The University of Louisville is in the market for a new president and a new athletic director. Earlier this morning, Dr. Neeli Bendapudi was named the new president of Penn State University. As for Vince Tyra, it was believed he would be named athletic director at Florida State University today. However, that did not come to fruition and there was some belief he might return to UofL. In the end, that was not the case either. His resignation letter, dated December 8th, made his exit official. It is believed he will return to the private sector for other opportunities.
Dr. Bendapudi arrived at UofL after serving as provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of Kansas. She helped usher UofL through difficult times after the university was rocked with scandals. She was able to improve the academic profile of UofL and make efforts for greater diversity and inclusion within the university. Penn State is definitely a tier above UofL academically and it’s completely understandable why she took the opportunity.
As for Tyra, he stepped in to the role of athletic director on an interim basis in late 2017 before assuming the role permanently in March 2018. His two biggest hires are current men’s basketball coach Chris Mack and current football coach Scott Satterfield. Tyra has been the point man in dealing with the NCAA case against men’s basketball and it is expected he will continue to cooperate in that regard. He also retained successful coaches Jeff Walz and Dan McDonnell.
UofL will now look to name an interim president and interim AD. After that, a search will likely begin in earnest for a new permanent president followed quickly, or possibly in conjunction with, a search for a new AD. While the departures of Dr. Bendapudi and Mr. Tyra leave a big void in leadership, the university will be fine. CSZ wishes all the best to Dr. Neeli Bendapudi and Vince Tyra.
