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Four candidates are announced for Western Carolina's athletic director

Four candidates for the position of athletic director at Western Carolina University will visit the campus in January and early February for interviews.

Names of the candidates were announced Tuesday by Bill Haggard, associate vice chancellor for student affairs at Western and chairman of the athletic director search committee. The committee, assembled in November, has been conducting a nationwide search for Western's next AD. Larry Travis, athletic director at WCU since 1992, announced in October his plans to retire in June.

Interviews of candidates will begin Thursday, Jan. 20, and are scheduled to be completed by Tuesday, Feb. 1. In addition to meetings with university administrators, athletic department administrative staff, coaches and student-athletes, the candidates will attend receptions open to the campus and surrounding community.

The four finalists are:

Steven Cobb, athletic director at Georgia Southwestern State, a 2,581-student institution in Americus, that competes in the Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Cobb will visit campus Monday, Jan. 31, and Tuesday, Feb. 1, with a reception from 4-5 p.m. Feb. 1 in the lobby of the Mountain Heritage Center.

Jeffery Compher, senior associate athletic director at Vanderbilt, a 9,996-student institution in Nashville, Tenn., that competes in the Southeastern Conference . Compher will visit campus Thursday, Jan. 27, and Friday, Jan. 28, with a reception from 4-5 p.m. Jan. 28 in the lobby of the Mountain Heritage Center.

Michael Moore, athletic director at Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis, a 27,821-student institution in Indianapolis that competes in the Mid-Continent Conference. Moore will visit campus Wednesday, Jan. 26, and Thursday, Jan. 27, with a reception from 4-5 p.m. Jan. 27 in the lobby of the Mountain Heritage Center.

Tom Seitz, athletic director at Jacksonville a 2,118-student institution in Jacksonville, Fla., that competes in the Trans America Athletic Conference. Seitz will visit campus Thursday, Jan. 20, and Friday, Jan. 21, with a reception from 4-5 p.m. Jan. 21 on the concourse of the Ramsey Regional Activity Center.

The 13-member search committee, working with the assistance of a national search firm, considered more than 120 candidates and narrowed the field to 20 finalists before selecting the four invited for on-campus interviews.

After the interview process, the search committee is expected to recommend its top candidates, without ranking them, to Chancellor John Bardo, said Haggard. Bardo's choice will then be submitted to Western's board of trustees for approval at its March 1 meeting, with final approval required from The University of North Carolina Board of Governors.

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