High School Alumni Search

Boise State beginning search for new AD

BOISE, Idaho -- Boise State President Bob Kustra made clear his top priority in the job description for a new athletic director: Candidates must play by NCAA rules as they strive to advance Bronco sports to the next level.

But interested candidates should also have the skill to help Boise State transition into a tougher new conference, and quite possibly with the stigma and challenges of NCAA sanctions the school faces for violations in the football program and other sports.

The next Bronco sports chief should also know how to raise money -- either from a small base of fans, alumni and corporate donors or through innovative marketing -- needed to expand the Bronco Stadium, build a swanky new football complex and sweeten the contract that keeps football coach Chris Petersen from trading southwestern Idaho for the next high-profile coaching vacancy.

Kustra, a former Illinois lieutenant governor who came to Boise nine years ago, announced Wednesday the ouster of longtime athletic director Gene Bleymaier. Kustra praised Bleymaier's achievements over the last 30 years, but said the university needs new leadership as it emerges from its first investigation into NCAA infractions.

Kustra was out of town and did not respond to an interview request from The Associated Press on Thursday. He intends to appoint an interim athletic director after Bleymaier officially steps down on Sept. 8 then being a national search for a permanent athletic director.

Like Bleymaier, Kustra dreams big for Boise State. Kustra has been a big proponent of getting Boise State into a higher-profile conference and he's been a vocal critic of the BCS for creating a system that works against schools from smaller conferences without automatic invitations to the big postseason games.

The question facing Kustra and the kind of candidate he will seek hinges on how continued athletic success fits into his bigger vision for the university.

"It's the same for every college president these days," said Michael Mondello, a professor at Florida State University's sports management school and researcher focused on money in college sports. "How do they want to deal with the fundraising pressure? What role do they want athletics to play if they really value the academic growth. It's a tough business model."

With the financial and compliance challenges facing the next Bronco sports chief, Mondello said Boise State could be the latest school to look beyond career administrators or former coaches to fill the job. Last year, Michigan hired the former CEO of Domino's Pizza to manage the athletic department and its $122 million budget. In 2008, Notre Dame hired Jack Swarbrick, a lawyer and sports agent, to help revive Irish football and basketball programs.

Are You a Graduate of Pine Tree High School? We are looking for ...

Pine Tree High School alumni are scattered across the country, and even around the world.  But no matter where their lives have led them, alumni all share a common bond – and that’s the place they started out.  That’s why the Pine Tree Education Foundation is working on a new publication designed to help bring PT alumni back together.

The new alumni directory will include comprehensive biographical listings with contact information, career overviews, and family highlights for alumni of Pine Tree.  To make sure that the directory is as comprehensive and up-to-date as possible, the publisher, Harris Connect, will contact alumni by mail, email and phone in the next few months to verify that the information printed is accurate and complete.  Harris Connect has more than 45 years of experience researching and publishing alumni and membership directories.

Alumni of Pine Tree Senior High were recently mailed postcards from Harris Connect urging alumni to call the toll free number 1-866-834-3121 to update their biographical information. This is the second alumni directory that Pine Tree has published in cooperation with Harris Connect. A previous edition was published in 1994.

“The directory provides a great opportunity for our graduates to reconnect,” said Vickie Echols, Director of PT Education Foundation. “This is an invaluable tool for those planning class reunions.”

The alumni directory will be available in both a softbound or hardbound edition as well as CD Rom. The directory is scheduled to be completed and mailed mid February 2012. Harris Connect, based in Virginia, has produced more than 4,000 books for a variety of colleges, universities, high schools, and membership associations all over North America.

“I understand that alumni were happy with the outcome of the previous directory which was published in 1994, said Echols.  “It was apparently successful due to the interest, excitement and assistance provided by hundreds of our valued former graduates.  If you are a graduate of Pine Tree High School or you know someone who is, you are encouraged to join the effort once again as we strive to make this our most comprehensive and successful edition to date.”

The Harris Connect staff will be contacting Pine Tree alumni by written correspondence and/or telephone during the months of August through December.

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