University to name new interim director of athletics
The University of Regina is set to name a new interim director of athletics to replace the current interim director of athletics.
Curtis Atkinson, who has filled the role since Dick White retired in December 2014, is to leave the position at the end of June. He and his family are moving to Kamloops, B.C.
Harold Riemer — the dean of the U of R’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies — wants a new person in place about a month before Atkinson leaves, so a replacement should be named this week.
“We’re working right now on an in-house solution,” Riemer said. “That doesn’t mean we won’t need to hire somewhere for some backfill, but for that (director) role, given the length of time we’re looking at and where we are, it makes good sense to keep it in house.”
As a result, Riemer has been looking for candidates among the school’s coaching staff and faculty.
Atkinson took the job midway through the 2014-15 Canada West season after White retired following 19 seasons as director of athletics. It was expected a permanent replacement would be hired in spring 2015, but that didn’t happen. Atkinson remained in place through the 201516 season and handled everything that came his way.
“Curtis has done a fantastic job,” Riemer said. “The program has moved forward and we’ve done some good things here, things that are new, over the last year and a half when he’s been in that role.
“‘Interim’ isn’t necessarily the bad word people think it is. We’ve had an athletic director for the last 18 months who has done a good job. Period.”
Riemer defended his choice to have Atkinson fill in for a year and a half, noting that having an interim director gave people at the university a chance to reflect on the overall atmosphere on campus.
In fact, Riemer predicted that reflecting again in five years’ time would lead people to say the school did the right thing by not immediately hiring a full-time replacement for White.
For Riemer, going with another interim director is the way to go.
Riemer is arranging to have an athletic review done in September and there’s a reorganization of the KHS faculty coming. Those things could alter the director of athletics job, so hiring a full-time director may not be prudent at the moment.
“I remember having a conversation with a leadership team and saying, ‘We can go ahead and advertise to fill this spot. What do you think, knowing what’s coming?’ ” River said. “The advice I got was that it puts the incoming person in a really awkward spot.
“We’d rather have it really clear for whoever we’re going to hire into that role — whatever that role ends up being; it may change a little bit — and say, ‘This is what the role is. And this is the direction we’re going with athletics and with the faculty.’ ”