Mike Wereschagin
Staff Reporter
When Chris Schoemann cleans out his desk Monday, he will be the latest in a series of officials to leave the school in the wake of the men’s basketball academic fraud scandal.
Schoemann, the University’s NCAA compliance director, was told in November his contract would not be renewed after investigators released their findings on academic misconduct.
Already, the school is searching for Schoemann’s replacement.
General Counsel Mark Rotenberg will choose Schoemann’s successor, a decision formerly made by the vice president for student advancement. The Office of the General Counsel, which is unrelated to the athletics departments, was given the authority during University President Mark Yudof’s post-scandal administrative restructuring.
A committee is currently being formed to review applications for the position and submit recommendations to Rotenberg. The committee is chaired by Associate General Counsel William Donohue.
The committee will also include members of the men’s and women’s athletics departments, Donohue said.
An advertisement outlining the position’s requirements has been placed in newspapers across the country.
According to the ad, applicants must have at least two years of experience with NCAA compliance, and preference will be given to applicants with a master’s or law degree.
“The next step is to review the applications that come in,” Donohue said. “We hope to have a compliance coordinator selected by early March.”
There have been “no major changes” to the job description because of the academic misconduct, he added.
“The job is pretty much the same,” Donohue said. “The only real differences are that (the compliance officer) will report to the general counsel instead of the vice president for student development. We also plan to have more thorough oversight.”
Yudof and his chief of staff, Tonya Moten Brown, will have no formal role in the search process, though Donohue said they might be asked by the committee to interview applicants.
Before the new compliance coordinator takes office in March, someone will be taking over in an interim capacity.
“We have not yet determined who that will be,” Donohue said. “There is a lot to look over.”
Schoemann has not been involved in the search for his permanent successor but said he has been helping the general counsel’s office find an interim replacement.
In regard to his future, Schoemann said he has not made any concrete decisions.
“I have two solid job offers in college sports with Division I schools,” Schoemann said. “My wife and I are discussing my options and deciding what is best for us.”
He said he has already turned down offers from two other Division I athletics programs.
“They weren’t what I felt would be best for my family and I,” Schoemann said.
The offers he is currently looking at are in the private sector of the schools’ programs.
As for his successor, Schoemann said he or she would “inherit a tremendous group of coaches.
“These people have a very real desire to adhere to academic and athletic standards,” he said.

Mike Wereschagin welcomes comments at [email protected]. He can also be reached at (612) 627-4070 x3226.