Rutgers paid $70,000 for the background check that failed to uncover the accusations of verbal and emotional abuse from former volleyball players against the state university’s new athletics director Julie Hermann, an New Jersey Press Media investigation found today.
According to the contract obtained by New Jersey Press Media, Rutgers on April 8 hired Parker Executive Search to advertise the AD position, identify candidates and perform background checks on them.
Laurie Wilder, executive vice president of Parker Executive Search, who signed the three-page agreement, declined an interview request for this story, saying in an email, “We do not discuss our clients publicly.’’
The accusations came less than a month after a report broke that new Scarlet Knights men’s basketball coach Eddie Jordan was hired without having a degree, though Parker Executive Search was not involved in that hire.
“My job is not to run Rutgers,” Gov. Chris Christie said Tuesday night. “These are their decisions. They decided to hire Eddie Jordan. They decided to hire Julie Hermann. And now they have to deal with the questions that are being raised.”
Four years ago, Rutgers appointed Parker Executive Search for a fee of $58,000 plus expenses to identify candidates for the AD position. The result produced 70 candidates, which was whittled down to three finalists, including Tim Pernetti, who accepted a settlement of $1.2 million on April 5 to leave the Rutgers AD post he had held since 2009.
As the university sought to replace Pernetti amid the fallout of the Mike Rice men’s basketball player abuse scandal, Rutgers again turned to the Atlanta-based search firm to identify candidates.
According to the terms of the contract, Parker Executive Search lowered its standard fee of $90,000 to $70,000, including out-of-pocket expenses, “due to ongoing business” with Rutgers. Rutgers was required to pay $35,000 once the contract was executed and $35,000 30 days after “the hiring of a successful candidate.”
Introduced on May 15 as the sixth AD in Rutgers history, Hermann’s appointment concluded a nearly six-week controversy stemming from now-deposed men’s basketball coach Mike Rice’s mistreatment of players and fueled by questionable decisions by top university leaders.
Charged with restoring faith in a Rutgers fan base, Hermann continues to fight for the job she doesn’t officially take over until June 17 amid accusations of abuse during her time as women's volleyball coach at Tennessee.
According to the contract, Parker Executive Search agreed to assist Rutgers in identifying candidates through a “comprehensive search process.” It says the firm “uses both original research as well as a careful review of its database’’ through throughout the search.
The background investigation includes:
• Criminal, credit and motor vehicle investigations.
• Confirm candidates degrees.
• Conduct a NCAA sanctions review for past major infractions.
• Conduct media reviews for potentially controversial areas of concern.
• Have candidates sign a statement of accuracy of a bio.
• Reference checking for each candidate.
For the final candidates — which in the Rutgers search included Wisconsin Deputy AD Sean Frazier and Fresno State AD Thomas Boeh — Parker Executive Search says, “We speak directly with individuals who are in position to evaluate the candidates’ performance in recent years, references that will include both those supplied by the individual as well as additional reference contacts.
“We also encourage the (university) president and other administrators to make reference calls at the appropriate time,” the contract states.
They need to get a damn refund
