CARBONDALE - Southern Illinois University Carbondale Athletic Director Paul Kowalczyk is trading his Saluki maroon for ram's horns as the new leader of Colorado State University athletics, officials announced Tuesday.

Kowalczyk, AD with SIUC since 2000, will start his new post May 17 on the Fort Collins, Colo., campus. He will leave Carbondale at the beginning of May. The terms of his contract with Colorado State were not disclosed.

SIUC Chancellor Walter Wendler said a CSU search committee sought out Kowalczyk for candidacy, largely because of his turn-around of the Salukis' ailing program.

"Paul has done an excellent job," Wendler said. "He's taken a unit that has had some financial difficulties, that had some teams that were really having a tough time and has provided leadership to make positive changes."

Associate athletic director Kathleen Jones will run the department in the interim, Wendler said, and the campus will begin a formal national search for Kowalczyk's permanent replacement.

"We'll look everywhere, and we will leave no stone unturned," Wendler said.

Repeated attempts to reach Kowalczyk Tuesday were unsuccessful, and Jones was not available for comment.

The AD's new job may throw the future of SIU athletics into the air, but the chancellor said he is confident.

"The fact of the matter is the athletics program is in quite good shape," Wendler said. "We have plans for athletics facilities but more importantly we've had success in many of our programs ¦ and that success will make it, I think, a little bit easier to attract interest in the position.

"Many people ask, can we get someone as good as Paul, and I think we can - and that's because of Paul."

caleb.hale@thesouthern.com

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