. Neither Santa Clara nor SLU have football. Santa Clara is a Jesuit Catholic university located south of the San Francisco Bay area near San Jose, Calif. Levick signed a five-year contract with the school in 2000. She was a finalist for the job at San Diego State in 2003. Levick has been AD at Santa Clara for four years and previously spent 12 years at Stanford as senior associate athletic director and senior women's administrator. She also has worked as an assistant commissioner in the Pacific 10 and as an assistant director of communications for the NCAA. She was named by the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators as the 2000 Division I athletic administrator of the year. She also was selected as one of the country's top 25 female sports executives by Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal in 1998 and 1999. Levick graduated from Mizzou in 1974 and has a master's degree in athletic administration from Indiana University. She began her career at Pattonville, where she coached gymnastics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 when frank c leaked her name a few weeks ago on kfns, i felt she was an outstanding candidate. i hope she is the choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjray Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 I like two points about her: (a) experience at a Jesuit school and ( STL connection. It would be great to get a solid AD who wants to make St. Louis his or her permanent home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schasz Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 Plus her AD experience is with another non-football university. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 I was really hoping your boy Bothoff(sp?) would come through. I know what a big fan you are of that gentleman ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 those are two great points, but i think it appears she is quite the go-getter as well appeals most to me. imo, there is no doubt that debbie yow was the best ad we have had in the last 20+ years. the success that all the maryland programs have experienced probably speaks volumes about what debbie yow has done. it seems like levrick is a lot like debbie yow in the success she has had thus far. i couldnt care less that she is a woman, but one has to admit that it is somewhat of a man's good ole boy network out there and if ms levrick is succeeding in spite of that, one can only believe she is quite the go getter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worthington Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 I went to Pattonville but don't remember her. Must have been before my time. I'll ask around to see if anyone remembers her. Let's hope she knows her way around a marketing textbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basketbill Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 Taking a quick look at Levick's resume and thinking back to Debbie Yow's background before she came to St. Louis, it appears that Levick is bring a broader experience to the position. Levick's previous AD experience at a Jesuit school, plus her 12 years experience at Stanford, and her Pac10 and NCAA communication experience, presents a terrific job candidate. My recall is that Ms. Yow, along with her administrative experience, had also been a women's college basketball coach. We were fortunate to get Yow (who has done an excellent job at Maryland) and hopefully SLU will be as fortunate in landing Ms. Levick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobo Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 I remember someone mentioning Ms Levick as a hopeful candidate when Woolard announced his interest in USF. I think she would do well at SLU. I hope she likes marketing and fund raising. What is the timeline for hiring the AD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjray Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 Looks like she is well regarded by her colleagues at 1-AAA: http://santaclarabroncos.collegesports.com.../061404aaa.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 The only timeline issue is identifying the very best candidate! If the SLU teams win with their pending non-conference schedules, the marketing will mostly take care of itself. Administration, scheduling and fundraising are the keys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted June 14, 2004 Share Posted June 14, 2004 I like the part on her fundraising successes which is mostly implied by the new programs and renovations she has overseen (is she originally from St. Louis?): Cheryl L. Levick enters her fourth year as the Director of Athletics and Recreation at Santa Clara University having, during her short tenure, made significant progress towards placing the institution in a position of national athletics prominence. One of the most dynamic and respected administrators in college athletics, Levick has overseen a time of significant growth at Santa Clara. In her first three years at the Mission Campus, Levick reorganized the department's administrative staff, spearheaded a major renovation of its basketball arena, opened a new administrative office suite, received a $42.75 million commitment from the University's capital campaign and developed a five-year strategic plan. During that time, the department has also added nine new athletic scholarships, sold out and managed the 2002 NCAA Men’s Basketball West Regional, won the school's first-ever NCAA title in a women's sport when the women's soccer team claimed the 2001 national championship and successfully completed an NCAA certification process. Levick is the first female athletic director to be appointed at Santa Clara, and the first female athletic director in the West Coast Conference. She also entered a position in which fewer than 10 percent of Division I athletic directors nationwide are women. Levick is also a senior administrator at the 8,000-student Jesuit Catholic university. "Cheryl brought the skills and expertise to develop a broad-based program which is gaining national recognition for its quality and success among universities of our size and scope," Locatelli said. "She is a strong leader who can inspire a shared vision for