Feb. 5, 2013

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has named three finalists for its Director of Athletics position, with all three candidates scheduled to visit Milwaukee next week.

The three finalists are:

Amanda Braun, currently Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director at Northeastern University

Paul Plinske, currently Director of Athletics at UW-Whitewater

James Schmidt, currently Director of Athletics at University of Illinois-Chicago

Plinske will visit the UWM campus Feb. 12, Schmidt will be on campus Feb. 13 and Braun will visit UWM on Feb. 15.

Complete information on all three candidates is available online at http://www.aux.uwm.edu/studentaffairs/pages/athletics-director-open-forum.php

Each candidate will be made available to the campus community and general public during an open forum entitled, "Defining Success in UWM Athletics: On the Field, in the Classroom, and in the Community." The forums will take place at 10 a.m. on the day of each candidate's visit, with the sessions for Plinske and Braun scheduled for UWM Union Room 191 and the forum for Schmidt in the Regents Room of Chapman Hall.

As Wisconsin's premier public urban institution, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee enjoys a growing national reputation for excellence in research, teaching and community engagement. On an operating budget of $680 million, it educates approximately 30,000 students and is an engine of innovation for Southeastern Wisconsin. The 104-acre main campus and satellite sites are located in the economic and cultural heart of the state. The university's recent expansion includes new academic and research facilities, and the creation of the only School of Freshwater Sciences in the United States and the Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health.