New Might Mean Better at Cal State Northridge

The administrative lineup at Cal State Northridge has changed dramatically during the last year.

A new athletic director. A new compliance officer. A new interim president.

Soon, an administrator in charge of fund-raising will join the fold. And, most important, a new president on a permanent basis.

All will have a significant influence on the athletic future of Northridge, which has 27,000 students and is the San Fernando Valley’s only four-year university.

But for good or bad?

Indications are Northridge--its athletic department rocked by scandal in recent years and desperately in need of a financial shot in the arm--is headed in the right direction.

To be sure, the biggest player in future developments will be Jolene Koester, who on July 1 will become the fourth president in university history.

Koester, 51, a former provost and vice president of academic affairs at Cal State Sacramento, was hired in November to replace Blenda J. Wilson, who left in June.

Aside from dealing with important campus issues such as burgeoning enrollment and remedial education, Koester inherits the task of boosting Northridge’s fund-raising, a necessary step toward achieving the athletic department’s lofty goals.

Northridge’s track record on fund-raising is dismal--no secret to new administrators. Their success will require developing a fresh approach.

“Part of the problem 1/8has been 3/8 stability,” said Bobby Braswell, men’s basketball coach. “There have been a lot of uncertainties in this department over the last few years, whether it’s people with interim titles or ‘Are you going to be in this conference or that conference?’ And we’ve done some things to shoot ourselves in the foot. But things have become more stable. Now it’s time to start approaching these people again.”

Koester provided few specifics regarding athletics during her visits to campus last fall, although evaluating the plan to build a new stadium on the North Campus was among her stated priorities. That will require building stronger links with businesses and organizations in the neighboring community. And soothing tensions among neighbors opposed to the project.

Coaches and administrators have expressed optimism about Koester’s commitment to advancing the school’s academic agenda.

Jeff Kearin, promoted last week from interim to permanent football coach, dismisses indications Northridge might scale back its football program.

Northridge is exploring a move from the Big Sky Conference to the Big West, which would result in the Matadors competing as an independent and with fewer scholarships to offer.

Kearin, however, is convinced the program will be sustained.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t feel that way,” Kearin said. “I’ve always said this is the job I wanted. I’ve been given a firm commitment to 1/8the program’s 3/8 longevity at a high level, from the president on down.”

There are other reasons to be optimistic.

Dick Dull, hired in May as athletic director, has proven to be an effective leader. Under Dull, former athletic director at Maryland, Northridge appears to have rid itself from the remnants of an internal investigation that rocked the football program, resulting in the firing in July of former coach Ron Ponciano.

Dull made a wise move promoting Kearin, a competent and affable former Northridge assistant who guided the Matadors through a respectable season in 1999. Dull also has taken a realistic view of the school’s conference affiliation, carefully considering a move to the Big West.

Reports indicate Northridge might be invited to join the Big West as soon as next month. If the Matadors join, it would eliminate pressure from the Big Sky for Northridge to rapidly construct a stadium. It also would ease financial strains on a number of levels--like travel expenses.

Northridge then could plot its athletic future more carefully and deliberately.

Darryl Pope, former compliance officer at Temple, will assume the same post at Northridge on Jan. 10, replacing Kathleen Heitzman, who resigned in August. Given Pope’s experience in Division I, he appears to be another strong addition.

Northridge is close to hiring an administrator in charge of fund-raising, a move expected within the next few weeks. Generating donations from the community long has been a shortcoming of the university. And so, it remains among its biggest priorities, athletic and otherwise.

How rapidly Northridge’s administration improves on this front will determine much of the school’s athletic progress.