On Feb. 13 Warde Manuel left UB to take the athletic director position at UConn.
Fifty-two days later the school is still searching for his replacement.
If the school adheres to the deadline set by President Satish K. Tripathi, there will be less than 40 days before the new AD is hired.
Tripathi named co-chairs to the search committee - vice-president for university life and services Dennis Black and vice-president of the UB Foundation Francis Letro - and gave them until commencement to fill the position vacancy.
To do so, Buffalo has hired Parker Executive Search to conduct the process narrowing in on candidates. It was this firm that aided in bringing head football coach Jeff Quinn to Buffalo.
According to the company website, schools like Notre Dame, Georgia and Tennessee have also hired Parker to find athletic directors. Most recently former Ohio head basketball coach John Groce was brought to Illinois using a Parker search.
Once the search firm identifies the candidates, they will go through a screening process and the top candidates will be presented to Tripathi.
The screening committee is a mixture of Buffalo student-athletes, coaches, and staff members, as well as members of the UB Foundation and community members.
Junior football player Alex Neutz and senior volleyball player Abby Niekamp are the only two athletes on the committee. They are joined by men's basketball coach Reggie Witherspoon, tennis coach Kathy Twist, and associate athletic director Anucha Browne-Sanders, who represent the athletics dept.
Buffalo Bills CEO Russ Brandon, and Dean of Undergraduate Students and Vice-Provost A. Scott Webber also highlight the list.
Starting Wednesday, information on the search will be made public on the university's website, and an email address will be set up to solicit questions and nominations regarding the search process.
There still remains some uncertainty within the athletic department at Buffalo. While interim athletic director John Lambert is handling the day-to-day operations, important decisions loom for the next person to take the job, and those affected are waiting.
Head coach of the women's basketball team Linda Hill-MacDonald is a prime example. Her contract expires prior to the start of next season, and a decision needs to be made about her future. The school can part ways, or resign her, but either way something has to be done by the start of the next school year.
The Spectrum reached out to Hill-MacDonald to ask her about the strain of dealing with an uncertain future. She declined to be interviewed but issued a statement:
"I have a great deal of faith in the search committee to identify the best possible candidate for our next athletic director. At that time I will address my situation, but right now my focus is helping this team get better each and every day."
While other coaches may not be waiting on their job statuses, there still is a sentiment of anticipation for who the next boss will be. Head football coach Jeff Quinn is in that camp as well but he has full faith in the people heading up the search.
"We have a lot of competent people, very sharp individuals that are heading up the search," Quinn said. "They will make the right decision that's in the best interest for this university."
Whoever the next AD is he or she will have a solid foundation created by Manuel to build upon.
Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of UB Athletics
