Dick Seagrave, interim president of the university, and James Melsa, chairman of the athletic director committee, both feel that at this point it would benefit the school and the benefit of the candidates to keep confidential the decisions of the committee.

“The issue is that we keep confidentiality in order for top candidates to feel comfortable that our decision not to choose them will not be made public,” Melsa said.

Melsa said that the committee does not have the final say on who will be chosen for the position. It is only advisory, and ultimately it is Murray Blackwelder’s, ISU’s vice president of external affairs, decision who will be chosen as the new athletic director.

Blackwelder said that after the committee met, he was given information as to who the committee felt would be best for the position.

Blackwelder plans to meet with Seagrave to review the material with which they were provided by the committee and if they reach a final decision, a background check will be done on the finalist.

The final step they will take, according to Blackwelder, will be to notify the board of regents and then make a public announcement.

Seagrave is confident that the committee will make the right choice.

“I am optimistic that we will have an outstanding person as our next athletic director and we hope to name this person by Nov. 1.”

The three finalists for the position were announced at the beginning of October.

David Martin, senior associate athletic director at Oklahoma State University, was an associate athletic director from 1983 to 1998, and in 1999 was given the position he now holds.

Martin has also held the position of interim athletic director at Oklahoma State twice and has been the interim commissioner of the Big 12 conference.

Paul Griffin, director of intercollegiate activities at University of South Florida, has held athletic director positions at many universities including Jacksonville University and Roanoke College.

Griffin has held his current position since 1986.

The final candidate is Bruce Van De Velde, senior athletic director of the University of Oklahoma. Van De Velde has held various athletic director positions at several universities, such as Utah State University, University of Missouri, Kansas State University, Tulane University, and University of Iowa.

Van De Velde has held his current position since 1999.