With the athletic director position vacant after former AD Tom Kirinovic finished his 27-year run in June, Ferris has narrowed its search to three finalists to fill the vacant position.
Ferris Vice President for Administration and Finance Jerry Scoby announced on Aug. 10 that after screening more than 75 applicants across the country, the search has been dwindled down to three finalists with various backgrounds in athletic department employment.
The candidates include Glen Krupica, the current Deputy Director of Athletics at Northern Illinois University; Derek van der Merwe, who is the Senior Associate Athletics Director at Central Michigan University; and Perk Weisenburger, who holds the Associate Director of Athletics for External Operations position at the University of Nevada.
With the finalists narrowed down to three, each candidate took part in final individual interviews during the week of Aug. 11. Each candidate took part in individual campus forums to answer questions from campus members about their plans for Ferris State athletics.
Though no time table has been set for a final decision on which candidate will secure the athletic director job, whomever secures the position will take over for Ferris softball coach Keri Becker, who is serving as the Interim Athletic Director until a successor to Kirinovic is named.
Kirinovic announced his retirement at a June 2 press conference after serving as a member of the Ferris athletic department for more than 27 years and after becoming the athletic director in November of 1999. n
Glen Krupica
Krupica joined the Northern Illinois staff as an Associate Athletics Director in July of 2005 and was promoted to Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs in August of 2006. Prior to his return to DeKalb, Krupica spent the previous 11 years (1994-2005) as the Executive Director of the Independence Bowl Foundation in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Perk Weisenburger
Weisenburger has served as the Associate Athletics Director for External Operations at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas since 2005. He presently oversees the coordination and operation of athletic marketing and promotions, licensing and athletic ticketing, and serves as the department’s liaison to multi-media rights partner International Sports Properties (ISP).
Derek van der Merwe
A former Central Michigan University football letter-winner, van der Merwe has been an administrator in the CMU Athletics Department since 1997, serving as Senior Associate Athletics Director since 2005. He is currently responsible for the oversight of the department’s business, compliance, facilities and event management areas.