athletics that is integral to the mission of the University. She is a symbol of the future of Santa Clara athletics." Levick came to Santa Clara from nearby Stanford, where she has spent 12 years as the senior associate athletic director and senior women's administrator. She served as the department's chief operating officer, overseeing the internal operations of the department and served as the primary administrator for 33 varsity sports programs that-for more than a decade-has been considered the best in the country. She also oversaw student services, NCAA compliance and eligibility, sports medicine and strength programs, post season championships and personnel. During Levick's tenure at Stanford, the Cardinal won 44 national championships and six-straight Sears Cup titles. She added three sports to the Cardinal program, and increased participation from 600 to 800 student-athletes, in part by the 20 scholarships she added. Administratively, Levick implemented an extensive coaches' housing assistance program, developed Stanford's own internal academic advising program and created almost two dozen positions in departments such as weight training and conditioning, compliance, athletic training and administrative support. She is the WCC representative to the NCAA Management Council and completed a term as the chair of the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics. Levick also served on the board of directors for the San Jose Sports Authority, the organizing committee for the Bay Area's bid for the 2012 Olympic Games and has been as a member of the Pacific-10 Conference Council as well as several other league committees. She chaired the Local Organizing Committee for the 1999 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four, which was hosted by Stanford and held at the then-named San Jose Arena. Levick was honored as the 2000 Division I Athletic Administrator of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators. In 1998 and 1999 she was named one of the nation's Top 25 Female Sports Executives by Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal. In the spring of 2001, she was honored with a Bay Area Woman of Achievement Award. Levick is also an active speaker on issues of sport and leadership, student-athlete welfare and gender equity. She is currently one of seven administrators nationally who serve as an executive mentor in the NCAA Fellow Leadership Development Program. Prior to her stint at Stanford in 1988, Levick was an assistant commissioner of the Pac-10 Conference, an assistant director of communications and women's programs at the NCAA, the women's gymnastics coach and associate athletic director at Slippery Rock University, and the assistant gymnastics coach and synchronized swim coach at Indiana University. Levick began her career at Pattonville Senior High School in St. Louis, Mo., where she coached gymnastics and assisted in coaching the women's track team. Levick is a 1974 graduate of the University of Missouri, and holds a master's degree in athletic administration from Indiana University. Levick has two daughters, Heather and Melissa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheltiedave Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Ms. Levick is the barnburner we need. If we do get her, it would be an outstanding committment to the future of the athletic department. Being thirty years out of college puts her at 52 years old, so she is getting close to this being her retirement job. Santa Clara, home of the Banana Slugs, recently won the NCAA women's soccer championship. It would be great to see our distaff soccer team do the same! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobo Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Santa Clara are the Broncos. I believe Santa Cruz are the Banana Slugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basketbill Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Santa Cruz is a UC school with an incredible campus, they just started having competitive sports less than ten years ago as it was developed by the touchy feely type in education, and initially no grades were given. Then silicon valley erupted and even the touchy feely types wanted grades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheltiedave Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Darn, that would be a great headline - From the Banana Slugs to the Billikens...:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alonzo P Hawk Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 they said on the news last night that her interview is today at slu. [wrap]http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/stlo/sports/m-baskbl/auto_action/fisher_sloan_drejaj_021804.jpg[/wrap] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseman Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 This is not an interview visit - this a chance for both parties to get to know each other on a more personal level including what kind of a financial package both have in mind. She is interviewing us as much as we are interviewing her. Obviously, she liked what she saw/heard and is willing to come in for some straight talk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alonzo P Hawk Posted June 16, 2004 Share Posted June 16, 2004 i guess that means you shouldn't believe everything you hear on the televizzle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alonzo P Hawk Posted June 16, 2004 Share Posted June 16, 2004 "Levick had a full day of meetings and tours and attended a reception upon returning for a second round of interviews."-stltoday.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseman Posted June 16, 2004 Share Posted June 16, 2004 Hawk - obviously you have never interviewed for top job - the first round along with all the preliminary checking is the interview as you define it. The second time you come in then both of you are feeling each other out. Read the Post article - they describe exactly what I said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alonzo P Hawk Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 it's still called an interview, bro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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