Northridge Hands Reins to Bubb : Administration: Chief fund-raiser to replace Hiegert on interim basis as school’s athletic director.

The Cal State Northridge administrator entrusted with raising athletic funds from beyond the campus border has been called on to pilot the program through its latest internal financial squall.

Paul Bubb, the department’s chief fund-raiser, will be introduced today as the school’s interim athletic director, sources said Tuesday.

He replaces Bob Hiegert, the school’s athletic director for the past 17 years.

In a surprising administrative shakeup, Hiegert was asked to step down Monday and is expected to be reassigned to a teaching position in the physical education department.

The school has called a press conference for 2:30 today to address “personnel matters” within the department.

Ron Kopita, the dean of students who oversees the athletic department and is intimately familiar with its long-running financial troubles, is expected to be present. Kopita is meeting with athletic department staff members at 1 p.m.

Northridge President Blenda J. Wilson said Tuesday that she did not initiate the athletic department’s organizational overhaul but approved Hiegert’s change of job status.

Hiegert is a tenured member of the faculty.

“Bob and Ron have agreed that Bob Hiegert will assume his faculty position on a full-time basis [in the fall],” Wilson said.

Bubb has been an associate athletic director at Northridge since 1990. He last year helped the school land a 10-year, $500,000 sponsorship deal with Pepsi.

Kopita didn’t have many options in terms of choosing a temporary successor for Hiegert, a former Northridge coach and athlete. Of Hiegert’s three associate athletic directors, Bubb was essentially the only one available.

According to sources, the job held by Debby De Angelis--the associate athletic director in charge of business affairs--also is in jeopardy.

Judy Brame, the senior associate athletic director, is vacationing in Greece until early next month.

Bubb graduated from Monmouth (Ill.) College and before moving to Northridge served as the director of alumni and parenting programs at Drake University.

Bubb did not return phone messages Tuesday.

* Staff writers Mike Hiserman and John Chandler contributed to this story.