Gov. Jim Pillen said Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts' sudden decision to take the same job at Texas A&M was disappointing, and he implored the university's board of regents Thursday to move quickly to fill leadership positions. vacancies.
Pillen, a former regent who played football for the Cornhuskers from 1976 to 1978, issued a “call to action” less than 24 hours after Alberts' announcement.
“I am deeply disappointed in Trev Alberts' decision to leave so soon after reaffirming his commitment to Nebraska and do not fully understand or know his reasons,” the governor said in a statement. “I know the time to reflect on the failures of university leadership that led to his decision must come later. Now is the time to act.”
Four months ago, Alberts signed a contract extension through 2031. His annual base salary this year was $1.7 million, and a clause in his new contract promised the necessary adjustments to keep him among the Big Three's highest-paid athletic directors. Here.
Terms of his contract at Texas A&M were not announced.
Alberts has not responded to requests for comment. In recent interviews, he had expressed frustration that the regents had not hired a president to replace Ted Carter, who was named Ohio State president last August.
Alberts often praised Carter's leadership and for helping him land Matt Rhule as football coach in 2022, as well as working on the plan for a $450 million renovation of Memorial Stadium. Alberts reported directly to Carter and not to the campus chancellor, contrary to tradition.
“It has been 206 days since Ted Carter announced his departure as president,” Pillen said. “It is unacceptable that the University's elected leaders have been unable to appoint permanent leaders during this time. It is imperative that they act with urgency and decisiveness to end this uncertainty. Without delay, they must support Interim President Chris Kabourek's efforts to appoint immediately a new permanent athletic director.”
Board of Regents Chairman Rob Schafer, in response to Pillen's criticism, noted that the search that resulted in Carter's selection took seven months, and the search for Carter's predecessor, Hank Bounds, lasted a year.
“We are all disappointed to see Trev go,” Schafer said. “We had hoped it would be Husker for many years and, at the leadership level, we certainly took important steps to make that happen. The reality in professional life is that sometimes people choose to pursue different opportunities.”
