June 2, 2008

DeKalb, Ill. -- Northern Illinois opened a new chapter in its athletic history Monday as Jeff Compher officially begins his duties as the Huskies' new associate vice-president and director of athletics.

Compher, who was named to the NIU post on April 15, said he will initially spend time gathering information and not making immediate changes.

"I will be observing and listening more than doing for the first few weeks," he said. "I will be meeting with colleagues across campus as well as with our senior staff and each of our head coaches. I want to get a handle on what their issues are and learn about their priorities. President Peters and I have already had a very good meeting, and certainly it is important that we are on the same page."

In the short term, Compher will be involved in hiring a new men's tennis coach, finalizing the athletic department budget for 2008-09 and future football scheduling. With all intercollegiate athletic events completed for the year and the spring semester grades revealing that student-athletes posted NIU's sixth straight 3.0 grade point average, he said this is the perfect time for a transition.

"With any new job, it is like drinking water from a fire hose for a while," he said. "There is so much to learn and do. Fortunately, this is a good time of year to come in because there are no athletic contests or events, and our student-athletes have completed a very successful spring semester; I certainly offer my congratulations to them on once again achieving a 3.0 GPA."

Over the last six weeks, Compher not only completed his tenure at the University of Washington, where he served as executive associate athletic director for the last three years, but also familiarized himself with the NIU Huskies and attended Mid-American Conference meetings.

"I sent the head coaches and senior staff a questionnaire, and reading those responses was enlightening," Compher said. "Going to the conference meetings was helpful as I had the opportunity learn about the league and to meet and spend time with [MAC Commissioner] Rick Chryst and my fellow athletic directors, as well as the senior administrators and faculty representatives."

On his first official day on the job, Compher reiterated that his initial excitement over his new position has only increased over the last six weeks.

"Every day I get more excited about the job as I get a feel for how things are going in the athletic department and how things are done at the university," he said. "I am also learning more about the community and am anxious to get my family [wife Cathy and sons C.J. and David] here so that we can make the transition to a place which is going to be a great fit for us."

Compher also expressed his thanks to Deputy Associate Athletic Director Robert Collins, who served as the Huskies' interim athletic director.

"I want to thank Robert Collins for stepping in and leading the department this spring," Compher said. "His input has been invaluable and I know that he will continue to assist me in making this transition."

In addition to his three years at Washington, Compher brings previous experience as an athletic director to NIU as he led the program at Western Carolina University from 2000-04. Compher succeeds Jim Phillips, who left Northern Illinois to take over the program at Northwestern University.

-- NIU --