Portland State A.D. Has Inside Track Sterk Will Interview Today At WSU As Search Process Nears Its End

Portland State University athletic director Jim Sterk has emerged as the top candidate for the same position at Washington State.

Sterk is scheduled to be in Pullman today for his second round of interviews. He met with WSU officials in Spokane two weeks ago. At that time, Sterk was among as many as six candidates still in the hunt for the position vacated by Rick Dickson in March. Now it appears that Sterk is the top choice.

A decision is expected late next week.

Washington State president Lane Rawlins, who has played his cards close to his vest throughout, offered no specifics on Sterk or the search.

“We are still in the process of narrowing the field and we are talking to several candidates,” he said.

If indeed that is true, Rawlins had better start talking fast. Especially because he followed the previous statement with “I hope to have the process complete by the end of next week.”

Considering that Rawlins is scheduled to be out of Pullman at the beginning of the week, that doesn’t leave much time for on-campus interviews.

Sterk elaborated only slightly further than Rawlins about his possible hiring.

“I have discussed the position with them and I am going to be meeting with them,” he told The (Portland) Oregonian.

Since Sterk’s wife was scheduled to travel with him to Pullman this weekend, it appears that his interest in the job is high.

If Sterk does accept the job, he would inherit a program in desperate need of leadership. The Cougars have floundered in all major sports the past two years. As a result, two coaches have been fired and one quit.

Attendance at Cougars sporting events has also waned severely as casual fans have turned their attention away.

Still, the WSU athletic director opening has attracted a lot of attention.

Rawlins initially made a run at Oregon AD Bill Moos (a former Cougar). Saint Louis University, Idaho’s Mike Bohn and Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson were others who were in the mix.

Rawlins reportedly narrowed the field to Sterk earlier this week.

While Sterk has not received unabashed praise for cultivating a relationship with fans while at Portland State, he does have a reputation of being straightforward and willing to take on challenges.

Since arriving in Portland, he has spearheaded major fund-raising efforts, including a $1 million challenge grant, the largest single gift in university history.

In his five years, Sterk has pushed the Vikings to become competitive at the Division I level. The football team, which plays in Division I-AA, was 8-3 last year.

Sterk, 44, came to Portland State in 1995 after a four-year stay at Tulane, where he held the title of senior associate A.D. for development and director of the Green Wave Club. During his tenure, the Green Wave Club added 3,200 donors.

Prior to Tulane, Sterk serviced in athletic administration at North Carolina, Maine and Seattle Pacific. As a student, he played football and basketball at Western Washington.