UCI Presses Talks With Rothermel : Candidate: Irvine officials seek compromise on funding with former UNLV athletic director.

UC Irvine is stepping up negotiations with Brad Rothermel, the former Nevada Las Vegas athletic director, as it seeks to meet its goal of naming an athletic director by Nov. 1.

Though Rothermel has not been offered the job, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Horace Mitchell had a 30-minute telephone conversation with him Thursday night, trying to find middle ground regarding Rothermel’s insistence on dramatically increased funding for the athletic department, Rothermel said.

Rothermel said Mitchell--after discussing the situation with acting chancellor L. Dennis Smith--indicated UC Irvine would like to compromise on Rothermel’s request that the department budget be increased at least $1 million to as much as $4.5 million. He also asked Rothermel to soften his demands.

Rothermel, who has spoken with Mitchell several times in the past week, said he agreed to consider solutions over the weekend.

“I won’t come down, because I know what’s required,” said Rothermel, who maintains that the athletic program’s success is contingent on improved funding. “I might discuss a phase-in, but not over four or five years. That’s too long.”

Though Mitchell’s efforts have focused on Rothermel, he renewed contact on Thursday with the other remaining finalist, Vic Cegles, an assistant athletic director at Arizona State. Cegles said Mitchell told him by telephone that he has not been eliminated. It was the first time the two had spoken since Cegles was on campus more than two weeks ago.

Like Rothermel, Cegles says the department is underfunded, but he has not been as specific about budget goals, and he has not made increased funding a condition of accepting the job if it is offered.

The stance Rothermel has taken on increased funding complicates the decision-making of Mitchell and acting chancellor Smith, who have made campus addresses this week on the university’s financial situation.

Increasing the athletic budget--even if part of the increase comes from community donations--at a time when other areas of the campus are suffering from cuts--would almost certainly be met with criticism.

Smith, in a “state of the campus” speech Thursday, told the faculty that the crisis “is not a short-term problem,” and that the cuts of the past year should be considered permanent.

Rothermel, asked if he has become pessimistic about the possibility of reaching an agreement with Irvine, said, “Not yet.”