CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison will be introducing the new athletic director Monday afternoon, who will be taking over for former director Rick Mazzuto, who stepped down in November 2012.

In Mazzuto’s absence, Associate Athletics Director for Internal Operations Ashlie Kite has been serving as the athletics administrator in charge.

A search committee headed by Dr. Michael Neubauer, director of the liberal studies program, invited five candidates to campus to speak in an open forum to faculty about their plans for the program.

Covering different topics, all the potential athletic directors said one of their main goals was to elevate Northridge’s status in Los Angeles, and get the community, faculty and students more involved with the department.

Candidates came from across the country beginning in late January with Ken Weiner, senior associate athletics director at UCLA and Janet Lucas, executive associate athletics director at UC Riverside.

The open forums continued into February, beginning with Brandon Martin, senior associate athletics director for administration at the University of Oklahoma. The last two candidates visited campus in the middle of February. Michael Chisholm, director of athletics at Portland State University and Derrick Ramsey, director of athletics at Coppin State University.