April 15, 2008
Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Jeff Compher
On what attracted him to the position:
"This position really became attractive to me at first because of (previous Athletics Director Dr. Jim Phillips). His reputation and what he's demonstrated through his leadership over the last few years at this university really said to me (NIU President Dr. John Peters) is a man who gets it in higher education.' It was attractive to me because of the coaches, the staff, the student-athletes, the other university admin from across this campus that said, 'Let's improve our athletics, let's make it a world-class opportunity for student-athletes,' and that has happened. The foundation for success had been laid by Jim and what he's done. Now it's time to move to the next level, and we'll continue to do that academically athletically and socially on behalf of our student-athletes."
On his first impressions of NIU and DeKalb:
"(Head Football) Coach (Jerry) Kill, (Head Basketball) Coach (Ricardo) Patton and I were talking, and all three of us took the positions sight unseen, if you will. So this is my first trip down to the campus, with my family. We hadn't had a chance to see that campus and see the facilities. We've been through a pretty quick tour of things and, I've got to tell you, I'm a lot more excited about this after I've seen what you've done. There are facilities here that don't exist in some of the top conferences in the country, and I know because I've been there. This is a special place."
On Huskie Athletics supporters:
"Thanks to all the families, all the people who have said, 'We want to invest in Huskie Athletics, we want to make this a better place for our student-athletes, we're going to be more competitive."
On the fit of Northern Illinois University and DeKalb:
"When the president says he believes it's a good fit, it is a good fit. We share a lot of the common values and ways of doing things that I think can really get us to that next level. It's also something that my family will relate to, and something that we'll be able to fit in this community. We have lived a number of different places around this country, and my wife and sons are excited about moving to an area that is a college town where people know each other and get to know each other and have an opportunity to be a part of the success of this program."
On initial goals:
"I think it's incumbent on me to spend a lot of time with (the staff and coaches), find out what the needs of this department are. That's going to take some time. The great thing is I don't have to come in and fix anything right away. There's not anything that I can see out there that says 'This is an emergency situation, and let's get in here and revamp what's going on here.' That is not my objective here, my objective is to learn about what's been done and figure out where we go from there, together."
"I really want to get to know the coaches and the student-athletes. That's a big priority for me. As we talk about the student-athlete experience, the practitioners of that are the coaches. They're the ones that can create the best experience for student-athletes, and I want to make sure I get to know them and understand what their philosophies are, and help them bring great student-athletes here, to Northern Illinois University."
On the current trajectory of the athletic department:
"If we can continue down the path, and get a little better in everything we do along the way, eventually we'll be where we want to be. That's with championships, great student-athletes, good grades, and good citizenship."
On the future of Huskie Athletics:
"We're not through yet. (The Yordon Center) and what we're doing here is just the beginning. We're going to move forward. We can't rest on our laurels with what's already been done. Sure, we've made a lot of advances here, and I applaud Jim and the staff for doing that, but let's keep going. Let's get some energy behind it now and let's keep building on it. This is just the beginning, and we're going to get a lot better in everything we do."
Northern Illinois University President Dr. John Peters
On finding a successor to former NIU A.D. Jim Phillips:
"When Jim Phillips informed me that he was taking the position at Northwestern, I knew this position, was going to be one of the most sought after in Division I athletics because of the hard work of the people here, Jim Phillips and the support of the community, the tremendous compliment of coaches, and the success in the classroom. Because of all of that, I knew how important it was that we find the best person in the country we could to take over and take it even further. I was right. Because, as soon as the vacancy was announced, all the communication started from around the country."
On the search process:
"We engaged a search firm, Parker Executive Search. We talked to a lot of people in athletics. I talked to a lot of people around the country I know just to get their experiences. There were several names that kept popping up. Our new athletic directors name was prominent in those. We did an intensive search of all the rising associate athletic directors, executive athletic directors and sitting athletic directors all around the country."
On the qualities the new athletic director would need:
"We developed a set of qualities we needed. That was developed by working with the screening committee in athletics and others, remembering the product we have, what we are and where we want to go. We certainly were looking for experience. We were looking for someone with experience in national intercollegiate athletics, which has become so complex. I personally wanted someone who was, first and foremost, scholar-athlete centered. They're most important to me. In my experience, that's what we're here for. We needed somebody that fits NIU and I know we've found that."
